Seeing Korea With New Eyes? -part 2

I wanted to love the Forbidden City. The nine tiny dragons on the edge of the rooftops. The huge stone slabs, floated from Northern China on rivers and carried miles by workers, that were fashioned by deft craftsmen into stunning reliefs. The huge, sapphire (as well as the sparkling emeralds and rubies) displayed in the Hall of Treasures. The ancient stories and philosophies that had dictated the many palaces construction. The opulence that impressed us, enfolded us, yet that never made us feel the Yankee disdain that I'd felt at walking through the gaudier parts of Versailles in Paris. The serene rock gardens and dragon mosaics placed throughout the Forbidden City spoke to the spiritual role that the emporer seemed to play in Chinese society before the communist revolution there. Yet the riches of the emporer were not meant for the eyes of the common man, no less the common woman!
I felt the sheer weight of the Chinese emporer in Asian history. Certainly the final emporer, going from running the country, if only at a ceremonial level, to working as a gardener, lived a fascinating life! And beauty abounded-from the halls for visiting with foreign dignitaries, to the myriad chambers of gorgeous sandalwood. The rare, perfectly carved wood, was more in demand, more "valuable than gold," as our Guide, B. kept reminding us. It struck me a city of a thousand stories, and there was no way that we could learn them in one day. Even with a knowledgable guide, our visit felt rushed. Unfortunately, we were also dogged by omnipresent tour groups! One large Chinese tour group, striding around in matching red baseball caps, was especially hard to shake. The chase became almost comical. :) Also, one supposedly impressive pavillion was closed for renovations so that it would be in perfect shape for the influx of touisits expected for the Summer Olympics.
So, from what I'd read in my beloved Lonely Planet Guide, and the stunning Speilberg film I'd seen, I wanted to love the Forbidden City.
However, The Temple of Heaven attracted me in a way that the Forbidden City didn't. One never knows.