Chairman Mao Greets Visitors to the Forbidden City 故宫
The first thing that will greet the visitor when visiting the Forbidden City is the Gate of Heavenly Peace, perhaps more known to the rest of the world as Tiananmen Gate. The Gate of Heavenly Peace symbolizes a lot of things to many people, however I will not be talking about the more controversial ones. As one might expect, the Gate of Heavenly Peace is the main gate to enter the Forbidden City, it is a massive gate with high walls obviously to keep out the uninvited.
Walking Through the Gate of Heavenly Peace 天安门
Since the Forbidden City was the site of the Imperial Palace, it is not surprising to see how massive these things are. It was also meant to intimidate anyone who would pass through these gates making them feel how small they really are. It used to be that only very few people would pass through these gates, but now thousands pass through them every single day. The Gate of Heavenly Peace also forms the southern entrance of the palace complex, there is a counter part gate at the northern end. As one goes in, a massive portrait of the Mao Zedong will greet you, along with hundreds of security personnel scattered all over the place. Welcome to Beijing!
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