😍😍😍BAE-jing😍😍😍

Monday, November 27th

WHAT'S GOOD, CHAIRMAN

I headed into the center of Beijing to check out the other famous scene from Mulan another obligatory historical spot! The structure of Beijing is actually laid out in a series of square "ring roads" centered around the Forbidden Palace, so I was quite literally in the center of the city.

There was a big security checkpoint down the street that I had to pass through before being allowed in here.

Got scolded for stopping on this bridge for taking a picture, but I didn't take it to heart because everyone else was doing it too, haha.

Clearly touching the gold knobs is a good luck charm (or simply irresistible).

SUPER UNFORTUNATELY the museum inside the palace is closed on Mondays! And of course I hadn't checked that before deciding to do the Great Wall on Sunday, whoops haha.

Honestly though, just seeing this building at all was worth the trip.

I could practically see the fireworks exploding overhead *A*

Anyway, after exiting from the side of the courtyard, I decided to circle around the back of the whole compound just to see what the area was like. First thing I found was this lovely lake/moat with draping willow trees.

Who would I be if I didn't take pictures of leaves against the sky?

The Forbidden City is RIGHT. THERE.

View along the moat.

In case you had forgotten that it was literally freezing.

Oh yeah, I could get used to this view.

A rear corner!!!

One benefit of winter so far north was that golden hour came early.

Circling around to the back, I found a continuation of the moat.

Plus historical houses!

LUV PERSPECTIVE

A neat window on a building on the street parallel to the moat.

Obsessed with these trees making the sidewalk a tunnel.

I then stumbled upon Beihai park, a former imperial recreation spot.

I think the white building was part of a temple, but I was tired and didn't make it up there lol.

Detail on the entrance gate.

Can't stop won't stop with the sun photos.

These little processions appeared on nearly all the decorative gates!

SUPER close up on a decorative emblem.

You can tell these designs get refreshed/preserved periodically because they're so vibrant despite the weather!

The Whole Look

A shady walkway along the water.

The ceiling of the walkway.

The center of the park is a man-made island, so there a number of bridges to view.

The lamps are obviously new, but they match the aesthetic so well.

NICE

There was a food court off to the left from the entrance, so I ordered there and then hung out in this little gazebo.

Well fed, I exited the park and resumed circling the Forbidden City.

and the lighting really started SHOWING OFF

more ice

Passed another giant gate! This one has a quote from Confucius on it, but because the sign is so old, people nowadays tend to read it backwards. Since Chinese was classically written top to bottom and right to left, that's how this sign is written. Nowadays, people read left to right when text is arranged horizontally.

Anyway, it looks cool.

One more corner!!

I passed a group of high school or college track students running past here.

Another building along the side street to finish off the walk

So that was Beijing! I took the metro back to the hostel and got street food for dinner (I had made plans with a friend, but ultimately they didn't work out).

The next morning I got up around 4am and tried to call the Chinese version of Uber, but for some reason the app wouldn't work on my phone. Stressful! So I just caught a regular cab to the airport.

SEE HOW I WAS REWARDED FOR MY EFFORTS THOUGH
I absolutely lost it when I noticed what the sun was doing :')

When I landed back in South China, the severe change in temperature made me instantly sweaty, ugh.

Next up, I pack feverishly, ship my entire life back to America, and then depart for a last-minute getaway to Hong Kong and Tokyo: Stay tuned.