Forbidden City
History
The Forbidden City ( also known officially as the Imperial Palace Museum ) was commissioned by the third Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Yong Le. The palace was built between 1406 and 1420, but was burnt down, rebuilt, sacked and renovated countless times, so most of the architecture you can see today dates from the 1700’s and on wards. The Forbidden City was the seat of Imperial power for 500 years, and is now a major tourist attraction in China. The total area of the complex is 183 acres, so it takes quite a while to walk through, especially if you want to have a close look at everything. All together there are 9,999 1/2 rooms in the Museum, not all of which can be visited.
Architecture
The Imperial Palace is rectangle architecture. It is 961 meters long from south to north and 753 meters wide. There is city wall with 10 meters height around and the moat outside of city wall is 52 meters wide. The Imperial Palace has 4 gates. The Gate of Divine Prowess(Shenwumen) on the north, Merdian Gate(Wumen) on the south, the Eestern Flowry Gate (Donghuamen) on the east, and the Western Flowery Gate (Xinhuamen) on the south, the Eestem Folwery Gate (Donghuamen) on the east, and the Western Flowery Gate (xinhuamen) on the west. There are 4 corner towers at the 4 coners of city wall and the whole area is 724.250 square meters.
The buildings of the Forbidden City fully embody the artistic features and style of ancient Chinese palace architecture, and can be called a masterpiece in Chinese, even world, architectural history. Today, as the largest museum of cultural relics in China, the Forbidden City, also called the Palace Museum, collected and displayed some one million precious historical relics from the Shang Dynasty (16th century -771 BC) through to the Qing Dynasty. It was made part of the world cultural heritage list in 1987.
Instruction - Forbidden City
On the whole, the Imperial Palace is divided into two parts: front court and back chamber. Not only in the Imperial Palace, the monarch bed chamber of Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty is divided like so. Front court of the Imperial Palace mainly includes the 3 palaces of mid-way and the Hall of Lierary Glory (Wenhuadian), the Pailion of the Source of Lierature(Wenyuange), Shang Si Court, Arrow tower, Imperial Hospital, Imerial Teahouse. Qing Embassy and Cabinet Warehouse of east way. And also Yu Ying Palace. Yan An Palace. Intermal Affairs Mansion , Building Office and Nan Xun Palace of west way. Back bedchamber includes Back Three Palaces of mid way (the Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qianqinggong), the Palace of Union and Peace (Jiaotaidian) and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility (Kunninggong).
East Six Palaces, Feng Xian Palace, Ning Shou Palace and the Palace of Abstinence(Zhaigong) of east way, West Six Palace, the Hall of Mental Cultivalion (Yangxindian), Ci Ning Palace, Ning Shou Palace kang Palace and Shou An Palace of west way. So you can choose on route or two routes among mid you can choose one route or two routes among mid way (outside court, intermal court travel route), west way (intenal cout west travel route) and east way (intenal court east and extenal east travel route). If you are non-group tourist, suggest you rent multi lingual guide record at Menidian Gate (Wumen) and retun when you go the Gate of Divine Prowess (Shenwumen). After you visit the Imperial Palace , you go out of the Gate of Dvine Prowess(Shenwumen), enter into Jingshan Park and overlook the panorama of the Imperial Palace . In addition, suggest you visit front-street of Jiangshan Park by manpower pedi-cab at cool night of summer. Shining lights are bright and Forbidden City is brilliant. Colored lights from all directions lighten Meridian Gate (Wumen), the Gate of Divine Prowess (Shenwumen) turret, palace wall and other main palaces.
Highlights on Forbidden Ciy
Recommended Tours Including The Forbidden City