Forbidden City / Imperial Palace Museum - More Beijing Attractions

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Beijing Forbidden City Tour

Forbidden City

The Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is located in the center of Beijing and to the north of Tiananmen Square. It served as the residence of 24 emperors, and was the political and ceremonial center of Chinese government.

Rectangular in shape, construction of the Forbidden City was begun built in 1406, and finished in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty. It is surrounded by wall which is 10-meter high, 960-meter long from north to south and 753-meter wide from east to west, covering an area of 720,000 square meters; The entire construction of the Forbidden City is enclosed by two solid line of defense; the outside of this palace is a moat which is 52 meters in width, 6 meters in depth, and 3800 meters in length. The palace has 4 gates including Meridian Gate (Wumen) in the south, the Gate of Devine Might (Shenwumen) in the north, Donghua Gate (Donghuamen) in the east and Xihua Gate (Xihuamen) in the west. The four corners of the wall stands with 4 turrets which has 3-layer roof and 72 ridges, which are exquisitely carved, uniquely shaped and masterpieces of ancient Chinese architecture.

The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern part, or the Outer Court, was where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. It consists of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Middle Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. The Hall of Supreme Harmony was where the emperor held ceremonies. The northern part, or the Inner Court, was where the emperor lived with his family. The Forbidden City, the most magnificent and splendid palace complex in China, was listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1987, and is regarded as the largest and best-preserved palace complex in the world. Juries evaluated: "The Forbidden City is the supreme power center in China over five centuries, with its landscape architecture, and huge buildings which accommodate 9,000 rooms of furniture and crafts, it has become a priceless historical witness of the Chinese civilization of Ming and Qing era.

Nowadays, the Forbidden City is open to tourists and has become one of the most popular attractions in Beijing, and even in China.

Main Highlights to See in Forbidden City

Palace of Earthly Tranquility (坤宁宫 kun ning gong)

Palace of Earthly Tranquility, the internal construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing, is one of the queen's palace. Since Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty, Kunning palace was nominal main palace, but the actual use was the shamanic's ritual spaces and the emperor's wedding bridal chamber. Palace of Heavenly Purity represents masculine gender, and Kunning palace represents feminine gender, combining them means combination of masculine and feminine.

Palace of Heavenly Purity (乾清宫 qian qing gong)

Palace of Heavenly Purity, one of three imperial harems, is the main hall of the imperial palace in Beijing Forbidden City. It is the place for the residence and the day-to-day public affairs of Ming and Qing emperors in the Forbidden City. It is the first of the three imperial harems, locate inside the Gate of Celestial Purity. "Qian" means "Heaven", and "Qing" means "Purity"; the name of this palace means: lucid sky - a symbol of national stability, also a symbol of the emperor's clear and magnanimous behaviour.

Hall of Preserving Harmony (保和殿 bao he dian)

Hall of Preserving Harmony is one of the the three main halls in the outer palace of the Beijing Forbidden City, located behind the Hall of Central Harmony. It was built in 1420 and first named " Jinshen Hall". It was renamed " Baohe Hall" in Qing Shunzhi 2 Year, which means the single-minded consciousness and maintaining the harmony to get the happiness, longevity and peace for the country. The hall was once the place for the emperor to confer titles of nobility on the queen and the prince in the Ming Dynasty, also the living place for the Qing Emperor Shunzhi and Emperor Kangxi, the place for holding the feudal imperial examination in Qing Emperor Qianlong period.

Hall of Supreme Harmony (太和殿 tai he dian)

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, also known as the Hall of Golden Chime, is one of the ‘three main palaces’ in Beijing Forbidden City, and it is China's existing largest wood wood structure palace. It is located in a powerful and influential position of the north-south main axis in the Forbidden City. It was first built in 1420 and through many times destroy by fire and rebuilt.

This hall is the largest mass and chief building inside the Forbidden City. It has 11 rooms outwardly and 5 rooms deeply; it is 64 meters in length, 37 meters in width and 26.92 meters in height, covering a building area of 2377 m2. In front of the hall, there is a broad platform with one sundial and grain measure, a pair of copper tortoise and a pair of copper crane as well as 18 bronze tripods.

