Our final destination within the Forbidden City was the garden. We walked through the garden so quickly that I was left unable to truly absorb all the facts about the garden; however, I was able to enjoy the beauty of it. The gardens were solely for the pleasure of the emperor and empress to enjoy. The garden also follows the laws of feng shui.
Feng shui (风水) is the ancient Chinese belief that positive and negative energy flow according to qi (氣). Qi (pronounced chee) is the universal energy flow. In order for there to be positive energy, items are supposed to be organized in a certain way. This usually means that buildings will be put on high areas, such as hills and the four season should be recognized. Feng shui is a highly regarded ancient practice that would be facilitated at homes, burial places, in official buildings--practically everywhere. There are many rules to feng shui, but these are some basic outlines.
There were four pavilions inside the gardens: each one representing a different season. We only visited one of the pavilions. Other elements included ancient stones, beautiful plants, and old trees with interesting shapes.
The tour ended too quickly for my taste and we were soon walking out. It seemed as if we had only been in the Forbidden City for thirty minutes. I am looking forward to go back sometime and take a leisurely self-tour to explore as I wish.
Can you find the hidden man below?
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