Early Saturday morning we were up and out going first to Tiananmen Square. Before entering the Square everyone goes through a security check of their person and has their bags checked.
Then just across the street is the entrance to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was the Chinese Imperial Palace from the Ming Dynasty to the Quin Dynasty.
For five centuries it served as the home of the Chinese Emperor and his household. It was the political & ceremonial center of the Chinese government. Built between 1406 to 1420, it has over 900 buildings. It now houses the Palace
Museum. Much of the Forbidden City is open to the public and has been restored though there are areas off to each side that still need to have work done on them. We were able to view both areas. 
After a late lunch in a hot pot resturant we were off to a restored Hutong village and lake area. Because it's been very cold this winter in Beijing the lake is frozen and the government rents different types of skating apparatus for the locals to use on the lake. All of the citizens looked to be enjoying their time on the lake. The Hutong area has been turned into a shopping area and borders the lake. We enjoyed exploring and bargaining with the shop owners though we didn't come home with any purchases.
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