Obama tours Forbidden City, Great Wall
- Source: Global Times
- [02:25 November 18 2009]
- Comments
US President Barack Obama visits the Forbidden City in Beijing on Nov. 17, 2009.(Xinhua)
By Zhang Han
With snow-covered roofs and patches of ice in the courtyards, the Forbidden City was given a little more sense of timelessness with the remaining snows brought by a blizzard last week.
Also known as the Palace Museum, the former home to 24 Chinese emperors who ruled the country for more than 400 years, was opened yesterday solely to one particular guest who came from the other side of the globe.
President Barack Obama, who changed from his suit and tie to a casual leather jacket, toured one of the greatest national landmarks of China for nearly an hour.
"It's beautiful. It's a magnificent place to visit. I will come back with my girls and my wife," Obama told the Xinhua News Agency.
Accompanied by curator Zheng Xinmiao, Obama entered the museum from its main entrance in the south, the Meridian Gate (Wu Men) and walked along the museum's central axis, also the axial line of the city, from south to north.
Before concluding his tour, Obama reportedly received a "mysterious" gift from the museum. He sat down and wrote at length in the VIP visitors' book, without disclos-ing the content, according to the AP.
Obama's visit did not go unnoticed by the Chinese people, as the museum was closed yesterday to Chinese tourists, who average more than 20,000 on a daily basis. Part of Chang'an Avenue nearby had also been closed since yesterday morning.
As Obama is scheduled to visit the Great Wall in Badaling in suburban Beijing this morning, notices reminding citizens to avoid traveling on the Badaling highway were posted by the transportation department in recent days.
Tight safety inspections were imposed outside the St. Regis Hotel, where Obama stayed in Beijing. Traffic controls were also seen in the surrounding area. A gas station nearby was temporally closed and will resume service on November 19, according to Beijing Times.
"It is understandable for such an arrangement," a Beijing citizen surnamed Zhang, who was waiting by a security cordon on Chang'an Avenue yesterday, told the Global Times. "I hope he can under-stand more about Chinese culture through his sightseeing, and further understand Chinese people."
After the planned Great Wall tour and meeting with Premier Wen Jiabao, Obama will leave for South Korea this afternoon to continue his Asian tour.
