The Forbidden City

This is the first place I want to go if I ever get to China.  How could anybody resist with a name like--The Forbidden City?  It was the central location of goverment for China for hundreds of years.  My Chinese friend said the palace complex has 9991/2 rooms.  This is because the first emperor that lived there was offspring of the Sun God. The Sun had 1,000 rooms in his palace so naturally his own son would not be permitted to equal or outdo his father. 

Palaces and beautiful places are common enough in the world.  What makes the Forbidden City special to me are the NAMES of everything.  These are just great.  For starters, here is a picture of "The Hall of Imperial Zenith."

  

In the outer court we'll find "The Hall of Supreme Harmony," "The Hall of Central Harmony" and "The Hall of Preserving Harmony."  Somewhere there is also the "Hall of Medium Harmony."  In the Inner Court there is "The Palace of Heavenly Purity," "The Hall of Union" and the "Palace of Earthly Tranquility."  

Apparently the emperors used to live in the "Palace of Earthly Tranquility" until the Qing Dynasty--after that he lived in the smaller "Hall of Mental Cultivation."  

Also in the complex is the "Pavillion of 10,000 Spring Seasons", the "Hall of Union and Peace," "The Hall of Protective Harmony", "The Gate of Divine Prowess" and finally "The Hill of Accumulated Elegance."

I don't know about you, but I could do with some "Supreme Harmony, Tranquility and Elegance."