Forbidden City (Imperial Palace)

Forbidden City, the largest ensemble of classical Chinese architecture is among the most imposing palace complexes in the world. The design, colors, ornaments, arrangements, and names connect this residence to the entire universe and testify to the precise ways in which Confucian China understood its role as its ruler. The names of the great halls (usually written in Chinese and Manchu on the roof slabs) tell of harmony: for harmony must reign on Earth through the beneficent rule of the son of Heaven. Therefore, harmony is already inherent in the basic plan of the Forbidden City thanks to symmetry, which determines not only the arrangement of the main halls, gates and courtyards along the axis, but also orients this axis along the celestial line: it runs strictly from north to south and at the same time is the main axis of the whole city. The second principle of design is the principle of hierarchy. Thrones face south. Whoever came to an audience had to look north, into the space in the sky, which is avoided by the Sun and Moon, but on Earth it is illuminated by them and is occupied by the emperor as the earthly incarnation of Heaven.

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Filled with symbolism and numbers: three is the number of throne rooms, three steps of the marble terrace on which they are located, five claws have the paws of the imperial dragons, nine is the number of them on the wall of nine dragons, nine nine golden nail caps adorn each wing of the gate – because odd numbers represent Yang, the male solar principle. True, the roofs only have double slopes. This emphasizes that the emperor is subject to Heaven – just as all subjects are subject to him. Colors and ornaments are added: the imperial yellow of the roofs, which reflects the ochre color of the loess soil; the festive red of the lacquered columns; the omnipresent cloud dragons, which bring rain and bliss, are present in the painting of beams, in the reliefs of doors, stones and wall screens, as well as in the decoration of thousands of other things; in the rear halls they are complemented by the Chinese Phoenix bird, the symbolic animal of the Empress.

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Don’t miss it

  • Grand Throne Halls
  • The Hall of Spiritual Care with the last emperor’s private living quarters
  • Inner throne rooms
  • Ningshougong Palace Department with the Nine Dragons Wall and Treasury
  • Palace Garden and the North Gate

Layout

Hierarchical thinking is also reflected in the structure of the entire 960 m long and 750 m wide palace grounds. “In front” – in the south – stand the representative and administrative buildings, “behind” – in the north – the women’s and living quarters. In the center along the axis stand throne halls (three in the south, three in the north), flanked by secondary buildings with service functions (in the south) and residential wards.

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Purple Forbidden City

The palace’s proper name is Zijincheng – Purple Forbidden City. The purple color is painted in the powerful fortress walls, giving the palace the character of a real fortress. “Forbidden” it was called because no one had the sovereign right of access here, except the emperor himself. He was the only male inhabitant capable of procreation, as the adult princes moved to residences outside the Forbidden City. But the southern part of the complex was primarily frequented by high-ranking dignitaries, candidates for the highest official examination, foreign ambassadors, palace guards, and the emperor’s personal guards. In the northern parts of the palace, the ruler met with his advisers; after the wedding, the spouses of high-ranking dignitaries came here to pay their respects to the empress. Several thousand eunuchs were responsible for the management of the palace. Apart from the supreme eunuchs and the emperor himself, no one was allowed to move freely in the Forbidden City. Women lived in the luxury of residential palaces in, enclosed by their own fences – again with a few exceptions.

History

The Forbidden City was erected between 1406 and 1420. Although most of the buildings were later reconstructed, it has retained its original appearance in essential features. Twenty-four emperors lived and ruled here. In 1914 the public was given access to the southern part of the palace for the first time, and in 1925, after the expulsion of the last emperor, to the former residential courtyards. Since then, the complex has borne its current official name: the Palace Museum.

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Tour

Visitors enter the Forbidden City through either the South Gate (Wumen, Noon Gate) or the North Gate. The examination follows a south to north direction. “A quick pass” along the axis with a visit to the western residential palaces requires about two hours. But it is possible to linger in the palace for a full day, even though about half of the grounds are closed for viewing. For individual tourists we recommend an audio tour (equipment is available at the south entrance, also in Russian). Opening hours: daily. 8.30-17.00; Nov.-Feb. until 16.30; entrance stops one hour before closing.

