We'd known before we left Korea that we wouldn't be able to set foot in Tiananmen Squre, the Mao Tse-tung creation that still hasn't shaken its reputation for the 1989 military crushing of a student demonstration. (Ironically, the name Tiananmen means "heavenly peace," by the way.) The area was closed for renovations for the 50th anniversary celebration of the 1949 inception of the People's Republic of China. Missing the opportunity to stand on the site of such a memorable event (however unsettling) was our only major disappointment in China.

We did, however, get to pass through Tiananmen Gate, which frames the path into the Forbidden City and is dominated by an enormous portrait of Mao. Nicknamed as such because it was off-limits to ordinary citizens for 500 years, the Forbidden City was the home of both the Ming and Quig dynasty emporers, and today it is the site of the best-preserved ancient buildings in China. Construction began in 1406. At 720,000 square meters, it's the largest palatial complex in the world.

The enormity of the Forbidden City was even more overwhelming than that of the Great Wall. We walked through giant courtyards, huge temples and gathering halls, living quarters, an exquisite garden, and more, and it seemed that it would never end. Hopefully, the pictures will show off some of the finer points and convey some of the feelings that we had there... Once again, mere words just can't do it justice...