Afleveringen
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What was daily life actually like inside the Forbidden City?
This episode answers that — through four lives you won't forget.
EP3 is the final part of our Forbidden City series, and it's the one where we go inside. Your walking companion from the south entrance to the north exit — or a virtual tour if you're nowhere near Beijing.
We walk through the architecture. We follow the routes. But to bring this palace to life, we follow a day in four lives:
🔹 The Emperor — woke at 4 AM, ate alone, and had his stool examined by physicians
🔹 The Empress — managed thousands of staff but could barely leave the palace
🔹 A Concubine — spent every morning getting ready for a call that might never come
🔹 A Eunuch — gave up his body for a chance at power, or spent his life lighting fires under water vats Same palace. Four completely different worlds.
📍 Practical section at the end: how long you need, the Treasure Gallery (珍宝馆), the Clock Exhibition Hall (钟表馆), where to eat nearby, and honest advice on tour groups.
New to the series? Start from the beginning:
EP1: How It All Began — who built the Forbidden City, when and why EP2: Power, Class & Gender Roles Behind the Red Gates Coming next: The Great Wall — 2,000 Years and Still Standing. Why was it built? Who built it? And which section is the best for YOU to visit?🎫 Book Forbidden City tickets: https://bookingticket.dpm.org.cn/ WeChat 小程序: 故宫博物院
💬 What surprised you most about life inside the Forbidden City? Drop a comment — I read every single one, and I'll be sharing my favourites in a future episode.
📊 Poll: If you lived in the Forbidden City, which life do you think you'd survive the longest? Vote below!
📩 If you're enjoying A Day In Beijing — hit Follow and tap the bell so you never miss an episode. We release new episodes every Wednesday.
✈️ Planning a trip to Beijing? I curate conscious and ethical cultural experiences, exclusively supporting independent businesses and local communities.
Instagram: @a_day_in_beijing
Instagram: @chen_backinbeijing
Email: [email protected]
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Part 2 of the Forbidden City series — a deep dive into Beijing's history, Chinese culture, and the stories behind the architecture.
Every colour, number, and rooftop creature in the Forbidden City was a deliberate choice. This episode decodes the architecture and how the building communicates power, class, and gender roles — for example, the concubine system.
And one woman, Cixi, who entered the palace at sixteen and ended up controlling three successive emperors for nearly fifty years.
And what happened to the Forbidden City? The fires, the invasions, the looting — and where in the world you can still see pieces of the Forbidden City if you don't have any immediate travel plans to Beijing. Yet!
Missed Part 1? Start there — it covers who built the Forbidden City and why.
EP1: How It All Began — live now
EP3: 600 Years in 30 Minutes — coming next week
👋 Connect with me on Instagram @chen_backinbeijing📒 An ethical playbook for Beijing on Instagram @a_day_in_beijing
One more thing, I want to hear from you!
If you have a story to tell about Beijing, about China, join me on this podcast. You could be a café owner. A calligrapher. An underground rave DJ. A teacher. A civil servant. A street vendor who's been cooking the same dish for forty years. You don't need equipment. You don't need to speak perfect English. I'll handle the recording, the editing, the posting, everything.
All you need to do is tell your story.
This isn't a business. This is a cause. I just want the world beyond the VPN to see a glimpse of the real us. I believe in it, and I hope you do too.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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A man stole the throne from his own nephew. And to prove he deserved it, he built the largest palace in human history. One million workers. Fourteen years. And a canal that carried an empire's resources halfway across China to one construction site.
But to understand why, you need a bit of context first — and I promise I'll make it painless. So I start with the basics: what a dynasty actually is, what Confucianism means, how Beijing became the capital, and the man whose insecurity gave us the Forbidden City.
This is Part 1 of 3. Part 2 decodes what the architecture is actually saying. Part 3 walks you through the palace, south to north.
Planning a visit? Book tickets in advance, they sell out fast! Official site: https://bookingticket.dpm.org.cn/WeChat 小程序: 故宫博物院
Find A Day In Beijing Cultural Experiences here: https://adayinbeijing.carrd.co/Connect with me on Instagram @chen_backinbeijingAn ethical playbook to Beijing on Instagram @a_day_in_beijing
One more thing, I want to hear from you!If you have a story to tell about Beijing, about China, join me on this podcast. You could be a café owner. A calligrapher. An underground rave DJ. A teacher. A civil servant. A street vendor who's been cooking the same dish for forty years.
Because right now, beyond the VPN, the world is hearing about us from people who aren't us. And I think we can do something about that, one voice at a time.
You don't need experience. You don't need equipment. You don't need to speak perfect English. I'll handle the recording, the editing, the posting, everything. All you need is to tell your story.
This isn't a business. This is a cause. I just want the world beyond the VPN to see a glimpse of the real us. I believe in it and I hope you do too. -
I spent 10 years in London doing brand strategy.
Won awards, led massive teams, made business director before 30 — but mostly was selling things I didn't believe in.
Hit my mid-30s, came back to my beloved hometown with my husband.
Beijing's independent businesses are disappearing.
3 million restaurants, cafés and bars closed across China last year.
And the tourists who do come?
They're stuck in a loop — Forbidden City, Great Wall, done. Meanwhile, the places where actual Beijingers spend their time are invisible to the outside world.
I thought, I've got the marketing skills. I've got the cultural context. I've lived on both sides.
What if I just build a megaphone for our indie businesses and local communities?
This episode is the full story. Who I am, why A Day In Beijing exists, and what you can expect from this podcast.
First series: the Forbidden City. Three episodes.
EP1: How It All Began — live now
EP2: The Story Behind the Red Gates — coming soon
EP3: 600 Years in 30 Minutes — coming soonFind A Day In Beijing Cultural Experiences here: https://adayinbeijing.carrd.co/
Connect with me on Instagram @chen_backinbeijingAn ethical playbook to Beijing on Instagram @a_day_in_beijing
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A Day In Beijing is an English podcast about Beijing, about China.
Our history. Our culture. Our stories. Told in English — but told by us.
I got tired of watching our 5,000 years of civilisation get reduced to 30-second TikToks by people who visited once.
Got tired of AI-generated travel guides speaking for us.
Got tired of the same lazy stereotypes being recycled as "China content."
So I thought — if we don't tell our own stories, who will?
Each episode digs into Beijing's history, traditions, and artistry.
Some walk you through landmarks like the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.
Others go deeper into the Beijing that most visitors never see.
A Day In Beijing also curates conscious travel experiences, we exclusively support independent local businesses and put money back into the community.
If you're curious how our city sounds when it's finally explained properly in English, come and listen or message me to join the podcast!
If you have international friends or family coming to Beijing, share this podcast with them!
Find A Day In Beijing Cultural Experiences here: https://adayinbeijing.carrd.co/
Connect with me on Instagram @chen_backinbeijing
An ethical playbook to Beijing on Instagram @a_day_in_beijing
