In the center of Beijing, you can find the Forbidden City – the palatial heart of the People’s Republic of China. Also known as the Palace Museum and Gu Gong in Chinese, the Forbidden City once served as the imperial palace for 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368–1911). Initially built during the reign of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), the construction process took 14 years to complete.
Early Chinese astronomers believed Polaris – the Purple Star – to be the celestial core, and the Heavenly Emperor is said to have chosen the Purple Palace as His abode. As a result, the emperor’s earthly palace was known as the Purple Palace. Since entry was strictly prohibited without special permission, the site was aptly named “The Purple Forbidden City” or simply “The Forbidden City.”
The Current Forbidden City
Today, the site is commonly referred to as the Palace Museum. Located just north of Tiananmen Square, this rectangular palace complex spans an impressive 74 hectares, making it the largest palace complex in the world. It is surrounded by a 52‐meter-wide moat and a 10‐meter-high wall.
The complex includes approximately 8,700 rooms with gates on every side of its enclosing wall. The south entrance is known as the Meridian (Wumen) Gate, while the north entrance is called the Gate of Divine Prowess (Shenwumen). The distance between these opposing gates measures about 961 meters (1,051 yards), and the span between the east and west gates is approximately 753 meters (823 yards). At each of the wall’s four corners stand distinctive towers, originally constructed to provide expansive views of both the palace and the surrounding city.
History of the Forbidden City
In 1406, Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty commissioned the construction of a royal palace in Beijing using the Nanjing Palace as inspiration. After 14 years of labor, the palace was completed and served as the revolving political center of China for over 500 years – until the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. In 1925, the Forbidden City was transformed into the Palace Museum, where various examples of traditional Chinese architecture, rare treasures, and ancient relics are preserved.
Construction: 1406 to 1420
After taking the throne, Ming Emperor Yongle declared the capital would be moved from Nanjing to Beijing and ordered the construction of an imperial palace at its center. Designed by the great architect Kuai Xiang, millions of laborers and over 230,000 artisans participated in creating this grand palace. Once completed in 1420, Emperor Yongle and his family moved into the palace, and 13 successive emperors continued to live and work here with their imperial families.
Qing Dynasty Takeover
The decline of the Ming Dynasty was hastened by several peasant uprisings, the most formidable of which was led by Li Zicheng. After the rebels successfully breached the palace, Emperor Chongzhen’s reign ended in 1644 when he committed suicide. However, Li Zicheng’s triumph was short-lived as Regent Dorgon and his forces soon defeated the rebel army, taking over the Forbidden City and establishing it as the seat of power for the subsequent Qing Dynasty emperors.
Destruction and Renovation
As Li Zicheng and his troops retreated, many palaces and halls in the Forbidden City were burned down. Qing Dynasty Emperor Shunzhi subsequently devoted 14 years to renovating the central axis of the palace. Further restoration work took place from 1683 to 1695, while the reign of Emperor Qianlong witnessed extensive alterations and enlargements. A major restoration, which returned the Forbidden City to its original grandeur, commenced in 1735 and was completed in 1796.
Transformed into a Palace Museum for the Public
Following the defeat of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, the Forbidden City ceased to be China’s political center. Though Emperor Puyi was allowed to reside here until 1924, in 1925 the palace was repurposed as the Palace Museum and opened to the public. This pivotal moment gradually unveiled the secrets of the royal city to common citizens and international visitors alike.
Cultural Relics Removal during War
During the Sino-Japanese War, millions of cultural treasures were carefully packed into over 15,000 boxes and relocated initially to Shanghai and then to Nanjing and Sichuan Province for safekeeping. After the war ended in 1945, these priceless relics made their way back in stages. In 1947, remnants and treasures were transported to Nanjing, and later, during China’s Civil War (1945–1949), 3,000 boxes were sent to Taiwan’s Taipei Palace Museum. In 1951, the bulk of these treasures – more than 10,000 boxes – were returned to Beijing’s Palace Museum, with the remainder kept at the Nanjing Museum.
Latest Protection and Restoration
Recognized as a key national historical and cultural relic in 1961 and 1987 and subsequently listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, the Palace Museum has long been in need of careful conservation. A wide-scale renovation that began in 2002 was completed in 2021, ensuring that the ancient structures are meticulously preserved for future generations. This updated restoration project coupled modern conservation techniques with traditional craftsmanship, ensuring that the Forbidden City’s splendor remains intact.
Facts about the Forbidden City
A World-Renowned Historical Heritage Site
In 1987, the Forbidden City was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It now ranks among the five top heritage buildings globally, alongside Britain’s Buckingham Palace, France’s Versailles, Russia’s Kremlin, and America’s White House.
