On April 21 I flew to Beijing to meet my son, Jimmy, after his
lengthy flight to China from Washington, D.C. He seemed to
recover quicker from “jet lag” than I did, as the next day we
toured the Forbidden City in a steady rain. Even through the
rain, grey haze and many umbrellas, the ruling place of Chinese
emperors was quite impressive. Surrounded by a moat and 30 feet
high walls, the Forbidden City was the splendid home and power
center of many Chinese Emperors. Uninvited visitors were
immediately executed. 624-HiddenCity-Moat-Wall-WEB  The imperial
city within the city of Beijing (Northern Capital), was first
established by the Mongol leader Genghis Khan in 1215 AD. It
afterwards served as China’s capital for all but the first 33
years of the Ming Dynasty and during 21 years under the
Nationalists. The Ming forbid the construction of any building
in Beijing taller than the Forbidden City’s Hall of Supreme
Harmony, primarily used on ceremonial occasions.
586-ForbiddenCityRain-WEB  There are three Great Hall