The Forbidden city of China

The Forbidden City, also known as Palace Museum, is a walled section of Beijing located right at its centre, enclosing the Imperial Palace, formerly the residence of the emperor of China. The 'Forbidden City' is the English equivalent of the Chinese name 'Zijin Cheng' — Jin meaning forbidden, with reference to the fact that no one could enter or leave the walled city or Cheng, without the emperor's permission. The Forbidden City is now known as the Palace Museum and is open to Beijing's visitors.

Wear comfortable walking shoes as the palace is 960 meters long and 750 meters wide. It has 9,999 rooms - a room being the space between four pillars. 

The well guarded palace is surrounded by a moat 3,800 meters long and 52 meters wide. Intruders were discouraged by guards in watchtowers with bow and arrows.

There are five entrances to the gate - the central one reserved for the emperor. The empress was allowed through it only once - on her wedding day.

As well as walking through the wide open courtyards along its central axis, the sides offer some museum exhibits and small courtyards worth exploring.

An excellent view of the Forbidden City from the north is seen atop Coal Hill in Jingshan Park. The hill is made from the dirt excavated from the moat surrounding the Forbidden City, and according to Feng Shui, keeps the evil spirits from the north from entering.

Built in the early 15th century with over 1,000 buildings and a large collection of ancient wood structures, it is now a major tourist attraction and has been declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.

History

• 1406 Construction began on the Ming Dynasty palace in Beijing 
• 1420 The palace complex was completed. 
• 1644 The Ming Dynasty lost control of the palace and the Manchus took possession.
• 1860 and 1900 Western forces briefly took control of the palace on two occasions. 
• 1912 The last emperor of the Qing Empire abdicated. 
• 1947 An important part of the palace's antiques and treasures were taken to Taiwan. 
• 1987 The complex was named a UNESCO World Heritage. 
• Original Purpose: A palace compound to protect and serve the Ming Dynasty clan. 
• Significance: The palace complex was the center of two empires and is considered the symbol of China. Now it's Beijing's most popular tourist attraction.

    Most Popular Sections

• Entrance: Tian'anmen 
• Outer Court: Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihe Dian), Hall of Central Harmony (Zhonghe Dian), Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohe Dian), Gate of Heavenly Peace (Qianqing Men) 
• Inner Court: Palace of Heavenly Peace (Qianqing Gong), Palace of Union and Peace (Jiaotai Dian), Palace of Terrestrial Tranquility (Kunning Gong)
• Gardens: Imperial Garden, Mental Cultivation Hall (Yangxin Dian)
• Exit: Gate of Divine Might. One Day Beijing Forbidden City Tour from US $27 p/p (based on travel party of 2-3 persons) 
• Most popular souvenirs and local products: cloisonne, inside-painted snuff bottles, eight treasures inkpads, antiques, Chinese painting and calligraphy 
• Most popular food: Peking Duck

    Features

• It is the world's biggest ancient palace.
• It is considered to be among the world's top 5 most important palaces.
• China's most popular single site tourist attraction.
• The structure is almost 600 years old. 
• Home of dynastic clans for 500 years. 
• A million articles are considered national heritage.
• 1987 UNESCO World Heritage List 
• The largest collection of ancient wooden structures in the world. 
• A stunning array of ancient treasures and buildings: with ancient porcelain and jade, gardens, plazas, historic sites, and 9,999 rooms

    Interesting Facts

1. At one time, 9,000 eunuchs lived there. 
2. 200,000 - 1 million laborers and artisans constructed the complex. Altogether, 24 emperors lived there. 
   
3. Almost all the rooftops in the Forbidden City are finished with yellow glazed tiles. This color was chosen as, at the time, yellow was the official color of the Chinese emperor. 
4. Each building’s roof is decorated with a line of small statues, with the importance of the building determining how many it featured. The highest number is ten. 
5. The Forbidden City is home to one of the world’s largest collections of timepieces, with over a thousand examples dating from the 18th and 19th centuries within its walls.
6. The Forbidden City is very large, containing over 980 buildings of varying sizes over a 720,000m2 (7,750,000ft2) complex. Thousands of tourists visit every day. 
   
7. Since 1925 the city has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, which manages the site’s many ancient artifacts. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
8. The Forbidden City is home to one of the biggest museums in the world - the Palace Museum - that boasts imperial collection spanning the Ming and Qing Dynasties. 
9. Among the materials used to construct the palace include; marbles from the surrounding quarries, logs of precious Phoebe zhennan wood and golden bricks. 
10. The Forbidden City was home to home of 24 emperors – 14 of the Ming Dynasty and 10 of the Qing Dynasty.
11. The city ceased to be the seat of political power in 1912 after Puyi, the last Emperor of China, abdicated and allowed the formation of new Republic of China. 
12. The Forbidden City is an array of ancient building and artifacts that include; porcelain and jade, gardens, plazas, historic sites, and 9,999 rooms.
    
13. Each of the 9,999 rooms is decorated with statues. As the importance of each building grows, the number of statues increases. The most important room has a maximum of 10 statues.
14. About one million artifacts that are housed within the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City are considered Chinese National Heritage items and are thus under the protection of the Chinese government. 
    
15. The Forbidden City is the main attraction to tourists in the Chinese capital - Beijing. It is one of the most visited ancient sites in the world and a tour here will be an eye opener. Very few other museums in the world can claim as much history as the Forbidden City.