This photo shows the scale of the Forbidden Palace. It is enormous and it goes on and on like this with 800 buildings and 9,000 rooms in all. Even more amazing to think that the Chinese built this 400 years ago. The physical presence of gates like this one was like a giant struggling to stand and shrug off the earthly shackles from which it emerged. This is also analogous to China today. On Beijing's streets, there was a palpable sense of excitement and enthusiasm for the near-future, more acute now probably because of the Olympics to be held there next year. People are rushing all over the place enjoying new freedoms from recent economic enrichment. I hope China's rise remains peaceful.