General Introduction of Forbidden City

General Introduction of Forbidden City

View a tour plan to Tian'an men Square and Forbidden City

The common English name, "the Forbidden City," is a translation of the Chinese name Zijin Cheng (Chinese: 紫禁城; Pinyin: Zǐjinchéng; literally "Purple Forbidden City"). Another English name of similar origin is "Forbidden Palace".In the Manchu language it is called Dabkūri dorgi hoton (Manchu: ), which literally means the "Layered Inner City."

The name "Zijin Cheng" is a name imbued with significance on many levels. Zi, or "Purple", refers to the North Star, which in ancient China was called the Ziwei Star, and in traditional Chinese astrology was the abode of the Celestial Emperor. The surrounding celestrial region, the Ziwei Enclosure (Chinese: 紫微垣; Pinyin: Zǐwēiyuán), was the realm of the Celestial Emperor and his family. The Forbidden City, as the residence of the terrestrial emperor, was its earthly counterpart. Jin, or "Forbidden", referred to the fact that no-one could enter or leave the palace without the emperor's permission. Cheng means a walled city.

Today, the site is most commonly known in Chinese as Gugong (故宫), which means the "Former Palace." The museum which is based in these buildings is known as the "Palace Museum" (Chinese: 故宫博物院; Pinyin: Gùgōng Bówùyùan).

Lying at the center of Beijing, the Forbidden City, called Gu Gong in Chinese, was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now known as the Palace Museum, it is to the north of Tiananmen Square. Rectangular in shape, it is the world's largest palace complex and covers 74 hectares. Surrounded by a six meter deep moat and a ten meter high wall are 9,999 buildings. The wall has a gate on each side. Opposite the Tiananmen Gate, to the north is the Gate of Devine Might (Shenwumen), which faces Jingshan Park. The distance between these two gates is 960 meters, while the distance between the gates in the east and west walls is 750 meters. There are unique and delicately structured towers on each of the four corners of the curtain wall. These afford views over both the palace and the city outside. The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court was where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. The northern section, or the Inner Court was where he lived with his royal family. Until 1924 when the last emperor of China was driven from the Inner Court, fourteen emperors of the Ming dynasty and ten emperors of the Qing dynasty had reigned here. Having been the imperial palace for some five centuries, it houses numerous rare treasures and curiosities. Listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987, the Palace Museum is now one of the most popular tourist attractions world-wide.

Built from 1406-1420 during the Ming Dynasty, the Imperial Palace, popularly known as the Forbidden City, was the permanent residence of the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911). It covers over 720,000 square meters of floor space, with more than 8,700 rooms, surrounded by city wall as high as ten meters and a city moat as wide as 52 meters. It can be divided into the front and the back parts. The front part or the Outer Court where emperors held important ceremonies consists of the three great halls of Tai He Dian, Zhong He Dian and Bao He Dian, which form the main body, and Wen Hua Dian and Wu Ying Dian, which are arrayed like wings on the sides. The back part or the Inner Court, where emperors handled routine state affairs and lived with their wives and concubines, consists of Qian Qing Gong, Jiao Tai Dian, Kun Ning Gong, Yang Xin Dian as well as six east and west palaces and the imperial garden--Yu Hua Yuan.

The Imperial Palace is the largest and most complete ancient imperial complex so well preserved in China. It embodies collectively ancient Chinese traditions and architectural art. In 1961, it was proclaimed an important cultural site under state protection, and was listed as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1987.

A total of 24 emperors lived here since the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty(Emperor Yongle Zhudi), 14 of the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644) and 10 of the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911). For a short time at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Imperial Palace was occupied by peasant rebels led by Li Zichen. It ended its historical mission as the imperial palace after the revolution of 1911 when the Qing Dynasty--the last dynasty in China--was overthrown. The front part or the Outer Court of the Imperial Palace was opened to the public as the Museum of Antiquities in 1914, and the Palace Museum was established in 1925.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, extensive renovation has been carried out on the Imperial Palace structures and much attention paid to the arrangement, restoration, and exhibition of precious cultural relics. Some halls and palaces have been opened to the public in their original state with their former ornamentation and daily-use utensils on display; others exhibit special art treasures, such as jewelry, ancient paintings, bronzes, ceramics, handicrafts, clocks and watches, presenting the age-old and splendid historical civilization of China.

Since yellow is the symbol of the royal family, it is the dominant color in the Forbidden City. Roofs are built with yellow glazed tiles; decorations in the palace are painted yellow; even the bricks on the ground are made yellow by a special process. However, there is one exception. Wenyuange, the royal library, has a black roof. The reason is that it was believed black represented water then and could extinguish fire.

Nowadays, the Forbidden City, or the Palace Museum is open to tourists from home and abroad. Splendid painted decoration on these royal architectural wonders, the grand and deluxe halls, with their surprisingly magnificent treasures will certainly satisfy 'modern civilians'.

In addition, the following services can also be enjoyed here :

Service Items	Note
Audio Guide Device:	Available in several languages including Chinese, Cantonese, English, French, Japanese, German, Korean, Russian, Thai, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic and Italian. It can be rented from the tour guide service at the Meridian Gate (Wumen) and the Gate of Divine Might (Shenwu Men). The cost for renting any version of the device is CNY 40 (Chinese and Cantonese are both CNY 10), along with a deposit of CNY 100.
Tour Guide Service:	Chinese, English and Japanese-speaking tour guides are available.
Commodity Service:	Tourist souvenirs, books, food and drink as well as a post office are all available.
Broadcast:	It is to the southwest of Jingyun Gate.
Bag Check Service:	Bags can be deposited free of charge at the Meridian Gate (Wumen) and Gate of Divine Might (Shenwu Men) from 8:30 to 18:00. If desired, bags can be carried between the two gates after going through a security check.
Wheelchairs & Strollers:	Available from the tour guide service at the Meridian Gate (Wumen) and Gate of Divine Might (Shenwu Men), free of charge.
Tourist Service Center:	Located at the Arrow Pavilion (Jianting).

You may start your tour by following our virtual guide or clicking from attractions below :

Admission Fee:	CNY 40 (Nov. 1 to Mar. 31) CNY 60 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31))
Opening Hours:	08:30 to 16:20 (Oct. 16 to Apr.15) 08:30 to 17:00 (Apr. 16 to Oct. 15)
Recommended Time for a Visit:	Three hours
Bus Route:	No. 124, 810, 812, 814, 846, 855 (Night Bus: No. 202 and 211) No. 101, 103 and 109 (Trolleybus) No.1, 4, 20, 52 (get off at East Tian'anmen Bus Stop)