Receiving around 15 million visitors each year, the Forbidden City is one of the world’s most visited museums. It also stands as one of the museums with the largest variety of exhibitions worldwide. With nearly 1 million cultural relics – including calligraphy, paintings, embroidery, jade artifacts, pottery, lacquer wares, and more – the Palace Museum offers an immersive journey into China’s rich history.
This vast, well-preserved palace complex is certainly the largest and best-preserved imperial city in the world – with even the living quarters preserved meticulously.
Inner and Outer Courts
The design of the Forbidden City is distinctly divided between the Inner and Outer Courts. In the Outer Court, where public and state ceremonies were held, the architecture features stately, grand structures. By contrast, the Inner Court served as the private living quarters of the emperors and their families, including residential halls, courtyards, and gardens that displayed a more intimate and relaxed ambiance.
Room Counts
Legend once held that the Forbidden City comprised 9,999½ rooms – the “half-room” symbolizing that only the God of Heaven could have a full 10,000 rooms. However, practical Chinese architectural principles meant rooms must be whole, with each room defined by a square area supported by four pillars. The modern count stands at 8,707 rooms, including all palaces, towers, halls, belvederes, and pavilions.
Color Schemes
The Forbidden City’s iconic color scheme is pivotal to its architectural identity. Red adorns the walls, windows, pillars, and doors, accentuating the symbolism of joy, good fortune, and celebration. The yellow roof tiles, on the other hand, denote the center of the universe and symbolize the emperor’s supreme authority. This interplay of red and yellow is deeply rooted in traditional Chinese cultural beliefs.
Forbidden Trees in the Outer Court
Imperial symbolism dictated that no trees be planted around the main halls of the Outer Court, including the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserved Harmony. Even along the royal avenue from Tiananmen to the Meridian Gate, trees were once forbidden to preserve the aura of imperial dignity. The trees seen today in the area were planted more recently to enhance the visitor experience.
Nine Rows of Door Nails
When exploring the Forbidden City, pay close attention to the big red gates of its main structures. Many of them are adorned with nine rows of glided door nails, with nine nails per row—a design choice reflecting imperial numerology. In traditional Chinese culture, the number nine symbolizes supremacy and is reserved exclusively for the emperor.
Best Collections of the Museum
Paintings and Calligraphy in the Literary Glory Hall
Among its best collections are masterpieces such as Zhao Mengfu’s “Transcribing a Eulogy in Regular Script” and the historic “Emperor Taizong Receiving the Tibetan Envoy of the Song Dynasty.” These timeless pieces echo the profound cultural and artistic legacy housed within the Forbidden City.
Ceramics Located in the Martial Valor Hall
The Martial Valor Hall features intricately designed ceramics, including the “Black-glazed Vase Carved with Ripple Patterns,” as well as a unique “Tricolor Pottery Figurine of a Camel” from the Tang Dynasty that enchants visitors with its ingenuity and historical value.
Silver and Gold Wares in the Great Balance Palace
Within the Great Balance Palace, visitors can admire exquisite silver and gold wares such as the “Gold Tea Bowl with Characters for Longevity and Happiness” (Jinzan tuanshou xizi chawan) and the “Gold Pagoda for Containing Hair” (Jin fatan), both of which highlight the high craftsmanship of ancient Chinese metalwork.
Jade Articles in the Accumulated Purity Palace
The Accumulated Purity Palace boasts a remarkable jade collection, featuring treasures like the “Red Sandalwood Three-panel Ruyi Scepter with Jade Inlays” from the Qing Dynasty and the “Great Jade Dragon” of Hongshan Culture – a stunning piece dating back more than 5,000 years.
Architectural Design and Layout of the Forbidden City
The Palace Museum is celebrated as much for its vast collection of artifacts as for the ingenuity of its architectural design, which has influenced countless developments in Chinese and East Asian architecture. The layout and construction principles reflect centuries of tradition and philosophy.
Axially Symmetrical Outline
The Forbidden City is built along a central north-to-south axis – the same historic line as old Beijing. Key structures, such as the Outer Court’s three halls (Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central Harmony, and Hall of Preserved Harmony) and the Inner Court’s principal palaces (Palace of Heavenly Purity and Palace of Earthly Tranquility) line up perfectly along this axis. This symmetrical design is a physical representation of the Chinese ideals of balance and harmony.
