Tuesday – March 31, 2026 – Beijing
Today’s featured photo is a selfie of us with the Meridian Gate as the background. This gate is the Southern entrance to the Forbidden City and the place from where proclamations from the emperor were read to the people.
We have a packed schedule today – Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, international air travel and check in at a Hong Kong hotel.
As with Monday, we had a good breakfast at the buffet then turned our attention to packing and checking out. We have a 4:45 pm flight to Hong Kong so we have been told we need to be at the airport by 1:45 pm. This should give us time to visit the landmarks mentioned above and have a relaxed lunch before the drive to the airport.
The weather didn’t look promising as we boarded our bus this morning. Skies were overcast and it was raining lightly. After a drive of no more than 30 minutes we found a space on the street to park within 2 blocks of the South end of Tienanmen Square. Ting Ting advised we should visit the restrooms before embarking on our journey. She said we would be away from such facilities for up to 3 hours as we toured Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. We were told that the security check could take up to 45 minutes (or longer). As we queued for the security officers, the rain continued and visibility toward the North end of the square was not good. It didn’t take long for us to clear security, walk beneath the busy North-South street (West Guangchang Road) and assemble in Tiananmen Square.
Tiananmen Square has long been an important place for the people of China. The link in the previous sentence can provide historical information. The more recent events for which Tiananmen is noted are the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 by Mao Zedong and the protests and massacre in 1989. The square is the largest public gathering spot in the world. Surrounding it are important public buildings and monuments such as the Great Hall of the People, Chairman Mao’s mausoleum, Monument to the People’s Heroes, National Museum of China and the Palace Museum. I have included links for each of these because they are to China like the important structures in Washington, D.C. are to Americans. Ting Ting told us that every citizen of China hopes to one day be able to visit these sites – we were privileged to have done so.
As we walked North in the square the rain slowed, then stopped. The clouds began to break up and eventually the sun appeared. The sun’s appearance coincided with our arrival at the South wall of the Tiananmen Tower (Gate of Heavenly Peace). It is on the wall of this tower that the large portrait of Chairman Mao hangs. This gate is the outer entrance to the Forbidden City. After entering through the Tiananmen Tower one must also pass through the Duanmen Gate to reach the Forbidden City. As we waited for all our group to assemble at the Tiananmen Tower, a water and music show began in front of the tower. You’ll find video of some of that show in today’s gallery.
The Forbidden City was the Imperial Palace of the Chinese emperor for many years and is now open to the public as a museum. There are a series of gates through which you must pass to reach the living quarters. Each gate as you approach those quarters is protected more heavily. We had to present our passports before we could enter through the Meridian Gate. When the emperor made proclamations, it was from this location that they were read. I have tried to label the photos and videos in today’s gallery so you can identify in what section they were taken. Here is a link to download a PDF of the Forbidden City with a legend at the bottom identifying the sections. Number 28 is the Meridian Gate.
For roughly 2 hours we made our way North through the gates of the Forbidden City looking primarily at the outside of the buildings within. As we approached the living quarters of the emperor we deviated West and saw some of the antiques from the museum’s collections and the palaces where his wives lived. We even saw the sleeping quarters of the last emperor’s favorite wife (don’t recall her name). I included a photo of her bed in the gallery. Following that exploration, we entered the imperial gardens then exited the Forbidden City at the Gate of Divine Prowess. I do hope Heaven will not be this difficult to navigate!
As a group we walked a couple of blocks to wait for our bus and transport to lunch. This was another “traditional” Chinese lunch with dim sum and lots of other foods. I did notice that each place was set with 2 sets of chopsticks – one to use for eating and the other to pluck food from the lazy Susan. This restaurant also had fish tanks – 5 of them – from which you could pick the individual fish you wished to eat. Another good meal!
We were on schedule and arrived at the Beijing International Airport with plenty of time before our flight to Hong Kong. As we checked in the 3 of us received boarding passes with seats next to each other in the center section (left to right) of the Cathay Pacific Airbus A330. I had another passenger to my left with Kelsey and Jan to the right. The flight was uneventful (with the exception of me dropping my laptop on my left foot – from which I had removed the shoe – and the laptop striking my big toe – OUCH!). I included photos of the screen showing flight information with our arrival to be approximately 8:00 pm and of our in-flight meal – wasn’t bad.
We drove to the Cordis Hotel in Kowloon, got our keys and were given a box meal to supplement what we had received on the flight. I was disappointed with the room. Ours was what they call a “Deluxe Room” when it should have been a “Family Triple”. They shoved a bed next to the window making it impossible to use the table or the chair. It was difficult to get in and out of the king bed. Don’t know if this was an error on the part of the MSC booking agent or just not understanding what we wanted. In any case, not nearly as nice as the Regent in Beijing. As we were anticipating another busy day on Wednesday, we ate our box meals and went to sleep shortly after.
Here is today’s gallery.