• Forbidden City

• General Overview

  The Forbidden City, or Palace Museum to give it its proper title, needs little introduction. This complex, surrounded by a moat, high walls and other imposing features, was the centre of power for 500 years of Imperial rule, a place beyond the sphere of ordinary citizens, except beautiful girls destined for the royal bed - if they can be considered ordinary.

  The Forbidden City was built in the early 15th Century, taking some 100 000 artisans 14 years. The design is that of a giant courtyard, with a north-south main axis. There are only two gates, at either end of this axis, with the southern one being the entrance for visiting officials and dignitaries. The focal point is the Hall of Supreme Harmony where the Emperor would hold audience. Everything before this point was intended to put awe into the visitor; everything after was more private and therefore contains smaller, more intimate, courtyards and halls - places where the Emperor and his entourage could actually feel comfortable.

  24 Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties ruled from the Forbidden City over a period of approximately 500 years. The last emperor, Puyi, was deposed by the 1911 revolution but was still permitted to live within the Forbidden City for a while longer.

  The Forbidden City was converted into a museum in 1925 and opened to the public. It may have lost its claim to exclusiveness but is still a most impressive site and one that consistently ranks as a top attraction for both domestic and foreign visitors to Beijing.

  Attractions For Visitors

  Most visitors enter from Tiananmen Square and therefore pass through the gate that gives this public place its name. From this direction the ticket office is to be found on the left, just before the Meridian Gate, the entrance to the tourist attraction. (If visiting without a guide you can hire an audio guide just inside this gate. This can be amusing, and does give a focus to the visit, but is not essential.) Heading northwards the main sites are then:

  Gate of Supreme Harmony

  Hall of Supreme Harmony

  Hall of Complete Harmony

  Hall of Preserving Harmony

  Marble Ramp: carved with Cloud and Dragon Designs

  Palace of Heavenly Purity:

  Palace of Earthly Tranquility:

  Imperial Gardens:

  Off to the west you will find the quarters for the ladies - the Palace of the Queen Consort and accommodation for the various concubines.

  To the east, just after the Marble Ramp you can find a special exhibition hall - the Museum of Clocks. These wonderful machines were gifts from foreign powers wishing to impress emperors.

  To the north-east, in the Pavilion of Sustained Harmony, the Treasure Hall contains the most valuable items on display. The sheer scale of the collection tells something of the fabulous wealth of the emperors, and that despite the vast majority of the portable treasure having been removed.

  
  
  
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