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Walls, moats, corner towers

The jagged walls, 10 meters high and 8.6 meters thick at the base, which surround the Forbidden City on all sides, completely enclose it; they are additionally protected by a 52-meter-wide moat, which is slightly off to the side. The four corner towers are the most complex structures in the palace architecture. According to the traditional calculation, the Forbidden City has nine large transverse beams, eighteen columns and seventy-two crests, or ridges. The sum total is ninety-nine, the number of Yang.

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Forbidden City: buildings along the main axis

Noon Gate

The horseshoe-shaped Noon Gate is the largest in Beijing. The central entrance was reserved for the emperor, but the top three who passed the palace examination were also honored to leave the Forbidden City through this gate. The western entrance was used only by the high dignitaries and the eastern entrance by the emperor’s relatives. All other subjects had to use the side entrances. Officials found guilty of any misdemeanor or fallen into disgrace were subjected to corporal punishment in the square in front of the gate during the Ming era.

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Golden Water Stream

Across the first courtyard, the ditch of the Golden Water Stream curves in an arc with a marble fence. Responding to the spirit of idealized landscape harmony, it serves as a contrast to Coal Hill (north of the Forbidden City).

Gate of Higher Harmony, Main Courtyard

The Gate of Higher Harmony, guarded by two bronze lions, leads to the Main Court, once the site of great ascension ceremonies and weddings (always in the absence of the bride). Then an honor guard of two hundred men saluted with sumptuous fans, flags and other festive utensils, the palace orchestra played, and the supreme nobles of the empire fell down to give honor and praise to the Son of Heaven.

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Terrace of the throne halls

On the north side, a three-stage, eight-meter-high white marble terrace extends into the courtyard, elevating the three successive throne halls above the rest of the Forbidden City. It is decorated with one thousand one hundred and forty-two fountains and reliefs in the shape of dragon heads and reliefs on the cylindrical decorative ends of the railing, as well as “dragon stones” occupying the middle of the central rise and depicting dragons dancing in clouds over mountains and water and trying to grasp a pearl. Past these reliefs the emperor was carried in a palanquin. On either side of the staircase are eighteen incense vessels (XVIII century.), which embody the then eighteen provinces of the state; once they ennobled solemn ceremonies with the fragrance of wood smoked in them. Upstairs in the front corners of the sundial and a quatrain symbolized the power of the emperor, setting the measure of all things. A bronze crane and a bronze tortoise with a dragon’s head were symbols of longevity; they served as vessels for incense. The large barrels on the sides were water tanks for fire fighting; in winter they were heated with charcoal to keep the water from freezing.

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Hall of Higher Harmony

Occupying an area of 64 x 37 meters and having a height of 35 meters, the hall is the largest in the palace, and the semi-walm roof makes it also the most perfect in architectural terms. At the same time, the hall is the benchmark of classical-Chinese hall with the largest base area: approximately 2,370 square meters. The roof is supported by seventy-two columns, including twelve on each side of the perimeter. The present structure was completed in 1695. In the center between the six central gilded columns on a pedestal of seven steps stands a gold-lacquered imperial throne, behind it – the same gilded screen. The hall is decorated with a coffered ceiling. Everywhere in the ornamentation there are dragons.

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Hall of complete harmony

The next small hall is the elegant central pavilion with a hipped roof and a gallery leading around the perimeter. Here the emperor received honors from high-ranking officials before great ceremonies and here he also prepared for important state worship.

Hall of Preserving Harmony

The third throne room, a 50 m wide building with a semi-walm roof, was used for state banquets; from 1798 it was also the venue for the palace examinations – examinations for the highest official ranks. At the bottom of the staircase at the back is the largest stone with a relief image of a dragon. It is 16.6 meters long, 3.1 meters wide and 1.7 meters thick. From a quarry near Beijing, it was transported in winter, on specially poured rollers.

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The inner throne rooms

A pair of bronze gilded lions – a lion on the right and a lioness on the left – guard the main gate of the inner palace. The first and largest hall, the “palace of Heavenly Manly Clarity” was until the early 18th century the emperor’s residential palace and so there are also heated side chambers. Here the true work of governing the state was carried out. The next square hall, decorated with ornaments with motifs of dragons and phoenixes, is the throne and reception hall of the Empress. There are two huge luxurious clocks: on the right – a water clock, on the left – a mechanical clock with a chime, made in 1798 according to European models. The empress’s living and sleeping quarters during the Ming period were in the third of the three small throne rooms. However, the Manchus changed its interior, having built an altar here, where, according to their own (not Chinese) custom, they slaughtered two pigs daily in front of the images of twelve deities and cooked their meat on a huge hearth. At the eastern end of the building, the imperial wedding room is preserved in a joyful red color.