Hubbed in Confucian ideals and guided by the philosophies of the Book of Changes, every building in this imperial city radiates authority. For example, the Imperial Ancestral Temple, positioned on the left, reflects higher ranking, while the Altar of Earth and Harvest on the right holds a subordinate yet complementary role. This alignment emphasizes the ancient belief in achieving a harmonious balance between humanity and nature.
The Palace’s Decorations and Structure
The primary construction material for the Forbidden City’s palaces is wood. Wooden beams and columns form the critical framework, while walls act as complementary supports. Traditional color painting not only decorates these structures but also protects the wood. Decorative themes predominantly feature fierce dragons—symbols of imperial power—and graceful phoenixes, which represent the empress. The applied techniques include Suzhou-style patterns for towers and gardens, tangent circle patterns for side structures, and imperial patterns reserved for major halls along the central axis.
In total, more than 12,654 dragon patterns have been painted as a tribute to the emperor’s supremacy, while phoenix motifs celebrate the empress’s role. These intricate details continue to captivate visitors who appreciate the depth of symbolism and artistry in traditional Chinese architecture.
Roofs and Eaves Decorations
The roofs in the Forbidden City boast more than ten distinct styles, with differences even among the three primary halls of the Outer Court. Common roof designs include single-eave hip roofs, pyramidal-hipped roofs, and hipped-gable roofs. The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the palace’s most prominent structure, features a roof crowned with ten mythical animals—a testament to its superior status. These creatures, such as Chiwen (the kissing dragon), the lion, the phoenix, Suanni, the heavenly horse, Haetae, Douniu, and others, symbolize various virtues and powers associated with ancient Chinese lore.
Each animal on the roof not only adds decorative charm but also indicates the rank of the building within the imperial hierarchy – a design that reinforces the emperor’s unmatched authority.
Finally, the terraces beneath the palaces are meticulously designed to support structural integrity and facilitate proper drainage. The Outer Court’s three halls are accompanied by intricately built three-layered terraces, which stand 8 meters high. Decorative stone lion heads strategically placed around these terraces serve both an aesthetic and a functional purpose.
Forbidden City Tourist Guide
The visitor experience is designed along a unidirectional south-to-north route. Guests enter via the Meridian Gate and exit through either the Gate of Divine Prowess or the East Prosperity Gate. While touring along the central axis typically takes 3–4 hours, those keen on exploring every detail of this majestic complex might want to allocate additional time.
How to Get There?
| By Subway | |
|---|---|
| Line 1 | Take Subway Line 1 and disembark at either Tiananmen East or West Station. Look for the Tiananmen Tower and head north to reach the Meridian Gate. |
| Line 2 | Disembark at Qianmen Station and follow the signs north from Tiananmen Tower to the Meridian Gate. |
| By Bus | |
| Tiananmen East Station | Buses including numbers 1, 5, 52, Sightseeing Bus Line 1, Line 2, and Tourist Line 2 serve this stop. |
| Tiananmen West Station | Buses such as 1, 5, 52, Sightseeing Bus Line 1, Line 2, and Tourist Line 2 also operate from here. |
Ticket Price & Opening Hours
| Prices | |
|---|---|
| Entrance (April to October) | 60 Yuan |
| Entrance (November to March) | 40 Yuan |
| Treasure Gallery | 10 Yuan |
| Clock and Watch Gallery | 10 Yuan |
| Opening Hours | |
| April to October | 8:30 am–5:00 pm (ticketing until 4:00 pm, entry until 4:10 pm) |
| November to March | 8:30 am–4:30 pm (ticketing until 3:30 pm, entry until 3:40 pm) |
| Closed Days | Closed every Monday (except on Chinese statutory holidays) |
Note:
- Children under 3.9 feet enter free when accompanied by an adult.
- Admission for minors aged 6 to 18 is CNY 20, with an extra charge of CNY 5 each for the Treasure Gallery and Clock and Watch Gallery.
- Seniors aged 60 and above receive a 50% discount upon presenting a valid ID or passport.
- Annual tickets are available for CNY 300 (10 entries per year), though they are currently offered only to Chinese citizens.
The museum accommodates up to 80,000 visitors per day. Be sure to purchase tickets online or scan the official QR code on-site. While the official booking website currently offers limited services in English, you may be assisted by a local friend or a travel agency. There is also a ticketing window by the Meridian Gate for those who prefer to purchase tickets in person.
For a smooth entry experience, note that all visitors undergo a real-name verification process. Chinese visitors have their ID cards swiped, whereas foreign tourists must proceed to a dedicated lane for passport verification. Do you have more tips or experiences to share about your visit? Leave your thoughts in the comments. If you’re planning a Beijing trip and need more details, please ask your questions – our professional guides are here to help.
