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See the Imperial Palaces of Beijing, China

Fascinating Destinations that are No Longer Forbidden

Oct 12, 2008 Jaclyn Suhy

For over 500 years the Forbidden City, also known as the Imperial Palace or Palace Museum, in Beijing, China, was the home of the great nation's royal family.

The 24 emperors that ruled from within its walls belonged to the Ming and Qing dynasties. The palace complex is the largest in the world, spanning some 720,000 square meters. It is rectangular in shape, and surrounded by a six meter deep moat, and a ten meter high wall. The two main gates are located on the north and south walls. The northern gate is called the Gate of Divine Might and faces Jingshan Park, while the southern gate, Tiananmen Gate, faces the infamous Tiananmen Square. Within its gates there are a total of 9,999 buildings, due to the fact that 9 was a propitious number in Chinese numerology. These buildings include many different imperial palaces, hall, and offices.

The Two Sections of the City

The Forbidden City is divided into two sections. Originally, the southern section, called the Outer Court, was where the emperor greeted the nation, held meetings, and made judicial decisions. Basically, all of his ruling was done from the great halls in this section. Out of all the impressive structures within the Outer Court, perhaps the most stunning in this section is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which is where the emperor could be approached, and where announced his ruling from. This building represented the power of the Empire, and, in order to show the utmost respect to the emperor, no buildings in China were permitted to be taller than it.

The northern section of the City, known as the Inner Court, was the Imperial family’s private residences. It is home to the emperor’s personal palace, as well as the palace of his wife, and the palace that they shared. Most all of the roofs are yellow, since use of that color was strictly reserved for Imperial family only. In fact, all of the things in the emperor’s room, including his clothes and bedding, were yellow. The only building without a yellow roof is the library which has a black roof; it was believed that black expelled water.

Ancient Artifacts That Only a Noble Could See

Currently, the Forbidden City is home to hundreds of thousands of artifacts from Chinese artisans that chronicle China’s imperial past. They include paintings, sculptures of stone, ceramic, and jade, as well as many other interesting items. What was once considered to be “Forbidden,” allowing entrance to only invited nobles, is now a fantastic place to learn about the culture of ancient China. From its magnificent architecture, to its vast array of artifacts, the Forbidden City in Beijing represents the glory of the Chinese Empire.

The copyright of the article See the Imperial Palaces of Beijing, China in S Asia/China Travel is owned by Jaclyn Suhy. Permission to republish See the Imperial Palaces of Beijing, China in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.