The Forbidden City

Author: Hanbu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The Forbidden City is located in the center of Beijing and is also known as the "Purple Forbidden City." It was the residence of 24 emperors and served as the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368–1911). Today, it has been transformed into the "Forbidden City Museum." The entire architecture of the Forbidden City is magnificent and solemn, earning it the title of one of the world's five grandest palaces (the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in the UK, the White House in the US, and the Kremlin in Russia). It has also been listed by UNESCO as a "World Cultural Heritage."
The palace buildings of the Forbidden City are the largest and most complete ancient architectural complex remaining in China, covering a total area of over 720,000 square meters. It consists of 9,999 and a half rooms, earning it the name "Sea of Halls." Its grand scale and magnificent appearance are unparalleled. Whether in terms of its plan, three-dimensional effect, or the majestic and splendid form, it is considered an unmatched masterpiece. A central axis runs through the entire Forbidden City, which also aligns with the central axis of Beijing City. The Three Great Halls, the Rear Three Halls, and the Imperial Garden all lie along this central axis. On both sides of the central axis, numerous grand and magnificent halls are symmetrically distributed. These palaces can be divided into two main parts: the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The Outer Court is centered around the Three Great Halls (Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central Harmony, and Hall of Preserving Harmony), with the Hall of Literary Glory and the Hall of Martial Valor serving as its flanks. The Inner Court is centered around the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, with the Six Eastern and Six Western Palaces serving as its flanks. The layout is strict and orderly.
Each corner of the Forbidden City features exquisite corner towers, which are skillfully designed and aesthetically pleasing. The palace city is surrounded by a 10-meter-high, 3,400-meter-long palace wall, with a 52-meter-wide moat outside. Today, some of the palaces in the Forbidden City house comprehensive historical and art museums, painting galleries, categorized ceramic museums, bronze museums, Ming and Qing Art Museums, engraving museums, toy museums, stationery museums, miscellaneous artifact museums, treasure museums, clock and watch museums, and exhibitions of Qing Dynasty court rituals and cultural relics. These museums hold a vast collection of ancient art treasures, with a total of 1,052,653 items, accounting for one-sixth of China's total cultural relics. The Forbidden City is the richest museum of cultural relics in China and a world-renowned ancient cultural and art museum, with many of its artifacts being invaluable national treasures.