Hall of Clocks and Watches (钟表馆 zhong biao guan)

Hall of Clocks and Watches (also known as Museum of Clocks and Watches) is located in the Forbidden City, Beijing, China. it is tall and spacious, with an exhibition area of 2,208 square meters. It is home to a fantastic collection of Qing Dynasty (from Eighteenth Century to Twenty Centuries) timepieces, with a total number of 182 pieces of collections. These watches and clocks are the wisdom of foreign and domestic watchmakers and of high historical, scientific and artistic value. From the watches and clocks exhibited, the glorious history of development of the watches in the world can be seen from the early 18th to 20th centuries, with the history of over 200 years.

Hall of Central Harmony (中和殿 zhong he dian)

The Hall of Central Harmony is one of ‘the three main palaces’ in Beijing Forbidden City. It is located between the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. The hall was the place for the emperor to take a rest before holding grand ceremony and accepting officials' worship in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. While holding a memorial ceremony for the heaven and earth, the emperor would review the congratulatory message the day before; also would check the seed and farm implements before the altar of the god of agriculture. Central Harmony means ‘everything should be finished in a perfect way so that the harmony comes into being'.

Hall of Union and Peace (交泰殿 jiao tai dian)

Hall of Union and Peace honors to be one of the three primary palaces in the Inner Court of theForbidden City in Beijing. It is located between the other two main palaces, namely, the Palace of Heavenly Purity and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. It was originally built in 1420 in Ming dynasty and then was rebuilt in Qing dynasty. In 1748, Emperor Qianlong stored twenty-fifth jade seal here which symbolizes the imperial power, thus this palace became a unique place for storing the imperial seals, because every seal has a special purpose. Meanwhile, this is also a special place for the Empress in Qing Dynasty to hold ceremony and accept the gifts from the ministers. The name Union and Peace (Jiaotai) signifies the intersect of heaven and earth, meaning long-term stability of the country. The wedding of Emperor is held in this palace, so is the appointment of the queen.

Treasure Museum (珍宝馆 zhen bao guan)

Treasure Museum is located in the eastern part of the Forbidden City in Beijing, inside Hall of Huangji, Hall of Mental Cultivation, Hall of Happiness and Longevity and Yihe Xuan Pavilion. Treasure Museum is a treasure trove with a variety of colored gemstones, sparkling gold and silver vessels, jade pearls, gold coronet, ivory and other kinds of unparalleled treasures. The most impressive treasure in the museum is a multi-layer tower, which is carved from a large jade, weighing 5000 kg. The Treasure Museum in Beijing Forbidden City was originally opened in 1958. It is one of the important exhibition halls that are open in all year around in the Palace Museum. Together with the Hall of Watches and Clocks, it shows the imperial historical relics of Qing Dynasty, mainly with paintings, ceramics, bronzes, curios, etc.

Forbidden City

Travel Tip:
How to Get to Forbidden City ?
Chinese name and Pinyin: 故宫 (Gu gong)
Official Web: http://www.dpm.org.cn/
Location: city center, at the north of Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
Admission Fee: CNY 60 Peak Season(Apr. 1 - Oct. 31)
CNY 40 Off Season (Nov. 1 - Mar. 31)
Opening time: Peak Season 08:30-17:00 (ticket sales ends at 16:00)
Off Season 08:30-16:30 (ticket sales ends at 15:30)
By subway: Line 1 and get off at Tian'anmen East or Tian'anmen West.
By bus: No.1, 2, 5, 52, 59, 82, 99, 120, 810, 814, 846 and Sightseeing bus No.1, 2 to Tian'anmen East/West
Kind Notice:
Close on each Monday(Except Chinese statutory holidays and the summer vacation from July 4 to August 24)
From July 2, 2011, visitors are only allowed to enter Beijing Forbidden City through the Meridian Gate (south gate) and leave from the Gate of Divine Might.