Beijing 2024 - Walking to Wangfujie (王府井大街) and Bookstores

 

After our visit to the Forbidden City, my next destination was to a place called Wangfujie. Apparently this was a more 'atas' shopping district than the area we were staying at. I specifically wanted to have dinner there since there were many 'food street' around that area. Since we didn't know how to take the bus or train there, we decided to walk there. As my husband quoted "since we already walked 8 hours, what is another 20minutes walk" ! Lol. And as we walked, we saw more interesting sights along the way. Like this Theatre for Children. The building looked kinda western style, which was what initially caught my attention.

A beautiful pothole cover outside also caught my attention. Here is a photo for my collection. Was it just a Theatre for Children? How nice! To have a dedicated building just for kids! 

The walk was actually more than 20 minutes. And we were kinda out of water by then. So we hopped into a Mixue shop to get some drinks. It was kinda hard to get ice with our drinks in China. Since Mixue has a 'Ice City' in it's shop description, we always try to get ice drinks from here. It's not too expensive either! Maybe 1.50sgd for a big cup of fruity ice tea.

Husband taking photos with the giant mascot at the shop. We have to wait for our drinks after ordering and paying for it. The mascot is kinda cute. And same shape as my husband.

And he always look so happy and cheerful too! So we took a wefie with it too!

After having our drink, we continue our walk to Wangfujie and finally reached the bookstore which I wanted to visit. Yay! And wow! I wasn't expecting a whole building! Good job China bookstore!

 

Walking inside via the main entrance, it's like walking into those big bank's building! Everything is just bigger and grander in China! There were around two of three storeys of books I think. And I did ended up buying a souvenir book about the Dao Of Tea! Very pretty book. I'll show it to you sometime. I'm sure it's around in  my Instagram page since I like taking photos with it whenever I drink tea. It's a miniature book about the art of tea drinking. And it was super cheap too! Maybe one or two SGD? Great for souvenirs, but only in Mandarin. 

Book lover's quote on the wall. Got to stop to take a photo. I think it's nice if you  have a friend whom you could sit and read with. Most of my good friends are readers. Readers are the best people to have a conversation with. It's like talking to a thousand souls cause they have read so many books and have so much to share! Lol. 

Some books that reminded me of my ex-colleagues. Took a photo to share with them :P I always say that my Mandarin is lousy, but I can read all those characters on the book cover! But recently a friend of mine gave me a Mandarin book, and I've read the first chapter, and I maybe understand 30% to 40% of if even if I could read 70% to 80% of the characters! Hilarious isn't it? 

Beijing 2024 - Forbidden City Exit

 

And so, we've finally come to an end of our journey through the Forbidden City. This is the last post about the inside of the city walls and it's surrounding. Above is the exit gate as we make our way out, more because it was near closing time then that we have finished exploring the whole place. Note the pavilion on top of the small hill just opposite the exit. That was the park I wanted to go up to so that I could get an aerial view of the Forbidden City. But at last, after walking the whole day, my legs just wouldn't allow me to go up there any more. It was a short climb up, vertical stairs..... And I just didn't have the energy anymore...... Maybe leave it next time when I am back in Beijing again.....

From the exit looking back in, this was the view. So many people were also leaving as it was near 5pm by now. You really could spend the whole day here exploring and yet not covered everything inside! There is just too much to see!

We started walking towards our next destination, but was still fascinated by the calm view of the outside ground of the palace. Most tourist have buses that picked them up. We were independent explorer. We have to make our own way to the next spot. So we had time to enjoy the calm outside the Forbidden City. The calm waters reflecting the trees, a fitting end just like the view we saw when we started our walk towards the entrance in the morning.

It almost looked like a water city, a water town. It was just so calming to look at that I took a few photos as we make our way towards our dinner destination.

I would almost say that the outside looked so modest as compared to the grandeur of the treasures inside the palace! How humble it looked. Almost like a Japanese temple ground!

A wefie of us at the exit for memory sake.

And a selfie of how calm I and accomplished I felt after finally seeing the Forbidden City in my lifetime! One bucket list item cleared from my list! It was totally overwhelming and worth it!

Beijing 2024 - Forbidden City More Minor Courts - Part 3

 

Besides the inside of the court halls, the outside of the buildings itself is also worthy of mention. For example, the roof top tiles and decorative figurines. I mean, why put such details on the roof? Who exactly are they meant to be admire by? Makes you wonder, doesn't it? But these looked rather cute, so I took a photo of it, and that is how they ended up here on this blog :P

Although most of the time, we only looked at things at our eye level, we tend to miss a lot of other details surrounding us. Specifically those on top of us, above us, and beyond. Door signs that are beautifully designed. Even pillars of building with decorative on them. Someone has taken time to paint those design on those pillars! Let us take some time to admire them!

Ceilings, not just plain and flat. But of carvings of celestial beings like dragons. Not just painted in one single colour, but of texture and design and depth. Almost an opposite of a minimalistic concept. 

