Ever since my first visit to Beijing in late 2000, I longed to return without guides, without schedules ... but with enough time to just flow into the pace of the city. A place whose expansionist architectural vision continues to intrude on the deep history embodying sites such as the Temple of Heaven, alleyways in Houhai, vanishing Hutongs and the vast Summer Palace.
But the magnet pulling me back was the Forbidden City (or Palace Museum, as they now officially call it). Nearing 600 years since the palace was completed (1420) as the seat of the Ming dynasty, the complex consists of 980 buildings and covers 180 acres. In a word, it is architecturally AWESOME!
When I returned, I spent an entire day just wandering through alleyways and sitting on walls just waiting to become invisible to tourists and flag-waving guides. It was then that I'd explore with my lens intricate detailing of stonework, bronze animals and flowery weeds breaking through the yellow glazed rooftop tilework (the Imperial color).
So in this First Folio and others that follow, explore with me the fascinating detail of craftsmen long ago forgotten ... yet still alive within the walls of this Forbidden City.
