Forbidden City - Palace Museum, Beijing

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The Palace Museum, historically and artistically one of the most comprehensive Chinese museums, was established on the foundation of the palace that was the ritual center of two dynasties, the Ming and the Qing, and their collections of treasures. Designated by the State Council as one of China's foremost protected monuments in 1961, the Palace Museum was also made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

Situated at the heart of Beijing, the Palace Museum is approached through Tiananmen Gate. Immediately to the north of the Palace Museum is Prospect Hill (also called Coal Hill), while on the east and west are Wangfujing and Zhongnanhai neighborhoods. It is a location endowed with cosmic significance by ancient China's astronomers. Correlating the emperor's abode, which they considered the pivot of the terrestrial world, with the Pole Star (Ziweiyuan), which they believed to be at the center of the heavens, they called the palace The Purple Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was built from 1406 to 1420 by the third Ming emperor Yongle who, upon usurping the throne, determined to move his capital north from Nanjing to Beijing. In 1911 the Qing dynasty fell to the republican revolutionaries. The last emperor, Puyi, continued to live in the palace after his abdication until he was expelled in 1924. Twenty-four emperors lived and ruled from this palace during this 500-year span.

The cult of the emperors dominated China and was strengthened when Emperor Hongwu built Zijin Cheng, the (Purple) Forbidden City. Consisting of 9,999 rooms on 180 acres of land, the Forbidden City was the fabled home to 24 of China’s emperors. The center of the empire, it’s the architecture of power and intimidation designed to inspire all.
Admission Fee: CNY 40 (Nov. 1 to Mar. 31), CNY 60 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31)

This magnificient palace was once the home to a long line of emperors. It was located right at the core of Beijing which is believed to have the best fengshui in Beijing City. Now, the Purple Forbidden City (Now no longer "forbidden" to commoners like us) is known as the Palace Museum. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

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Hoping to leave China on a positive note, I intentionally saved my visit to the Palace Museum (formerly known as the Forbidden City) until the very end. Unfortunately, like China in general, the Forbidden City was rather disappointing. The architecture was so similar to that of similar buildings of the time to be unremarkable, two of the main buildings were undergoing major restoration work (the Gate of Supreme Harmony and the Hall of Supreme Harmony), the place was heaving with pushy and inconsiderate tourists, and the touristy nature of the entire thing made it all seem a bit tacky. Since most of the tourists were traveling with guides, it was possible to escape the masses. And some of the permanent exhibits are definitely worth seeing. But I’d hardly rank a visit to the Forbidden City as a lifetime “must-do.” If you decide to visit, be prepared to shell out Y60 for an entrance ticket and another Y40 if you want the automatic audio-tour (the tour provides perhaps 15 to 20 percent more information than what can be found on the signs).

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace during the mid-Ming and the Qing Dynasties. The Forbidden City is located in the middle of Beijing, China. It is now known as the Palace Museum.
The Forbidden City is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 as the "Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties."

The Forbidden City, called Gu Gong, in chinese was the imperial palace furing the Ming and Qing dynasties.

It is now known as the Palace Museum and is on the North of Tianenmen Square.
This is the world's largest palace and covers an area of 74 heactares.

The Palace Museum, historically and artistically one of the most comprehensive Chinese museums, was established on the foundation of the palace that was the ritual center of two dynasties, the Ming and the Qing, and their collections of treasures. Designated by the State Council as one of China's foremost protected monuments in 1961, the Palace Museum was also made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

Situated at the heart of Beijing, the Palace Museum is approached through Tiananmen Gate. Immediately to the north of the Palace Museum is Prospect Hill (also called Coal Hill), while on the east and west are Wangfujing and Zhongnanhai neighborhoods. It is a location endowed with cosmic significance by ancient China's astronomers. Correlating the emperor's abode, which they considered the pivot of the terrestrial world, with the Pole Star (Ziweiyuan), which they believed to be at the center of the heavens, they called the palace The Purple Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was built from 1406 to 1420 by the third Ming emperor Yongle who, upon usurping the throne, determined to move his capital north from Nanjing to Beijing. In 1911 the Qing dynasty fell to the republican revolutionaries. The last emperor, Puyi, continued to live in the palace after his abdication until he was expelled in 1924. Twenty-four emperors lived and ruled from this palace during this 500-year span.

While walking around Forbidden City I tried to imagine the life of an emperor, surrounded by his eunuchs. The names of palaces and other buildings suggest contemplation and peacefulness. Palace of Highest Harmony, Gate of Heavenly Purity, Palace of Peaceful Longevity are just a few examples. But in fact the court life was full of intrigues, fear and even murders. The emperor had jade seals with names of his concubines. If he displayed one of the seals the eunuch on duty had to bring the concubine immediately. She was brought naked ( to prove that she had no weapons) in a rolled carpet.