Gardens and pavilion. Spaces designed for one to enjoy the beauty of nature. Even the pavilions with the air vent built in, or pantheon letting in the natural sunlight. 

And the gardens that surrounds these places. At one with nature. Water, and plants out in the sun. Perhaps even filling the air with their scent when they blossom? What a sight to behold. Imagine just sitting there at the pavilion just sipping tea and enjoying the sights, perhaps discussing about life with a dear friend.... How wonderful that would have been. Ah, the art of conversation is often lost in our current life of mobile phones and social media.....

Lastly, the trademark of royalty. Of power. Of an endorsement by heaven. The golden dragon, at the center of the ceiling. Everything is just so majestic here at the Forbidden City.....

Beijing 2024 - Forbidden City More Minor Courts - Part 2

 

The more resident looking minor courts gave us a glimpse of daily items found inside. Like serving plates and vases around the place. I am impressed with the serving plates. We usually have something similar but smaller during Chinese New Year. We used it to serve sweets and snacks. But I've not seen these that are so huge and look so elegant before. 

Or painting and scrolls on the wall. When there weren't any photographs during the old days, I guess painting is all one could hang to remember a person, a place? How accurate are these paintings I wonder.... 

Books! I am always impressed with books. But Chinese books aren't filled with pictures or paintings or logo like those you found in ancient Wester text or middle eastern ones. Chinese old books looked so much more serious looking.

Everyday items inside? These look like priceless treasures to me.

Very Tibet style decorative figures.

And an oh-so-cute picture of an old man and some text. This one was my favourite found here. 

Beijing 2024 - Forbidden City More Minor Courts - Part 1

 

Ok, enough of religious sculpture! Let us go back to the maze of more minor courts in the palace. When will we ever end our exploration in the Forbidden City??? The answer is, never! Even one full day is not enough to see everything in the palace. And again, above photo, look at the names they give to these courts..... 

Entering each with it's own gate, door sign, compound etc.

Some of the courts have exhibit of it's own. More history about the place, and the people living there in the past. I don't even have time to see everything! No need to mention whether you have time to read everything! Just look at what you fancy, and they go watch a documentary when you have the time after your visit to learn more about the history or the place here. 

But seeing the place in person, that you must do when you are here. To be there, in the hall, looking at the ceilings and the space. It's something you can't experience via books or videos.

To stare up at those ceilings. So much details! So look at how high they are. How elaborated. 

Or to see the colours of the hall in person, and all the calligraphy hanging there.

Peeping into the minor offices and study room of the ancient past. Imagining what daily life was like here a long time ago. Perhaps the closes you could see that would be the movie "The Last Emperor".  Now I feel like rewatching it to relive all the places I've visited in Beijing.

I leave you here with an intimate corner of this hall, with all it's calligraphy hanging and reflecting from the mirror. Words. Characters. Writings. They were somehow so important to the Chinese. As if those characters have power itself. So much respect for the writings. 

Beijing 2024 - Forbidden City Sculpture Exhibition - Part 3

 

They even have a smaller hall just dedicated to Buddhist related sculpture. And although it was relatively small, the display inside was still as impressive to me. It's like they have so much treasure in the palace that even those non-main exhibition is still a treasure to look at and admire, do you get what I mean? It wasn't that they were trying to showcase the wealth of the country, but it's just that, they do have a lot of treasure in China! Lots and lots of old and ancient treasure. Art so fine that almost everywhere you look is a treasure. 

The minor hall as mentioned. 

And some info of the hall's display.

Yet look at all the pieces here. Elegant in their own rights.

Beautiful pieces of the 18 monks.

And so many Buddhist related pieces that I'm only showing you those I love.

The details of each piece was just mind blowing. So many hands! Each carrying something unique.

Or this elegant piece on what I thought looked like a 'bangku', lol.

But it is always the simplest pieces that always captures my attention. Nothing fancy. Just something simple, minimalistic, and kinda pure. I love looking at all these pieces in photos even after I'm back from China. Having these here in my blog, is like I own a piece of them here now. And I can always come back to view and admire them and remember that time I went to visit them in Beijing :)

Beijing 2024 - Forbidden City Sculpture Exhibition - Part 2

 

Primitive stone carving art was also part of the exhibited items shown here. Perhaps to signified how old stone art was, or how advance China was to already have these long time back? It's just simple lines, nothing too elaborated. But it still looks kinda cool.

Here is a larger piece with more details. Just a stone picture framed up.

Or one of dragon! I love this one. A Dragon chasing a man?

And then there are the more detailed Buddhist religious pieces. 

Although they all kinda looked similar, yet everyone is unique. And I am never tired of looking at them.

This guy here, completely made of stone, yet looked so gentle and delicate. It kinda looked middle eastern somehow. 

And for some reason, this piece was one of my favourite. I took so many photos of this one single piece. Looking at it just makes me happy somehow.  The posture, the facial expression, it's just filled with so much joy :)  I hope you like it too.