The Forbidden City in Beijing
The Forbidden City in Beijing
Before I begin this post, I’d like to wish some of my friends in China – a belated Happy National Day. For those who don’t know, October 1st was the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. It’s a big celebration in China with a parade across Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
For those keeping track, the Forbidden City is a UNESCO world heritage site located in Beijng. One of the main entrances to the Forbidden City is found right off of Tian’anmen Square. The other major entrance to the palace complex is located right outside Jingshan Park.
View of the Forbidden City from Jinshan Park
Some interesting facts about the Forbidden City include:
- 24 Chinese Emperors lived in the Forbidden City from 1416 – 1912
- 9,999 and 1/2 rooms – although I could not find that “1/2 room”
- Referred to as “gu gong” in Chinese
- Extremely large complex sitting on 250 acres of land
As with all the major sites in Beijing (and China), I found the Forbidden City to be huge and almost overwhelming (in a good way). Before I went there, I didn’t realize how large the complex really is. When my Chinese friend told me there are 9,999.5 rooms in the Forbidden City, I didn’t equate those rooms to hundreds of separate buildings. I spent a good 4-5 hours exploring the palace complex. The Forbidden City is officially named the Palace Musuem. Let me tell you – every building on the complex is like a mini-museum of Chinese history and culture.
Exploring the Forbidden City is definitely a half day to an all day task. I entered from the Tian’anmen Square side. You’ll know that your entering from Tian’anmen when you see the big picture of Chairman Mao as you pass through the gates to the Forbidden City.
Getting to the Forbidden City from Tian'anmen
The Forbidden City is divided into two main parts – the outer court where Emperors governed and the inner court where they lived. There is definitely a lot to see in the complex. I’m going to cover three of my favorite highlights of the Forbidden City and of course include photos.
- Hall of Supreme Harmony: This is the largest hall in the complex. It was frequently used for enthronement of a new emperor. As with most of the more popular halls in the Forbidden City, getting a photo was always a challenge of making my way to the front of the crowd. Lucky for me, my Chinese friend was good at assisting me in getting to the front.
Throne at the Hall of Supreme Harmony
- Large Stone Carving: There are many stone carvings within the Forbidden City. This is the largest and longest of them. It is 16.75 meters long, 3.07 meters wide, and 1.7 meters thick. It weighs in at more than 200 tons. Seeing this thing and how long it is – it was impressive.
Largest and Longest Stone Carving in the Forbidden City
- Nine Dragon Screen: Pictures of dragons are an important part of Chinese culture and history. The Chinese is dragon is said to offer protection and good luck. Within the Forbidden City, there is a wall with 9 dragons ornately displayed. It is a popular place for people to take photos.
9 dragon "screen" in the Forbidden City
There’s many other things to see in the Forbidden City such as the Hall of Clocks and Watches, Hall of Toys, and Hall of Jewelry. It really depends on your interests, but the Forbidden City probably has something for every history and architectural buff to enjoy. Even though I wouldn’t consider myself in either of these categories, I definitely was glad to have visited the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City also has a great location next to Tienanmen and Jinshan Park. It is definitely in the heart of Beijing.
Seeing the Forbidden City was a great way to experience Chinese culture and to understand how the Emperors lived. Even when I return to Beijing, I will probably try to make it back to the Forbidden City because of its size which makes it difficult to see everything the first time you visit and its location to Tienanmen and Jinshan Park.
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