The perfect partner drama china how to#

вЂ Of course China must keep looking forward,' notes Mr Gao, as he traces delicate Chinese characters on a sheet of parchment. Some, such as Nanluogu Xiang, have reinvented themselves with trendy bars, shops and cafГ©s others face a precarious future, eyed up by rich bankers and property tycoons keen to snap up a slice of Beijing's dwindling architectural heritage. In the 1950s, there were as many as 6,000 hutongs in Beijing, but it is thought that around 40% of these have been bulldozed since 1990. Rickshaws and scooters rattle past while women gossip in the gateways, men play games of mahjong, and kids chase each other through the dusty backstreets, dodging boxes and washing lines. Lined with family-owned shops and siheyuan ( traditional courtyard homes), each hutong illustrates a way of life that has endured in Beijing for eight centuries. вЂ Most people prefer to live in apartment blocks these days, but for me, this is where you'll find the real Beijing.' вЂ The hutongs are the arteries of ancient Beijing,' explains Gao Hongzhong, an artist, calligrapher and expert on Beijing's architecture, who lives and works on a busy hutong just east of the Forbidden City. Spiralling out like a spider's web from the old city are the hutongs: a tangled warren of alleyways and dungeons built after Genghis Khan's Mongol army razed Beijing вЂ“ known then as Zhongdu вЂ“ to rubble in 1215. The Forbidden City is also a reminder of a much older Beijing which long predates the city's skyscrapers, ring roads and office blocks. The palace is laid out according to feng shui and its architecture is packed with hidden meaning вЂ“ from the mythical creatures which adorn the buildings' eaves to the recurrent motifs of the dragon and phoenix, emblems of emperor and empress. It is a place of ancient codes and secret symbols. These days it is China's most popular sight and attracts enormous crowds вЂ“ but even among the throngs, it is still possible to find secluded corners: tumbledown temples, secret galleries, forgotten chambers, quiet squares.

In previous centuries, anyone entering the Forbidden City without permission would have faced instant death.

One legend goes that the Forbidden City has 9,999ВЅ bays, or rooms вЂ“ only half a room less than could be found in heaven ( though the official room count of the palace is actually 8,704). Between 14, 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties lived here in near-total seclusion, rarely venturing out beyond the 10- metre-thick walls, and commanding an almost divine power over their subjects. Built under the reign of Chengzu, it was designed to project the might and majesty of the Chinese emperor. Sprawling across 180 acres of downtown Beijing, this vast palace served as the symbolic and political centre of the Chinese world for more than five centuries. Workers sweep the squares with willow brooms, and flocks of pigeons swoop across the courtyards or roost on temple rooftops, their fluttering wings blending with the distant hum of traffic and car horns. The palace, spotlit by the evening sun, is painted in earthy tones: deep pinks, stone greys, cinnamon browns. Related slideshow: China's historic splendourДusk is falling over the Forbidden City, the former imperial residence, and the last crowds of the day are filtering out through the gateways.

The perfect partner drama china how to#

Find out how to make the most of your time in this mighty nation. With its unrivalled antiquity, out-of-this-world cuisine and stupendous scenery, china has infinite potential for adventure.