The cold wave covering Northern China caused the temperature to drop unusually deep, but the heavy snow accidentally made the Forbidden City stand out, bringing a memorable experience to visitors.
Northern China has suffered the worst cold in 10 years in recent days. China’s National Meteorological Administration (NMC) issued three consecutive signals, warning of heavy snowfall, blizzards, and icy roads last week (from December 13).
According to NMC, the average temperature in Beijing in mid-December is usually -8 degrees Celsius. However, last weekend, the Chinese capital saw temperatures plummet to about -18 degrees Celsius. This is one of The coldest Decembers in the nation’s capital of billions of people in decades.
Many tourists visited the Imperial Palace to watch the snow fall on December 13. Photo: AP.
However, the unusually cold wave did not cool down the “hunt” for tickets to the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City) of many tourists.
Sold out
During the tourist season, tickets to the Forbidden City are inherently difficult to buy, and this year there was heavy snow in December, a time considered by many tourists as “a favorable time, favorable location, and harmonious people” to check-in to the complex. sold out”.
However, getting tickets is only the first step of success.
According to Thai An (25 years old, living and studying in Beijing), Beijing’s winter is cold every year, but it “very” rarely snows. If there is, it’s only a few spots and doesn’t last long. However, last week, we witnessed a record snowfall here, snow falling like rain, the first snow of the season.
For some young people, the first snow of the season is not simply a weather phenomenon, signaling the arrival of cold winter, snowflakes are also like “first love”, something new and new. The first always has a profound meaning. Therefore, even though the weather is cold, many young people still book tickets in a nervous state, and hope that the day they enter the Imperial Palace, it will snow.
Nhung Duong (23 years old, Vietnamese international student in China) shared that she arrived at the palace complex right at the time of heavy snowfall here.
“I looked at the weather forecast and booked tickets in advance, but I wasn’t sure there would be snow, because forecasts are sometimes inaccurate,” Nhung Duong said.
The palace during the first snow of the season. Photo: Nhung Duong/Forbidden City – 故宫北京.
Taking photos of the Forbidden City when it snows is a memorable experience for any tourist coming here. The snow was falling thickly, covering the walkway in white, the brick-colored roof tiles seemed to have changed color, and the red walls, which were already brilliant, were now accidentally placed on the pure white snow background, enhancing the majestic scenery of the royal palace. Powerful, fiery but strangely quiet.
In addition, for many young people who are passionate about the palace fighting genre, visiting the residences of ancient concubines and emperors is a dream, even an obsession.
Not as lucky as Nhung Duong, Thanh Tuyen (26 years old) arrived at the Imperial Palace on December 14, but the snow did not fall as expected. “When I arrived, the snow was still on the ground, not falling. I thought having snow would be a comfort,” Tuyen confided.
The ticket price to visit the complex is 40 yuan/person, about 136,000 VND. For students, the ticket price is reduced to 20 yuan/person, about 68,000 VND.
For the convenience of tourists transforming into ancient billionaires, princesses or emperors, there are many shops outside the Palace that rent out ancient costumes. The cost of renting a complete set with makeup ranges from 300-500 yuan/person, equivalent to 1-1.7 million VND. If tourists only rent a robe, the price ranges from 100-150 yuan, about 340,000-510,000 VND.
Memorable experience
The Imperial Palace, also known as the Forbidden City, is located in the center of Beijing. This is the largest palace complex in the world with a total area of up to 720,000 m2. This place was once the royal palace and residence of the emperors from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty.
Thanh Hien (28 years old) – a tour guide who takes visitors to experience the Imperial Palace – said that when visiting this place, in addition to witnessing the ancient features of the palace, visitors will also be introduced to “stories” the secret history of the palace”, mysterious small events that people spread to each other, legends about the Yin and Yang road,… All contribute to creating a historical and magical ancient palace.
Nhung Duong and her friends did not intend to transform into any specific characters, but she said that her friends looked at the photo and thought of the characters Nhuoc Hy and Tu a Ca in the legendary movie Bo Bo Kinh Tam. Photo: Nhung Duong/Tran Hong.
The complex is already beautiful on weekdays, but now that it’s snowing, it’s even more romantic and epic. Nhung Duong said that not all tourists have the opportunity to see the royal palace when it snows. Even people living in Beijing “try hard” to book tickets but have no luck.
“For me, the Imperial Palace is not just a tourist destination. I am a ‘fan’ of Chinese historical films, so the scene of the Imperial Palace falling in snow has always been my dream. I feel really lucky and happy to see Seeing that beautiful scene with my own eyes, I felt like I was transported back to an era hundreds of years ago,” Nhung Duong confided.
As for Thanh Tuyen, although she did not witness snowfall here, this young person revealed her “revenge” plan next year. “I still have the intention of going to the Imperial Palace to ‘hunt’ for snow, hoping that ‘heaven will not let people down,'” Tuyen said.
