OUR VISIT TO THE FORBIDDEN CITY,CHINA JOURNEY

 After visiting the Tiananmen Square our next visit was to the Forbidden City

It was constructed during the reign of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, was home to 24 emperors and their families and was the ceremonial and political center of ancient Chinese government for more than 500 years. 

It was so named because access to the area was barred to most people, government functionaries and even the imperial family were permitted only limited access, only the emperor could enter any section at will. 

The 178-acre compound was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987 for its unparalleled architecture now it is converted to Palace Museum of dynastic art and history in 1925 and opened to the public 

Since then, the Forbidden City is no longer ‘forbidden’, and everyone can tour it and see the luxuries of the royal life

The architecture of the walled complex adheres rigidly to the traditional Chinese practice of feng shui. and the orientation follows a north-south line to honor the Sun.

Rectangular in shape, the Forbidden City is huge, covering an area of 72 hectares, and has an astonishing number of more than 9,000 rooms. 

It is divided into two parts – the Outer Court in South for national affairs and the Inner Court in North served as living quarters.

It is not only an architectural masterpiece, but also a contains a unique collection of 1.8 million pieces of art, including ancient calligraphy and painting, imperial artifacts, ancient books and archives. 

After touring Tiananmen Square, we walked through the Tiananmen Tower and through the Meridian Gate, the only entrance now to the Forbidden City and reached the square before it

Ideally one full day would be required to see the entire place but as we were on a customized tour, we had only 2 hours at our disposal and did our best to see as much as we could

We bought the tickets for the Forbidden City at the booths arranged on either side, eager to start our tour to the magnificent imperial palace complex, we relaxed for some time on the benches laid there and we saw some stalls for water and cool drinks, much needed in the hot sun

As the largest and most imposing gate to the Forbidden City, the Meridian Gate has a height of 124.5 feet and has a concave layout with five towers appearing like a flying phoenix

The central tower, with double roofs made of colored glazed tiles, was 198 feet in length and 82 feet in width. The gate is also one of the tallest buildings of the complex, standing 125 feet high and served as a backdrop for imperial appearances and proclamations

There were strict rules regarding the five doors of the Meridian Gate. The central doorway was for the exclusive use of the emperor in Ming and Qing Dynasties. An empress was granted the privilege of using this opening only once, on her wedding day which was not fair my feminine soul exclaimed! The smaller door to the east was used by ministers and officials while that to the west was used by the royal family. 

The remaining two doors at the corners were only used when there were grand ceremonies. 

Now the three central doorways are available for all the tourists. The two side doors are reconstructed as toilets. We entered through the central door feeling regal!

Beyond the Meridian Gate was a large courtyard, 460 feet deep and 690 feet wide, through which the Golden River runs in a bow-shaped arc. 

The river is crossed by five parallel white marble bridges, which have marble balustrades richly carved with dragon and phoenix motifs and lead to the Gate of Supreme Harmony, after it lies the Outer Court, where the three main administration halls stand atop a three-tiered marble terrace overlooking an immense plaza.

To the north, on the same triple terrace, stand the Hall of Central and the Hall of Preserving Harmony  also loci of government functions. 

Farther north lies the Inner Court, which contains the three halls that composed the imperial living quarters

The area was massive, seven acres wide with enough space to admit thousands of subjects to pay homage to the emperor.

The foundations of the palace were laid in a very special way - seven layers lengthways and eight layers crosswise, fifteen layers totally. This precaution was intended to prevent assassins tunnelling into the palace.

Paving bricks were specially designed to make pleasant sounds when people walk on them. We could not however appreciate it due to the hustle and bustle around us

The rooms on each side are said to have served as warehouses for storing items like fur, porcelain, silver, tea, silk, satin and clothes.

Gate of Supreme Harmony is the main gate of the Outer Court and grand. It is guarded by two bronze lions symbolizing imperial power. 

After the Gate of Supreme Harmony, towering above the space stood the Hall of Supreme Harmony, in which the throne of the emperor is kept. This hall, measuring 210 by 122 feet is the largest single building in the compound, as well as one of the tallest 

This grand timber framework in China is quite overwhelming to the eyes, it was erected in 1406 and has undergone many repairs with time. 

This was the place where emperors received high officials and exercised their rule over the nation. Grand ceremonies would be held here when a new emperor ascended the throne. Celebrations also marked emperors' birthdays, wedding ceremonies and other important occasions such as the Winter Solstice, the Chinese New Year and the dispatch of generals into fields of war. 

The floor was paved with special bricks which were fired and polished after soaking in tung oil also known as China wood oil. Even the pillars were shining very brightly 

The sandalwood throne stood on a two-meter- high platform and was surrounded by six thick gold-lacquered pillars decorated with dragons. Around the throne stood two bronze cranes, an elephant-shaped incense burner and tripods in the shape of mythical beasts 

Along the steps of the three tiers of the terrace, there were eighteen bronze Dings, ancient Chinese vessels, representing the eighteen national provinces of those times. 

On the luxuriously balustraded terrace, stood a bronze crane and a tortoise, symbolizing everlasting rule and longevity. 

