I start this entry with an advise: Please do not visit Beijing during Chinese New Year or China National Day! You will regret it because it's too crowded.
I visited Beijing in November, 2010 and yes, it was their National Day. The weather is just nice, middle autumn and I can see many Chinese citizens visiting Beijing. I wish it was not that crowded.
My first destination in Beijing was the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City, otherwise known as the Palace Museum, is one of the must-see sights in Beijing. With a total of 9999.5 rooms (because only heaven could have 10,000 rooms) and an area of over 720,000 square meters, it was the Imperial residence during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Construction of the Palace began around 1407, during the reign of Yongle, the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty.
It is thought that up to a million workers may have been coerced into working on the palace’s construction. It was inhabited by more than 20 Emperors, and during that time built up an incredible collection of treasures and artwork.
The palace was burnt to the ground when the Manchus stormed it in 1644, and has been comprehensively looted on several occasions in its history but there’s still plenty to see.
Next time if you are visiting Forbidden City, make sure you wear comfortable shoes or sandals because you will need a lot of walking.
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