Forbidden Palace - Red Guards at Play Photo

Photographer’s Note

I've been to the Forbidden Palace a few times, and it occured to me that although the area the public have access to is vast, there is a huge area that we don't see.

Over a wall to the side of one of the public courtyards in the Forbidden City are what seems to be the barracks of one of the Red Guard units.

Usually seen marching in columns or standing guard, I was suprised to see these guys playing a game of soccer. It was World Cup time, so it was not hard to guess their inspiration.

Glad to see the human face of these soldiers.

Nikki-chan ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

katsuhiro (479) 2004-07-19 6:12

Welcome to TE. Nice photo showing the other side of the Red Guards. As you mention, I never saw this part of the Forbidden City when I visited it.

Good composition and colours.

Nikki-chan (95) 2004-07-19 10:48

What a lovely shot of a different side to these soldiers! This shows that they too can have some fun!! How were you able to take this shot?? Did you have access to this area, or just use your zoom?? I'd suggest cropping the photo to focus on the two soldiers playing soccer, but the image is already somewhat pixelated (mine does this too), so I'm not sure if that would work. *Wishing I had Photoshop now...*

claudia15 (19) 2006-04-02 20:33

Hi Paul,
As I glance through the pics of Beijing, I came across this one and was surprise to note that I have an almost identical picture!! Taken in the same spot, the soldiers were playing basketball instead of soccer. I too loved seeing the softer side of these men. Thanks for sharing and bringing me back to a place I love so much. The Forbidden City is somewhere I've vistited many times while living in Beijing and each time was like a dream.