Another way to see the glory of the forbidden city is through Jingshan park which was originally a part of the Forbidden city until the 1900s but, when a road was put up, it was cut off from the city's Northern gate. It's a bit of a climb just like in Namsam Tower (if you've been in South Korea) but the view of the city from the top is all worth it. There's also a makeshift photobooth on top where you can get dressed up as an Empress or Emperor and have your picture taken and you can get a printed copy -- a worthwhile souvenir (hehe). My husband and I have one and it's now one of the best picture we have together. :)
After hours staring at the beautifully snow-covered city, we headed off to Belhai park which was a couple of kilometers away from Jingshan park. It was really a long walk from the Forbidden city (we thought it was near because we can see the big pagoda or tower from Jingshan but we were so wrong); at this time, we were just hoping that we will make it there before night fall. The good thing though is that the streets that we passed through has a lot of bargain stores that offers very affordable clothes and apparels (compared to those near our hotel) so we were really enjoying ourselves and did not mind the long walk, I think we bought a winter jacket and a couple of mittens and a sweater at one of these stores. Most of the people that walk in the area belongs to a much younger group age than we are (ehem, we're not that old) that we felt we were near a college campus somewhere.
Unlike Jingshan park, which is like a hilly garden, Belhai park has an area of 69 hectares with over half of it covered in water, it's quite a picturesque sight during winter and if you're up for long scenic walks, it's worthwhile to visit. We were a couple of steps away from the Qionghua Islet, which was a small island in the middle of the lake when we reached Belhai park. And, since the whole lake was frozen, we simply slipped through the rails (like what many people were doing) and walked towards the Islet.
There are many stores along the bank that offers souvenirs, cotton candy and grilled proteins to help fight the cold weather and there were rows of bars and restaurants that offers beers and liquors and american food (I think this is why there are many youngsters around the area).
We settled for a quiet tavern found on the farthest side of the lake. Too bad, I forgot the name anyway, it offers Italian and of course, Chinese food.
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