The Forbidden City Museum, the very political hub of China for the last six hundred years, was a royal palace during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, where 24 emperors lived and ruled.

The Forbidden City, as the Palace Museum used to be called, is located on the central axis of Beijing and is 961 meters long from north to south and 753 meters wide from east to west, covering an area of 720,000 square meters. According to purpose, the Forbidden City can be divided into an outer court, where state affairs are conducted, and an inner court, where emperors and concubines live. Let’s now walk into this mysterious and magnificent oriental palace complex and follow in the footsteps of each of the emperors and explore the years that followed.

The Meridian Gate and Square

The Meridian Gate (Wumen 午门) locates in the southernmost part of the Forbidden City, and is the main gate of the Forbidden City. It consists of one front tower and the two protruding arms together. Because of the phoenix wing-shaped five buildings, it’s also called “Five Phoenix Turrets”.

Gate and Square of Supreme Harmony

Gate of Supreme Harmony (Taihe Gate 太和门) is the main entrance to the Three Great Hall area, and in the Ming Dynasty this was the place where the emperor’s early morning conference was held. The square in front of Taihe Gate has an Inner Golden Water River flowing over it, with the Inner Golden Water Bridge over the water standing opposite the Outer Golden Water Bridge in front of Tiananmen Square.

Three Great Halls

The Three Great Halls area is the center of the outer court of the Forbidden City and the most important part of the Forbidden City. The Three Great Halls refer to the three buildings of Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihe Hall 太和殿), the Hall of Central Harmony (Zhonghe Hall 中和殿), and the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohe Hall 保和殿), of which Taihe Hall is the palace building with the highest rank of specifications existing in China.

Three Palaces of the Inner Court

Three Palaces of the Inner Court area is where the emperor and empress lived in the Forbidden City, bounded by Gate of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing Gate 乾清门) and consisting of the Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing Palace 乾清宫), Hall of Union (Jiaotai Hall 交泰殿) and Palace of Earthly Tranquility (Kunning Palace 坤宁宫).

Hall of Martial Valor and Hall of Literary Brilliance

“On the left the literary and on the right the martial (左文右武)” is the pattern followed by traditional Chinese architectures, so is the Forbidden City. On both sides of the Three Palaces are Hall of Martial Valor (Wuying Hall 武英殿) and the Hall of Literary Brilliance (Wenhua Hall 文华殿), which serve at the right and left hand sides of the Three Palaces of the Inner Court.

Hall of Mental Cultivation Area

Beginning with the Yongzheng Emperor in the Qing Dynasty, the Hall of Mental Cultivation (Yangxin Hall 养心殿) was used as the emperor’s living quarters. During the Tongzhi and Guangxu periods, it was here that Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Dowager Ci’an govern from behind the curtain and ruled the country.

Hall for Ancestral Worship / The Clock Gallery

Hall for Ancestral Worship (Fengxian Hall 奉先殿) is a family shrine inside the Forbidden City, dedicated to the ancestors of the current dynasty. Today, the Fengxian Hall has been turned into a Clock Gallery, displaying the collection of the Palace Museum’s Hundreds of Fine Clocks and Watches.

Palace of Tranquil Longevity Area / The Treasure Gallery

As the living quarters of the Empress Dowager, the Palace of Tranquil Longevity (Ningshou Palace 宁寿宫) area, is small but complete. With halls, gardens, and theatres inside, it is often called “the Mini Forbidden City”.

Six Palaces of the East and West Road

The Six Palaces of the East Road and Six Palaces of the West Road are located on the east and west sides of the Three Palaces of the Inner Court, and are the living quarters of the concubines, as well as the whirlpool center of all the gossips, schemes and power struggles.

The Imperial Garden

The Imperial Garden is the largest royal garden in the Forbidden City, located in the northernmost part of the Forbidden City, with dozens of pavilions, galleries and towers, and more than a hundred old trees.

Gate of Divine Prowess

Gate of Divine Prowess (Shenwu Gate 神武门) is the north gate of the Palace Museum, and the back gate of the Forbidden City. 10 October 1925, with the words “Palace Museum” written on, a plaque was hung on top of the city tower at Shenwu Gate, indicating that the Forbidden City officially became “Un-forbidden”.

Corner Towers and Moat

The Forbidden City is surrounded by a 3.3-kilometer-long moat with four corner towers built around the corners of the wall, and it is one of the buildings within The Most Complex Structural Design.

The Forbidden City is not only the emperor’s office, but also the concubines of the emperor’s living space, and the center of grand celebrations. The Forbidden City records every important fragment of history over the centuries: Zhu Di moved the capital, the Entry of Manchu, the Golden Age of Kangxi and Qianlong, the Close-door Diplomatic Policies… It is a sea of palaces of legends and memories.

Attractions around the Palace Museum

• Tiananmen Square
• National Museum Of China

Tags:

• #Ancient Architecture
• #Heritage
• #Imperial
• #Museum
• #Palace
• #World Heritage