Guide to The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City

Also known as the Palace Museum was the Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties of China. It is located in the centre of Beijing to the north of Tiananmen Square and is surrounded by a six meter deep moat with a ten meter high wall which has a gate on each side. It is also surrounded by imperial gardens on three sides. The Forbidden City is the world's largest palace complex covering 74 hectares and comprising 9,999 rooms. There are unique and delicately structured towers on each of the four corners of the curtain wall that offered view over both the palace and the city outside.

The past

The City was built during the Ming Dynasty between 1406 and 1420. It has served as the imperial home to 24 emperors of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. The last emperor of the Qing Dynasty was expelled by republican troops in 1924.

A Heritage Site

The Forbidden City had been the imperial palace for some five centuries and it houses numerous rare objects and treasures. Since 1950, it has been the Palace Museum to the public. In 1987, the UNESCO listed the Palace Museum as a World Cultural Heritage Site. It is one of the largest and best-preserved palace complexes in the world and one of the most popular tourist attractions world-wide.

The attractions of Forbidden City

The design of the Forbidden City, from its overall layout to the smallest detail, was meticulously planned to reflect philosophical and religious principles and to symbolise the majesty of the Imperial power. The layout of buildings follow ancient customs laid down in the Classic of Rites. Each structure of the “City” has intricate designs of animals that imply different meanings.

After entering the Forbidden City, you must take a leisurely walk around every corner of the “City” to enjoy its true beauty. The following parts of the Forbidden City are a must-watch for every visitor:

• The Meridian Gate
• The Gate and Hall of Supreme Harmony
• The Hall of Preserving Harmony
• Huge Stone Carving of nine dragons as depicted to be soaring into clouds and waves pounding cliffs
• The Gate and the Hall of Heavenly Purity – it divides the palace into the Outer and Inner Court. Golden vats that contained water were kept by emperors in case of a fire.
• The Palace of Celestial Purity
• The Hall of Celestial and Terrestrial Union has a chime clock more than 200 years old but shows the correct time even today.
• The Hall of Mental Cultivation
• The Six Eastern and Six Western Palaces – Both used to be the residence of the emperor’s many wives but now the palaces are used as exhibition halls to exhibit rare and valuable art collections like bronze items, jade wares, ceramic articles, rare crafts, books, paintings, time pieces, etc.
• Nine Dragon Wall – It is decorated with carvings of nine dragons in a very lifelike manner.
• The Imperial Garden – The garden has more than twenty structures distributed symmetrically and it remains unchanged in its original layout. The paths are paved with different coloured pebbles to form a variety of designs.

The Forbidden City is one of the most beautiful tourist destinations of the world. Its beauty and splendour is such that it cannot be described in words, it has to be seen and felt. Every part of Forbidden City has some grandiose activity attached to it that speak of the glory of the Kings who lived there and ruled. Each hall or palace has some historical relevance that has been turned into sort of a museum in order to commemorate the memory of the Emperors.

In fact, the Forbidden City is not only an attractive tourist spot but is also very close to the people’s heart, which makes it a predominant subject among writers, filmmakers and in popular culture. It also serves as a performance venue from time to time.