Not An Outsider EP22｜Foreign girl in Forbidden City: Immersive tour of Chinese cultural heritag【The Palace Museum Centennial】

Not An Outsider

2025.10.07 11:00

With the comprehensive optimization of China's visa-free transit policy, more and more foreign tourists are entering the country to experience Chinese culture, and the capital city, Beijing, is undoubtedly one of the most popular destinations. Let's follow Nico, a girl from Belarus, on a cultural journey through the Forbidden City!

Dressed in traditional Hanfu, Nico explores the historic halls of the Forbidden City. (DotDotNews)

Before entering the Forbidden City, Nico first visited a Hanfu store, where she picked out a pink Hanfu and matching makeup, making her stroll through the Forbidden City feel like a journey through time. While selecting her Hanfu, Nico also learned more about ancient Chinese women's hairstyles. In ancient times, women's hairstyles were referred to as "hair buns." There were many types of ancient women's hairstyles, which varied depending on the dynasty, social class, and occasion. For example, young girls often wore double coiled buns or the low-hanging braided chignon, while married or mature women preferred the cloud-like chignon, coiled dragon chignon, towering skyward chignon, flying chignon, and coiled and winding chignon, among others.

Before visiting the Forbidden City, Nico couldn't imagine how ancient people lived. But once she was there, she felt the richness of their lives. She jokingly said she'd like to live in the Forbidden City if given the chance, but then realized, "It's quite dangerous if you are not the emperor's 'wife'." Recalling the palace intrigue in TV dramas, she found it both dangerous and interesting.

Afternoon tea in the Forbidden City. (DotDotNews)

Tasting local delicacies was also an important part of her Forbidden City trip. Nico went to the eastern courtyard of the Palace of Earthly Tranquility to enjoy the afternoon tea. A persimmon-orange mousse cake, a chilled and refreshing lychee bayberry drink, a Hawthorn mousse cake, and a Forbidden City cultural ice cream shaped like the bronze lion at the Gate of Supreme Harmony left Nico exclaiming.

A day touring the Forbidden City left Nico marveling at the vibrancy of life within its walls. As she lingered there, she warmly invited friends from around the world to visit the Forbidden City and experience the unique charm of Chinese culture.

For foreigners visiting the Forbidden City: How to book tickets

Method 1: Official website reservation

Go to the official website of the Beijing Palace Museum and switch the language to English.
Register a personal account using your email and log in.
Click on "Visit" → "Book Tickets" → Select your visit date.
Enter personal identification information (passport, email, etc.).
Pay using Visa/Mastercard/Wise Card.
On the day of your visit, scan your passport for entry.

Tickets must be booked 7 days in advance. For example, to book a ticket for July 27, you must start booking at 8:00 PM on July 21.