Forbidden City's 600th Anniversary: Hidden Gems Unveiled!

✨Friends! Unveiling the hidden gems of the Forbidden City's 600th anniversary!✨ Skip the crowded central axis! After exploring for 3 days, I've compiled this advanced Forbidden City guide to 【avoid the crowds】, even locals are impressed!👇 🔥Must-See! New Forbidden City Rules & Pre-Trip Prep 1⃣ Reservation Tip: Book tickets 7 days in advance at 6 pm for the 8:30-10:30 am slot (Proven to be half as crowded as the afternoon!) Tickets for the Treasure Gallery/Clock Gallery can be purchased on-site by scanning a QR code.[1] 2⃣ Hidden Entrance: Walk from Donghuamen along the moat to Wumen, perfectly avoiding the long security lines at Tiananmen Square.[4] 3⃣ Outfit Hack: Wear beige/light blue clothing! The red walls create a cinematic backdrop. Comfortable shoes are a must for 20,000+ steps a day⚠ 4⃣ Essential Gear: Bring a 20,000 mAh power bank + a foldable water bottle (Free water refill points in various palaces are very convenient) 🗺Time-Warping Routes to Avoid 90% of Tourists ⏰ Morning Mystical Route (Rush in at 8:30!) Donghuamen → Wenhuadian Begonia Flower Path (Spring exclusive) → Jianting to see Qing Dynasty Eight Banners armor → Broken Rainbow Bridge to find the "Crotch-Covering Lion" → Qianlong Garden to photograph the 1:4 replica of the Qu Shui Liu Shang ⏰ Afternoon Artistic Route Wuyingdian Ceramics Gallery → Cining Palace Sculpture Gallery (The Northern Qi Bodhisattva statue is stunning) → Ice Cellar Bookstore to collect 24 Solar Term stamps → Western Six Palaces to explore the original appearance of Empress Dowager Cixi's bedroom 📸Nine Off-the-Beaten-Track Photo Spots (with photography tips) 1⃣ Fuwangge Labyrinth: Qianlong Emperor's retirement residence, with 27 secret passages and mechanisms not fully deciphered to this day[1] 2⃣ Longzongmen Arrow Mark: A "historical bullet hole" from the Tianli Sect Uprising during the Jiaqing period 3⃣ Changyinge Well: Look down to see the mechanical device of the Qing Dynasty's elevating stage 4⃣ Yuhuage Dragon-Shaped Drainage: The only gilded drainage beast in the Tibetan Buddhist temple 5⃣ Shenwumen Observation Deck: The perfect spot to capture Jingshan Park's Wanchun Pavilion (The blue hour light and shadow an hour before closing are breathtaking) 6⃣ Xiehemen Water Mirror: On rainy days, capture the reflection of the red walls, resembling an ink painting 7⃣ Ice Cellar Afternoon Tea: Must-try "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains Roll" paired with Persimmon Fortune Coffee 8⃣ Wenyuan Pavilion Pillars: Blue-green painted pillars + original shelves of the "Siku Quanshu" from Wenjin Pavilion 9⃣ East Tongzi Red Wall: After snowfall, wear Hanfu and capture the "Lotus Steps" effect 🌟Cultural Easter Egg Adventures 🔔 Digital Forbidden City: VR tour of the Hall of Mental Cultivation at Duanmen (Book in advance! Experience being an Empress) 🔔 Roof Figure Collection: From 10 figures on the Hall of Supreme Harmony to 1 on the Hall of Imperial Peace, creating a comparison chart of their hierarchy is super fun 🔔 Stamp Collection Guide: Collect 24 Solar Term stamps at the Ice Cellar Bookstore + special "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains" stamp at the Chinese Character Museum (Bring a blank notebook!)