There were 72 pillars totally, in six rows, supporting the roof. The doors and windows are embossed with clouds and dragons.

We next walked to the Hall of Central Harmony which was the smallest and square, built like a pavilion, It had a single-eaved roof with a gilded pinnacle gleaming brightly in the sunshine

The Hall of Central Harmony served as a resting place for the emperor on his way to hold ceremonies in the Hall of Supreme Harmony

Inside the Hall we could see a pair of golden unicorns standing on each side of the throne in the center. On the flat ground stood bronze incense burners and beside the throne were two sedan chairs used to shuttle the emperor around the Forbidden City, the choice of the chair on which the emperor would ride that particular day was kept a closely guarded secret

Next on our list was Hall of Preserved Harmony at the northern end, larger than the Hall of Central Harmony. It was built in 1420, rebuilt in 1625 and renovated in 1765. The Ming Emperors would usually change into their ritual garments here prior to the ceremonial installation of an empress or crown prince.

There were 1,412 marble dragon heads below the columns of the three-tier terrace on which the three main halls stand. Chinese artisans cleverly combined the drainage system with these architectural features. We could see the spouts in the mouths of the dragons and I wondered how beautiful it would look during the rainy season with the water gushing through them

We next walked into the Inner Court the residential area, which included the three central palaces for the emperor and the empress, namely the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Celestial and Terrestrial Union, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, flanked by Six Western and Six Eastern Palaces for concubines and maids of different ranks.

Palace of Heavenly Purity was the sleeping quarters of the emperors. It was a smaller version of Hall of Supreme Harmony

Ming emperors and the first two Qing emperors lived in it and attended to their daily affairs of state,  read and signed documents, interviewed ministers and envoys and used to hold ‘Banquets for a thousand Seniors’ where men over 60 years would attend and be given gifts by the emperors

In the Qing Dynasty, no matter where the emperor died, his coffin would be placed in the Palace of Heavenly Purity for a few days for memorial ceremonies

All around the palace we noticed huge gleaming, gilded bronze vats. Although very decorative, their prime function was to hold vast amount of water to fight the outbreak of fire.

Built of wood there always was a scare of fire and each of these vats weighs four tons and would contain over two hundred gallons of water. Three hundred and eight vats were spread around the Forbidden City

Some of the vats looked as if their surfaces were roughly scraped, when I enquired our guide he said during invasion the soldiers would scrape off the gold on these vats and sell it.

Although we couldn’t see the Forbidden Palace fully due to time constraints, we felt happy that we could see the main halls and form an opinion of the life lead by the emperors 

VISIT TO TIANANMEN SQUARE, CHINA JOURNEY

 Our day started with a visit to an important place that day, we would be seeing the Tiananmen Square supposed to be the largest public square in the world

Initially built in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty, the Square is the front door of the Forbidden City.

It is built on a large scale and extends for 53.31 acres 

Used as a venue for mass gatherings since its creation, its vast flatness is contrasted by "Monument to the People's Heroes" and the "Mausoleum of Mao Zedong."

We were surprised to see people forming queues at the entrance to the square, our bags and passports were checked and only then we were allowed to enter

The Tiananmen Gate is also known as "Gate of Heavenly Peace"  

In the 17th century, fighting between Li Zicheng’s's rebel forces and the forces of the Qing Dynasty caused heavy damage to the gate.

The gate historically known as the "Great Ming Gate” was renamed "Great Qing Gate" during the Qing dynasty, and the " Gate of China" during the Republican Era and was a purely ceremonial gateway, with three arches

This gate had a special status as the "Gate of the Nation", as can be seen from its successive names.

It normally remained closed, except when the emperor passed through. Commoner traffic was diverted to side gates at the western and eastern ends of the square, respectively. 

In 1954, the Gate of China was demolished, for enlargement of the square.

In November 1958, a major expansion of Tiananmen Square started as per the vision of Mao Zedong to make the square the largest and most spectacular in the world and to hold over 500,000 people, this was completed in August 1959. 

As a result, many residential buildings and other structures have been demolished.

On southern side, the Monument to the People’s Heroes has been erected.

Great Hall of the People and the National Museum of China were erected on the western and eastern sides of the square 

One year after Mao's death, a mausoleum was built near the site of the former Gate of China along the main north–south axis of the square

The square lies between two massive ancient gates, the Tiananmen to the north and the Qianmen to the south.

The Square indeed was extensive and the sun was pouring down his rays relentlessly on us

At the north end of the Square is Tiananmen Tower, its most important use in the past was to announce names of emperor and empress to the common people in a big ceremony

Until 1911 when the last feudal kingdom was over, no one could enter the Tower except for the royal family and aristocrats.  

Chang’an avenue which is used for parades, lies between the Tian'anmen and the square.

Trees line the east and west edges of the Square, but the square itself is open, with neither trees nor benches. 

The square had large lamp posts fitted with video cameras and the whole atmosphere was highly charged

The granite Monument to the People's Heroes is just at the center of Tiananmen Square. Built in 1952, it is the largest monument in China's history. 

