Forbidden City, Plaza between the Wumen Gate and Taihe Gate, Beijing by T. E. Smith-Lamothe

The Forbidden City (Bu Gong in Mandarin was the Emperor of China's residence and administrative centre. It is entered through a series of gates and plazas. Outside of the outer gate (Wumen or Meridian Gate) is a plaza packed with a carnival atmosphere and many tourists booths and kiosks (beyond the red building on the left). After buying an admission ticket, one enters through the Meridian Gate to a more dignified ambiance: a vast plaza bisected by a serpentine river with five ceremonial bridges. This is the "Golden Water River" or "Jade Ribbon River" and the exposed portion here is over 2000 meters long. At the other side of the plaza (right side of the panorama), the Taihe Gatehouse. The Taihe gatehouse, as majestic as it is, is dwarfed by the immense plaza beyond where the Taihe Hall stands.