++++ You can see my previous post for flights and hotels i was staying ++++

Hilton Wangfujing



Review UA ORD - PEK in C


I started my day with forbidden Place.
Here is some story of this place ( Do not use this story to answer in the exam though , I wrote from my memory and articles i have read in the past)

Forbidden Palace or city was founded 500 years ago. It consist of 9,999 rooms . The logic behind this is the emperor is the son of God who lives ten thousand year. He is the son of the god so he should not exceed 10,000 years but he should be just one year below his dad so the number is 9,999 years

There were many emperors, empresses, prince and princes from many dynasties who were promoted,died,executed,lived and beheaded in this beautiful palace. The last dynasty is "Qing" .I don't want to bore you with the long history so I just pick the famous biography of the Last empress who reign China in behalf of the king for more than 30 years. Empress Dowager Cixi is the most powerful woman in Qing dynatry. she overcomes men and rule China to prove that Swan once above the dragon.

Empress Dowager Cixi or the last empress.she is not really the last empress. After her son and nephew got married, they have empresses but unfortunately they don't play the big role in Chinese history.Picture of Empress Dowager Cixi below



Empress Dowager Cixi is the daugter of low rank official who is not wealthy.When her father pass away.She does not even have enough money to host funeral. she need to borrow money from her relatives. Her childhood I would say it's unpleasant.

Chinese women fate as we all know women in 18th century does not have many choices. Their fate are depend on men they marry to .Divorce is rarely happen in that era.

Her fate is also different from common women. Every 3 or 6 years the emperor will recruit royal consorts from daughter of official or scholar. They cannot deny or postpone .It is the emperor verdict. Cixi is one of 1,000 girl who is selected by euunch to enter the inner palace.



You may rise questions how can emperor has 1,000 consorts? Did he sleep with all of them? Those questions are legit .Not everyone can be emperor's favorite. most women slept with emperor once or twice and never see him again. Some women do not even have a chance to meet emperor.Their life in place is just a golden jail.You can get in but you cannot get out!!



There were also many competition among the consorts. In china history, The empresses do not have long live.Some were plotted by other consorts to bring her down.some were poisoned or passed away with strange disease. If you don't compete , you will be stepped down by other consorts or loses favor of the emperor and that means you will be no one in the palace .The consort are allowed to live in inner place only. Your body and soul belong to the only one man which is Emperor. You cannot interact with any man even your father and brother. Inner palace only allow one man to enter which is Emperor. Actually that statement is kind of wrong. many men are working in inner palace but there is the price to pay - they need to leave their manhood behind. We called those men Eunuch.Picture below show Eunuch with different rank.

Once or twice a year consort is allowed to see her family . She will sit behind the curtain while her mother or sister sit/kneel in front of her. Her father can talk but he need to keep along distance.



Cixi is one of the consort who want to be someone in the palace.when she entered she is poor,innocent and fragile. She does not have a chance to serve Emperor . you may ask. Why money has something to do with it? . Money can buy anything even the path to emperor bed. Because the Emperor has thousand concubines. He cannot meet them all and pick one he wants to sleep with. The palace artist will draw a picture and present to him.Consort who have money to bribe will have the most beautiful picture.Consort who have no money will have ugly picture. Also at night , Eunuch will present Emperor with a big plate that has a lot of consort name tag on it .Emperor will pick and that consort will go to his chamber -naked to avoid assassination. If you have money , your name tag will be on the top so emperor see it clearly.No money mean your name tag may sit below or hidden some where in that plate.



Cixi has no present so she spend her time reading book in royal library .she master all subjects. she read philosophy, politic,art and medicine.she knows what medicine can treat and kill. Below are picture of period movie show emperor Shunzhi and empress Suoerna



No one know how Cixi gain Emperor favorite .Some say she use her voice to lure emperor to her chamber. She hide in the garden and sign when emperor walk by. Anyway she manage to get pregnant and bear the first male heir-Tongzhi Emperor. She was promoted from consort rank five to two .Her rank is below the empress nose .Her golden age has arrived and she has used it to gain power and support.
Below is picture of Empress Wan Rong - The Last Empress Consort of the Qing Dynasty



Some say she does intervene and help emperor make big decision on country affair. Who can object the high rank consort who bear the only son of the king. Her son soon became crown price of china. Surprisingly the palace rule does not allow prices or princesses to stay with their mom. After the consorts gave birth.They will be taken away by Eunuch .They will be nursed by empress and call empress "mother". They may see the real mother once or twice a year until grown up,so Cixi's son is close to his step mom instead of his real mother. Image of Tongzhi Emperor

I like your stuff! I've been to the Forbidden City ~50 times during the course of the past 20 years, but I typically don't think much about the historical stuff because my SOP is to knock it down as quickly as possible.

great pictures! thanks for sharing!

Thanks. Very interesting.

I hope to visit one day. I think there is an AMAN hotel nearby.

No, but there are lots of others from which to choose.

Lovely photos and a clear day in Beijing.

I'm headed there next week and looking forward to it. It will be my second visit.

Very nice.

I have been to the forbidden city a couple of times and found it very impressive. Also I stayed at the same hotel and thought it was a great option. I would personally recommend it to anyone staying in Beijing (incidentally I think its a wonderful city to spend a few days in, although I haven't been to Shanghai to compare it with).

Great pics! I was in Beijing and Forbidden City in March during the National People's Congress, i.e. what passes for a parliament in China. Gorgeous weather (many of the more polluting plants had ordered to shut down), really spring in the air. One day I walked to the FC (I was staying at Crowne Plaza Wangfujing), and some of the CP bigwigs were visiting in the Rolls Royces... The last car with cops/security was just VW.

Really nice report of the flight over. The situation that can only be described as springrollgate has to be one of the most ridiculous offerings i've seen while following aviation. What on earth were they thinking? Hopefully those are gone for good now.

Luckily the main dish does look very nice.

Amazing place - only really get the size of the city be visiting. We went there in 2010 and found it thoroughly enjoyable.

Sushun is high rank official who does not like Cixi. He does not want consort to intervene Emperor decision " Women should be kept where they belong". The Qing palace law also states women must not intervene country affair.Sushun group and Cixi supporters are struggling to gain power.In September 1860, British and French troops attacked Beijing during the closing stages of the Second Opium War.Xianfeng Emperor flees to Rehe . He became depress ,ill and passed away in the age of 30 year old.Cixi who is the high rank consort,aged 27, was promoted to Empress Dowager Cixi . Xianfeng Emperor's empress ,aged 25, was promoted to Empress Dowager Ci'an.
Picture below shows emperor official work room.



Before Emperor pass way, He elected eight officials to be a regent to help his son govern the country.In Qing dynasty , women only allow to rule only when her son were young and incapable .She will rule behind the bamboo curtain.Qing palace rule does not allow men to be the same room with the consort so they need to have curtain to separate.That time there are three powerful group : Cixi,Sushun and price Gong. Price Gond decided to support Cixi and eventually Sushun group was demoted and Cixi gave them a wonderful gift - death.



She now is the only women who control China but not yet . Not only her who govern behind curtain. Empress Dowager Cian is also beside her. Cixi is the consort before promoted to empress dowager. On the other hand Empress Dowger cian was the late king empress.xi an rank is still higher than her . there some situation that Cixi dis like Xian .For example, Xian ordered an execution of Cixi favorite Eunuch.He is the head of eunuch who went outside Beijing and did so many things that inappropriate. Cixi was mad and eventually some how Empress Dowager Xian passed away with small explanation.Some says she was poisoned but nobody really know.
Picture below is Empress Cian