I wish that the pictures I took today could accurately portray how absolutely amazing the Forbidden City is. I have never been to such an overwhelmingly breathtaking place in my entire life, and it would would be impossible to explain in words and even through the pictures I took how grand and magnificent it really is.
Since I was given the morning off of work at the tournament, I was able to travel to the Forbidden City by myself. I wasn't at all nervous going alone since there were millions of locals and tourists around and I just hopped a few subway lines and was there in no time. Nothing could have prepared me for the amount of people that I was about to encounter. Yes, China has a population of over 1.3 billion people, but I didn't expect all of them to be in Tiananmen Square at the same time. Since the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China was just a few short days ago, most people in China still have
time off of work and school. In addition, many of the floats and decorations from the celebration were on display in the Square, meaning thousands of people flocked to see it all. Just to walk over to the entrance of the Forbidden City was a maze and took me at least 25 minutes to cover a fairly short distance.The Forbidden City was completed in 1421 and was built for the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. 24 emperors continued to use this as their place of residence until
1924, when the Last Emperor, Puyi, was forced to vacate it. I entered the Forbidden City through the Tiananmen Square entrance, walking right under the potrait of Mao Zedong to get inside. After buying a ticket, I entered the actual City through the Meridian Gate. The minute I stepped inside, I literally gasped out loud and had to stop dead in my tracks to take it all in. All around me were giant port-red walls, moats, breathtaking halls, and intricately carved roofs and statues. That first moment inside is something that I will never forget.With map in hand, I started to explore the city. There were so many places to look at and learn about that I doubt I even covered 60 percent of the city, but I definitely got my fill. Some of the places that I was able to see included: The Hall of Supreme Harmony, The
Hall of Preserving Harmony, The Gate of Heavenly Purity, The Hall of Mental Cultivation, and the Imperial Garden, just to name a few. Looking around by myself was actually a blessing since I was able to take my time and look at everything that I personally was most interested in. The massiveness and magnitude of everything in the Forbidden City was almost overwhelming; the buildings seemed to overpower you. No
w I definitely see why everyone in China tells you that you must see the Forbidden City- it's really something you can't appreciate unless you see it with your own eyes. The architecture is really unlike anything else- everything is so well planned and dazzling.
Hall of Preserving Harmony, The Gate of Heavenly Purity, The Hall of Mental Cultivation, and the Imperial Garden, just to name a few. Looking around by myself was actually a blessing since I was able to take my time and look at everything that I personally was most interested in. The massiveness and magnitude of everything in the Forbidden City was almost overwhelming; the buildings seemed to overpower you. No
w I definitely see why everyone in China tells you that you must see the Forbidden City- it's really something you can't appreciate unless you see it with your own eyes. The architecture is really unlike anything else- everything is so well planned and dazzling.The Imperial Gardens was a nice last stop on my crazy route 
through the Forbidden City. There were a lot of beautiful trees and gazebos to just sit, rest, and take in your surroundings. I also went inside of an art gallery where there were a lot of beautiful pieces.
I rushed home from the Forbidden City to get on the 2:30 p.m. shuttle to the tennis center. I was in charge of going to the rest of the press conferences that afternoon and typing up the transcripts (aka word-for-word description of each press conference). I had a great day for press conference duty, as the first one I got to sit in on was with Rafael Nadal. Sitting just a few feet from him and listening to him answer questions was definitely more of a treat than a chore. I was really impressed by the quality of his answers, and if you are at all interested in knowing what was said during any of the interviews I sat in on today, all of the transcripts that I typed are availabe at: www.chinaopen.com.cn/en/index.shtml.
The other press conferences I sat in on and transcribed today included: Jie Zheng, Serena Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Dinara Safina, and Elena Dementieva (who I have decided is a complete sweetheart and is absolutely gorgeous!). I was also able to watch most of Dementieva's match before her conference, which she won. It was a great experience getting to see the players while they actually played their matches, and then on a more personal level in the press conferences.
My days just get busier and busier, but I love every second of them.
through the Forbidden City. There were a lot of beautiful trees and gazebos to just sit, rest, and take in your surroundings. I also went inside of an art gallery where there were a lot of beautiful pieces.I rushed home from the Forbidden City to get on the 2:30 p.m. shuttle to the tennis center. I was in charge of going to the rest of the press conferences that afternoon and typing up the transcripts (aka word-for-word description of each press conference). I had a great day for press conference duty, as the first one I got to sit in on was with Rafael Nadal. Sitting just a few feet from him and listening to him answer questions was definitely more of a treat than a chore. I was really impressed by the quality of his answers, and if you are at all interested in knowing what was said during any of the interviews I sat in on today, all of the transcripts that I typed are availabe at: www.chinaopen.com.cn/en/index.shtml.
The other press conferences I sat in on and transcribed today included: Jie Zheng, Serena Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Dinara Safina, and Elena Dementieva (who I have decided is a complete sweetheart and is absolutely gorgeous!). I was also able to watch most of Dementieva's match before her conference, which she won. It was a great experience getting to see the players while they actually played their matches, and then on a more personal level in the press conferences.
My days just get busier and busier, but I love every second of them.
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