First Day in Beijing

My first day in Beijing was a great way to start the trip! Due to the 13-hour time difference, my roommate and I woke up super early and headed straight to breakfast. We were first overwhelmed with the variety of foods the restaurant in our hotel had to offer, but we quickly grabbed food and everything tasted great, especially the tea. Our first tour of the day was to Tiananmen Square. The area was very big with tourists from all around the world. What drew my attention at Tiananmen Square was the big parliament. The next trip was to the Forbidden City; this was my most favorite part of the day. The Forbidden City was a lot larger than I expected, and has so much history behind it. One thing I learned about this area was how the bricks on the ground were purposely made unleveled, they were built like this because it forces the commoners to always look down to see where they are going in the Forbidden City therefore always bowing to the Dynasty. Another interesting fact I learned about the Chinese culture while in the Forbidden City were the ranking of status shown by animals on the roof; seven and nine being the most elite while everyone else can only reach up to six. We also climbed the hill to see all of Beijing where the view was absolutely amazing. After spending hours in the Forbidden City, we were on our way to eat lunch at a Chinese traditional house. The food tasted great and the hosts were very friendly. I am definitely looking forward to the rest of my stay here in Beijing and am hoping to meet some locals to see where their favorite places are!