‘The People's Heroes are Immortal' written by Chairman Mao is engraved on the monument.

Eight large relief sculptures show the development of Chinese modern history. Two rows of white marble railings enclose the monument 

As we were walking along the Square we noticed that the guards were changing, it was done very smartly and we came to know that the soldiers guarding the monument were supposed to stand steady in their positions, without moving even a single muscle, which is a tough task indeed, truly they were in a stand still position as we closely observed

Tiananmen Square has had several political events and student protests happening

Most notable events that have occurred here were protests during the May Fourth Movement in 1919, the proclamation of the People's Republic of China by Mao Zedong, protests in 1916 after death of Zhou Enlai, and the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 after death of Hu Yaobang, which resulted in military suppression and death of several civilian protestors.

Apart from tourists, domestic visitors often have their identification documents checked and the purpose of their visit questioned. Both plain-clothes and uniformed police officers patrol the area. There are numerous fire extinguishers placed in the area to put out flames should a protester attempt self - immolation.

The whole Square had profuse multicolored flowering plants giving us a relief from the solemn air hovering in the Square

BEIJING OLYMPIC PARK , CHINA JOURNEY

 That day started for us with a visit to the Beijing Olympic Park 

Our guide had warned us that we would have to walk long distances that day, by then we were used to walk a lot during the China trip, so we were ready

Beijing Olympic Park is the place where 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympics took place. 

It occupies total area of 2,864 acres, of which 1,680 acres in the north are covered by the Olympic Forest Park, 778 acres make up the central section, and 405 acres in the south contain various venues of 1990 Asian Games.

We noticed several interesting sculptures as we walked along 

The park is now transformed into a comprehensive multifunctional activity center for the public and is gearing up for winter Olympics in 2022

Luckily when we went there was no crowd, but it was very hot and the sun was reflecting off the roads literally roasting us alive

In the northwestern corner, there was the Olympic Village, while in the southern part, we could see the National Stadium (Bird's Nest), Aquatics Center (Water Cube), Convention Center, Indoor Stadium, and the China Science and Technology Museum. 

With an overall height of 433 feet Ling Long Tower is the highest building in the Olympic Park and functioned as the International Broadcasting Corporation during the games. 

We were told that when night falls, it looks extremely charming with colored lights changing alternatively.

The National Stadium was the place where the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Games were held. 

As the centerpiece of this park, the stadium covered an area of 2,195,838 square feet and can easily hold 91,000 people.

It was shaped like a bird's nest, resembling a cradle for breeding lives, symbolizing mankind's hope for the future. The unique feature of Bird's Nest is said to be its design which has a great value in terms of art and architecture, we found it very impressive both from far and in proximity too

Not far from the Bird's Nest, there was the National Aquatics Center, also known as Water Cube. 

Its creative design concept originated from the arrangement of human body cells and natural structure of soap bubbles which for me was very significant as I am a pathologist by profession

The huge square box was built by combining modern technology with traditional Chinese culture, the water cube had water running through the walls to create air-Conditioning 

Chinese ancestors believed that the sky is round while the earth is square and felt that it is the way nature maintains harmony. 

The square Water Cube together with the round Bird's Nest represent the Chinese philosophy well.

As we went along. we found outside the south gate of the forest park, the Sightseeing Tower is composed of five independent towers, highest being 810 feet in height. The five towers are built on steel frameworks and arranged in the pattern of the five Olympic rings. From a distance, the towers look like nails, hence the nickname Giant Nails.

We were told that the Olympic village would look wonderful in the evening with the buildings all lit brilliantly but we were on a customized tour so had to leave

While on tour in China I noticed many Chinese getting their children along with them and taking good care of them. I was curious about the one-child policy of China

It was a rule implemented by the Chinese government making it compulsory that majority of couples in the country could only have one child. 

This was intended to decrease the social, economic, and environmental problems associated with the country's rapidly growing population. The rule was introduced in 1979 and phased out in 2015 when the government removed one-child limit and established a two -child limit, and in 2021, after changing the two-child limit in May to a three -child limit in July all limits as well as penalties for exceeding them were removed.

Meanwhile nine-year compulsory education policy in China enables students over six years old nationwide to have free education at both primary schools (grade 1 to 6) and junior secondary schools (grade 7 to 9). The policy is funded by government and tuition fees are not charged

As a result, increasing number of girls specially from rural areas are getting educated and also started working

I t was found that growing number of Chinese millennials are postponing or avoiding marriage.

From 1990 to 2016, the average age for first marriages rose from 22 to 25 for Chinese women, and from 24 to 27 for Chinese men, according to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

The number of Chinese people getting married for the first time has fallen by a crushing 41%, from 23.8 million in 2013 to 13.9 million in 2019, as per data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics

The decline is partly due to fewer young people especially girls in China available to be married but also a result of changing attitudes to marriage, especially among young women, some of whom are growing disillusioned with marriage as such because the burden of looking after the household and the children is proving to be cumbersome

I personally felt that the trend of avoiding marriage is all over the world including India both men and women are shying away from the institution of marriage as they feel it takes away their freedom to live and enjoy