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This photo was taken in Beijing in a place called Jingshan Park. The air pollution that day wasn't too great, but at least it created an awesome effect when taking photos from a high vantage point. I was travelling in Beijing and my girlfriend told me about this park. I was excited to go because she told me about how I could oversee the entire Forbidden City. I have already been inside the Forbidden City a couple years ago, but I never knew where you could actually get this stunning view!
Thousands of people visit the Forbidden City in Beijing every single day. The crowds are astounding. Don't believe me? Check this out:
The sign above says “故宫博物院” (Gu Gong Bo Wu Yuan), which means The Palace Museum.
Jingshan Park has a traditional Chinese feel to it. There are lots of traditional Chinese structures built around the area, and the landscape contains many bushes, trees and flowers.
A nice place to spend an afternoon, in my opinion. What's more is that this park actually has somewhat of a dark history.
The last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen, committed suicide by supposedly hanging himself from one of the trees at this park. This was due to the Shun rebels taking control of Beijing, thereby ending the Ming Dynasty and birthing the Shun Dynasty, led by Li Zicheng. Emperor Chongzhen's (translated) suicide note read:
"I die unable to face my ancestors in the underworld, dejected and ashamed. May the rebels dismember my corpse and slaughter my officials, but let them not despoil the imperial tombs nor harm a single one of our people."
The entrance of Jingshan Park has scenic paths that people can walk on upon entering. The park is quite popular and is right in the downtown core of Beijing, but the environment itself is quite serene and peaceful. Most people are eager to hike up the mountain to get a glimpse of the Forbidden City and Beijing cityscape, just like I was.
The hike took about 30 minutes or so to reach the pavilion. It was an exciting and rewarding experience to finally make our way to the top and stand among dozens of other people at any given time taking photos and selfies of themselves with the Forbidden City in the background.
Check out this video of the entire hike!
I personally loved the architecture and style of the structures that we saw on our way to the top. Like this structure here:
As an engineer, I am amazed by the design of these buildings. I love the intertwined network of wooden beams that constitute the roof and how these buildings have withstood the test of time. Sure, they have been repainted, but the foundation is still strong to this day.
The top of Jingshan Park has a wonderful pavilion that houses a big Buddha statue. Photos of the interior are prohibited, however I think it is needless to say that grand appearance of the exterior is simply admirable.
It was difficult to maneuver around the top because of the sheer number of people, but thankfully I was able to find some sweet spots to shoot my photos and videos. The view of the Forbidden City was definitely a sight to see.
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It was a little difficult to see the whole city, due to the air pollution, but I am still happy with the photos nonetheless.
The left side of the Forbidden City
What was also great about this mountain was that I could also capture photos of the surrounding cityscape as well! The top of the mountain is situated in the heart of Beijing, thereby allowing me to get a full 360 degrees of photos!
On the opposing side of the Forbidden City, is something called the Drum Tower or Gu Lou in Chinese. This structure was initially built for musical reasons but is now dormant and used as a tourist attraction.
The Drum Tower is the red building further away from where I was standing
And finally, there was a photo service being offered for 35 RMB ($5.45 USD) that allowed us to dress up in a traditional costume mimicking a Chinese emperor. I have previously written about this in another post. We saw the crowd of people waiting to have their photo taken and decided we should do the same. It is one of the highlights of this trip!
I finally got to have my photo taken and I was quite pleased with the outcome!
The words above read (from left to right): 正大光明 (Zheng Da Guang Ming) which means Just and Honourable.
That's all for now folks! It was an afternoon well spent in Jingshan Park. On previous trips to Beijing, I never knew about this place but that is why I need to stress the importance of finding a local Chinese person to help you with travelling. They can often let you know of all the different attractions and if they are a seasoned local in the city you travel in, they will know some special places that aren't on most tourist itineraries!
Thank you for reading!
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