The Imperial Garden in the Forbidden City: the garden is painted far more beautifully than it actually appears when you get to enter it

Among the ancient paintings depicting the twenty beautiful sights of the Land of the Royal Capital, there is one titled "Ngự Viên Đắc Nguyệt" — which roughly means "admiring the moon in the Royal Garden.

The name of the painting says it all: moon-viewing here was considered a privilege — meaning not everyone who wanted it could have it. The Royal Garden lies within the Forbidden City, an area reserved exclusively for the king and the royal family. "Forbidden" literally means prohibited.

Nowadays it's completely the opposite: you just buy a ticket and you can get in. But most of the Forbidden City was destroyed during the war, so what you mostly see are foundations and very large empty courtyards.

How to view it without feeling let down: don't go to the Forbidden City expecting to see a palace. Go with the mindset of viewing a life-size map — the floor foundations are still intact, the steps are still intact, and from there you can imagine the parts that are gone. There are explanatory panels with archival photos at many points.

A small consolation: those empty courtyards are noticeably less crowded than the main temple area, and late afternoon is very quiet there. If you want to sit for a while without anyone crowding into your shot, this is the place.