Jeanie in a bottle: China.. magnificent!

This was effectively our final day in Beijing, as our flight the next day was at noon and we needed time to travel/check-in etc etc. We spent the entire day doing the touristy thing and visited the three big attractions in Beijing - Tiananmen Square, the Forbiden City and the Summer Palace.

Tiananmen Square is a large plaza near the centre of Beijing, and is named after the Tiananmen (the Gate of Heavenly Peace) which separates the Square from the Forbidden City. It was the site of many key events, although, it's probably best known outside China for the Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989. (I shan't bother you with too much background history, so you can read it here if you'd like.)

Here's daddy and me at the Tiananmen Square

With Mum at Tiananmen (yes, the pollution and sun was really bad, hence the squinting..)

The Forbidden City, now known as the Palace Museum, was the official palace of the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasty, some ___ years ago. Not only did it serve as the royal residence for the Emperor and the Royal Family, it was also the place where the Emperor undertook his official duties, like holding sessions of Imperial Court, meeting with his Imperial officers and special occassions like coronations, birthdays and weddings. Once again, my breath was taken away by the sheer vastness of the Palace, it was truly magnificent! Coupled with the many intricate sculptures, figures and paintings that adorn the palace, I was definitely amazed. It's truly amazing what humans are capable of!

One of the many magnificent halls in the Forbidden City

This all looks so very authentic, but then again, we are in China!

The Imperial Gardens at the Forbidden City: the only place you'll find bits of green in the whole palace!

I love all the stone structures!

Next stop: Summer Palace. As its name suggests, is a palace built by one of the Emperors (don't know who) which served as a residence for the Emperor and the Royal Family in the summer, when it is impossibly hot. It is an archetypal Chinese garden and has been listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Therefore, you'll find many many trees and green stuff (hehe) and huge lakes, creating a feeling of natural beauty and solitude. Now this place really blew me away. It was very very very very huge! Something like 10 times the size of Forbidden City. Think the official measurements are 294 hectares, which is 726.5 acres!!!