Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Clock Exhibition Hall is one of the highlights of the Forbidden City. Located in
right after the Three Great Halls - the exhibition contains an array of elaborate
timepieces, many of which were gifts to the Qing emperors from foreign dignitaries.
Time your arrival for 11am or 2pm to see the clock performance in which choice
timepieces strike the hour.
NEED TO KNOW
Zhongbiao Guan;
Click here
admission ¥10; 8.30am-4pm summer,
8.30am-3.30pm winter; Tian'anmen West or Tian'anmen East
Despite being a public place, the square remains more in the hands of the
government than the people; it is monitored by closed circuit TV cameras,
Segway-riding policemen and plain-clothes officers. The designated points of
access, security checks on entry and twitchy mood cleave Tian'anmen Sq
from the city.
All this - plus the absence of anywhere to sit - means the square is hardly a
place to chill out (don't whip out a guitar), but such is its iconic status that few
people leave Beijing without making a visit. In any case, there's more than
enough space to stretch a leg and the view can be breathtaking, especially on
a clear blue day or at nightfall when the area is illuminated.
If you get up early, you can watch the
flag-raising ceremony
at sunrise,
performed by a troop of People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers drilled to
march at precisely 108 paces per minute, 75cm per pace.
The soldiers emerge through the Gate of Heavenly Peace to goose step im-
peccably across Chang'an Jie; all traffic is halted. The same ceremony in re-
verse is performed at sunset.
