The Forbidden City is a contemporary misnomer as it is actually only forbidden to people without a few yuan. We went during a Chinese holiday (Worker’s Holiday) which may help explain the throngs of people in all of the photos. The city is a beautifully ornate labyrinth of buildings, exhibits, gardens, temples and hidden shrines. Perhaps most memorable was the lookout point just outside of the city in Jingshan Park which gives stunning views of the entire city and a 360 degree panorama of the ‘fog’ laden metropolis.

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