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Palace Garden

On the other side of the next gate is the 1.2-hectare palace garden with whimsical trees, pavilions, mosaic paths and imposing artificial rock mountains. A Taoist temple stands in the center of the garden. From the inner part of the Forbidden City to the north, a gate leads to a guard zone between the inner and outer walls that encompassed the palace’s living quarters, leaving through the massive Shengumen North Gate.

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Forbidden City: secondary palaces

Six western palaces

To the west of the inner throne halls are the residential wards of the imperial junior wives and concubines. Most of the western palaces, thanks to the mostly preserved original decoration, give a sense of what it was like to live here just 100 years ago. In some places of the western palaces, the covered furnace pits in bedrooms and rooms in general can still be seen on the northern walls.

Spiritual Care Hall

Of great historical significance is the adjoining Hall of Spiritual Care to the south. Protected by additional walls and gates, this not very representative building served the emperors from the beginning of the 18th century as living quarters, office and audience room. Thus, for the last two centuries of the empire’s existence, this was the actual center of its administration. The throne itself stands in the central room and, as it should, is oriented to the south. However, conversations with the Crown Council and thus the formulation of important decisions took place in the eastern side room. After Empress Dowager Cixi usurped the throne in 1861, she presided over these meetings behind a curtain on the eastern wall of the room, according to etiquette. The Son of Heaven sat in a pro forma chair in front of the curtain. On the west side of the hall are the emperor’s former personal quarters, modestly decorated rooms of “normal” size.

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The Six Eastern Palaces and the Fingxiandian Hall

The side courtyards on the east side of the small throne rooms house some of the imperial art collections, including jade, bronze, porcelain, cloisonné enamel, and seal works. To the south, in the large Fingxiandian complex, the imperial collection of ornate clocks and movements (most of them European-made) has found a home.

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Palace of Rest in Old Age

If you walk from the central courtyard north of the great throne halls through the side gate to the end to the east, you will find yourself in the Palace of Rest in Old Age (Ningshougong), an architectural ensemble that combines representational scale and domestic intimacy. It took its present form between 1772 and 1776, when Emperor Qianlong ordered it to be erected as a place where he could rest in his old age. Today the halls of the palace are used as treasure houses. To the north of it are part of the Furniture Collection, the palace theater (right) and Emperor Qianlong’s garden (left).

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Wall of Nine Dragons

On the plaza in front of the first gate stands the Spirit Wall, the most magnificent piece of outdoor art: the nearly 30-meter-long, 3.5-meter-high Wall of Nine Dragons. The relief, which depicts the symbolic animals of the blessed imperial rule, is made of ceramic bricks.

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Beihai Coal Pavilion and Park

Coal Hill (Meishan)

Beijing’s 43-meter-high central observation hill north of the Forbidden City is formed by the spoil from the construction of the palace moat. Since it was a coal storage area during the Mongol times, popular rumor nicknamed it Meishan, (Coal Hill), which has been adopted in European languages as well. Its current Chinese name means “lookout hill”. The pavilion-topped peak is located exactly on the north-south axis of the palace and the city. Chinese geomancy (Feng Shui) views this hill as a pandan to the “Golden Water Stream” in the south of the palace.

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This hill, along with the surrounding park, is the best place to join Beijingers for morning exercises, or at least watch them shadow boxing, sword exercises, yangge and waltz dancing, all forms of the health-promoting practice of qigong. Water calligraphy masters work on the sidewalk, old people walk their songbirds. The main thing: come before breakfast! The park opens between 6:00 and 7:00 depending on the time of year.

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Beihai Park

About 500 meters from Coal Hill is the city’s most popular recreation spot: Beihai Park (Beihai Gongyuan), which has a large lake and boat rentals. The park is dominated by its symbol, visible from afar: the white dagoba on Qiongdao Island. The park was founded in the XI century. Its current appearance with numerous amusement castles, pavilions, stone ensembles and temples mainly formed in the XIII-XVIII centuries.

