Forbidden City (Chinese: 故宫/紫禁城) 🇨🇳

My trip to the Forbidden City was like walking through a living memory. I’ve always been fascinated by the ancient Chinese craftsmanship—the mortise-and-tenon joints (榫卯), the wooden architecture, red walls and glazed tiles, golden carvings, and those mythical beast figures perched on the corners of the eaves. There’s a quiet rhythm in the symmetry, and a kind of poetry in the way light hits the rooftops.

I wished I could walk there until nightfall, soaking in the silence. But part of me hesitated—haunted by the weight of history, the echoes of war, and the invisible grip of old hierarchies. It’s beautiful, yes—but also heavy.

City in the City