the forbidden city

Yesterday we toured Tienamen Square, the Forbidden City, and an area of Beijing called Hutong. 

Tienamen Square was massive. There were so many people in it, but it did not even feel that crowded. There are also these two giant movie screens, which seemed really odd and out of place. There is not too much to do there, so we took some pictures and headed over to the Forbidden City. 

The Forbidden City from a distance 

The forbidden City was also enormous. The buildings are beautiful and it was fascinating to learn the history of the city. However, it felt very cold and lonely even though there were a zillion people there. It is not somewhere I would want to live. The gardens in the city were really beautiful with interesting trees and rock formations. I will try to upload those from the big camera later (these are all iPhone pictures). 

Inside the Forbidden City

more of the city

still more

Hutong is an old section of Beijing. It offers a glimpse of what life was like in Beijing before the construction boom. The homes are very simple and humble. We were able to visit one of the homes and meet the lady who lives there. She told us what life is like in Hutong. We also took a rickshaw around the neighborhood and visited the local market.  

The view from our rickshaw ride

Inside the local market.

The Hutong area

After out tour our guide helen took us to another part of Hutong. This part had lots of shops and restaurants. There was also a beautiful lake. 

so pretty

Our great guide Helen.