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Tuancheng Round Fort

To the west of the southern entrance stands a wall that surrounds an almost circular flat earthen terrace. In one of the halls here is a Burmese jade Buddha, which was placed here in 1896 by monks; in the pavilion in front of the hall one can see a jade bowl 1.5 meters in diameter and weighing 3.5 tons, made in 1265.

The round fort has never been used for military purposes.

Qiongdao Island, White Dagoba

The white marble “Bridge of Eternal Rest” (Yong’anqiao) leads from the southern entrance to Qiongdao Jade Island. Above the triple decorative gates at the foot of the hill rises a 36-meter cone-shaped pagoda (dagoba), erected in 1651 in honor of the Dalai Lama who came on a state visit. There are winding staircases leading to the top on either side. Climbing the dagoba is not allowed. In front of it on a red plinth is a hall built of glazed bricks, full of Buddha images and containing a bronze-framed Tibetan manifestation of the bodhisattva Manjushri.

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North Shore

To the west of the north entrance, several Buddha temples and revelatory castles are lined up in a row. Among them is the park’s main ornament, the double-sided Wall of Nine Dragons, 27 meters long and 5 meters high. Including small decorative dragons, there are six hundred and thirty-five of these prosperous heavenly and water creatures. The most beautiful place on the northern shore is the five spacious Five Dragon Pavilions overhanging the water and connected by bridges. Amateur musicians performing arias from the Peking Opera can often be found here. Opening hours: daily. 9.30-17.30; the park is open all day, depending on the time of year.

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Back Lakes (Shichahai)

North of Beihai Park and around the three lakes in the north of the Old City were once the residences of princes and high-ranking officials. After becoming a slum under socialism, the area is now enjoying a renaissance as an attractive place for the rich, the idlers, the pro-lifers and the flaneurs. No other neighborhood in the city is so suited for long walks. Eateries and restaurants cluster around the Yingdingqiao marble bridge separating the Front Lake (Qianhai) from the Back Lake (Houhai); a string of newly built restaurants (“Lotus Lane”) already line the west shore of the Front Lake.

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Bell Tower, Drum Tower (Zhonglou, Gulou)

At the Bell Tower, the more northerly of the two buildings, the central north-south axis of Beijing ended already in the Ming era. Both towers signaled the time to the capital until 1924. The bell sounded at 5:00 am and 7:00 pm. During this time interval, every two hours the silence was broken by drum signals on the neighboring tower. These towers can be climbed and viewed from the nearby, still quite traditional city neighborhoods. Metro Line 2: Gulou Station. Opening hours: daily. 9.00-16.30.

Prince Gong Residence (Gunwanfu)

A ten-minute walk west of Middle Lake is the largest and most beautiful tourist site in the area. A classical garden with two ponds, pavilions, covered galleries, two artificial rock mountains and an elegant theater hall can be explored. Prince Gong (1833-1898) played a leading role in relations with foreign powers in the post-Second Opium War era. The founding of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is associated with his name. The actual building where he lived has not survived. Qianhai Xijie. Opening hours: daily. 8.30-16.30.

East of the Forbidden City

The Well of the Prince’s Residence

20th and 21st century Beijing awaits you on the city’s most famous shopping street, whose name translates to the Well of the Prince’s Residence. The main attraction for Beijingers and tourists here is the pedestrianized area with several department stores and the seven-story “shopping temple” Sun Dong An Plaza on the corner of Goldfish Street (Jinyu Hutong). Also popular is the brand new, but completely old-style street full of eateries that branches off to the west from the southern end of the block – easily recognizable by the colorful new gates. The church on the east side of the street (Wangfujing 78) was founded in 1665 by Ferdinand Verbist. In 1900, members of the Boxer Rebellion slaughtered hundreds of Christian Chinese here. The current three-nave building with three facade domes was erected in 1904.Subway Line 1: Wangfujing Station.

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National Gallery

Near the northern end of Wanfujiug, the massive National Gallery building (Zhonggomeishuguan, Wusi Dajie 1) was erected in 1962 in the “Chinese-Stalinist” style. It serves mainly for periodic commercial exhibitions of contemporary (primarily Chinese) art, with displays including calligraphy, sculpture and photography – which is why it’s well worth a visit. Opening hours: wt.-tws. 9.00-17.00.