Forbidden Palace. Forbidden City - history, legends, what to see. Getting to know Beijing
Forbidden City in Chinese -紫禁城, Zǐjìncheng- the largest surviving palace complex in the world, it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is a classic example of traditional Chinese architecture from the 15th century. For almost five centuries it was the political and ceremonial center of the Chinese Empire.
In Chinese it has two names. First - Zijingcheng(Chinese: 紫禁城, Zǐjìnchéng), literally means "Purple Forbidden City". This has a symbolic meaning, however, like many things in China. The Emperor in China was called the son of Heaven. The North Star was considered the dwelling of the God of Heaven (in China it was called purple), and his kingdom was the region of the sky around it, a state also called purple and forbidden. The Forbidden City in Beijing, as the residence of the earthly emperor, was thus the material counterpart of the palace of the heavenly ruler.
Second name - Gugun(Chinese: 故宫, Gongong) translates as “palace of former rulers” and has now almost replaced the original one. There are 980 buildings in total. It is commonly said that there are 9999 rooms in the palace, although in fact there are 8707 of them. This is not due to the Chinese love of beautiful numbers, but to the symbolic meaning of the number 9, which denoted the connection between heaven and earth and was perfectly suited for the emperor. The sacred number is also repeated by rivets on the gates leading to the palace - there are 9 of them, 9 on each gate. Yellow roofs and red walls meant high position, wealth and greatness. The area of the palace complex is 720 thousand square meters, its walls form a rectangle almost a kilometer long and 753 meters wide. Outside the walls there is a ditch more than 50 meters wide. You can get to the Forbidden City through four entrances, each of which has a bridge across a moat. The palace is divided into two parts - internal and external. The outer or front courtyard was in the south and was intended for ceremonies and receptions, the inner or rear courtyard was used by the emperor and his family as a home. The main entrance is to the south, leading to the Outer Courtyard. From south to north, along an invisible axis from the main to the northern entrance, there is a main square with a canal - an “inner river with golden water”, across which are thrown five marble bridges, the “Gate of Supreme Harmony”, three main palaces of the outer courtyard, three of the inner and imperial garden. 
The three palaces of the outer part are the “Palace of Supreme Harmony”, “Palace of Complete Harmony” and “Palace of Preserving Harmony”. In the first palace, ceremonies took place, in the second, the emperor rested before the reception began, and the third first served as a place for festive feasts, and since 1725, the highest state exams were held here.
Behind the last palace is a gate leading to the interior of the Forbidden City, to the three palaces of the interior. “Palace of Heavenly Purity” was the home of the emperor and his family. The “Palace of Communication of Heaven and Earth” served for the solemn family holidays of the ruler. The Palace of Earthly Tranquility was originally the bedchamber of the empress, but during the Qing Dynasty it became the site of religious ceremonies in honor of the emperor's wedding, and the new emperor's wife stayed there for only three days. Behind the third palace is a huge garden and the northern gate. On both sides of the central structures of the complex there are a huge number of palaces, passages, courtyards and bridges, an entire city separate from the outside world, where numerous close associates of the emperor lived: relatives, concubines, eunuchs and officials. Most of the palaces, both major and more modest, were built under the emperors Ming Dynasty and then remade and completed during the times Qing, as well as after numerous fires.
The entire history of the Forbidden City is closely connected with the history of Beijing as capital of the Celestial Empire. In the mid-14th century, China was freed from Mongol rule, and one of the leaders of the uprising, Zhu Yuanzhang, founded the Ming Dynasty. He moved the capital from Beijing to Nanjing. His son, Zhu Di Having become emperor in 1402, he decided to return Beijing to capital status and began the construction of an imperial residence, which lasted 14 years - from 1406 to 1420. The plan of the complex was created by several architects and designers. About 1 million ordinary workers and 100 thousand craftsmen of various specialties took part in the construction. For the columns of the main buildings, solid logs of precious wood were used (later, during the restoration of destroyed and burnt buildings, the columns were made from pieces of simple pine wood). The floors are paved with “gold brick” - a special clay brick that has been baked for months and produces a metallic ringing sound when struck. Most of the coverings have survived to this day. Terraces, bridges and carved stone figures were made of marble. 
Upon completion of construction, Beijing officially became the capital of China, and the imperial court moved to new palace. From 1420 to 1644, the Forbidden City served residence of the emperors of the Ming dynasty. By the beginning of the 17th century, the dynasty was in decline, in a country weakened by a long war with the Manchus(from 1618 to 1644) and crop failures, unrest and unrest began. In April 1644, the leader of the peasant uprising Li Zichen took Beijing and the imperial residence by storm. In one of the halls of the Forbidden City, the winner proclaimed himself the first emperor. Shun Dynasty. However, very soon, in May 1644, the Manchus, united with a Chinese commander named Wu Sangui, captured the city. During the hostilities, part of the buildings of the Forbidden City burned down. China was declared part of Qing state, whose capital was moved to Beijing. At first, the palace complex was kept relatively intact, except for its names. Several main buildings received new names, for example, the Hall of Imperial Majesty became the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and the names of the rest became double - in Chinese and in Manchu. Subsequently, many buildings were rebuilt. 
In 1860 during Second Opium War The Forbidden City was occupied by French-English troops. The victors plundered and burned many architectural monuments in the country, but the Forbidden City survived despite threats to destroy it if it refused the peace terms offered to China. After the signing of the peace treaty, the Palace again became the home of the emperors, but not for long. At the end of the 19th century, the Chinese state was engulfed in a rebellion known as "Boxer Rebellion", directed against foreign interference in the country's affairs. During the suppression of the uprising by an alliance of eight powers (including France, England, Russia, Japan and other countries), the then ruler Empress Cixi left the palace and it was again occupied by enemy troops. The Forbidden City finally ceased to exist as the political center of the country in 1912, when last chinese emperor Pu Yi abdicated the throne. The Emperor and his family continued to live in the inner part of the Forbidden City for another 12 years, while the outer part became the seat of the new government. In 1924, the emperor was finally expelled from the Palace, and in 1925 the Palace Museum was created. Numerous treasures were put on public display. In 1933, under the threat of a Japanese invasion, some of the museum's treasures were transported to Sichuan, and when the Japanese army captured the city, they got very little. At the end Second World War the completely preserved collection was returned to Beijing, but already in 1949 it was again evacuated to Taiwan, this time due to civil war
. Not everyone returned to the Forbidden City. The most precious exhibits are still located on the island. Taiwan in a specially created museum of the same name.
National Palace - museum on the island. Taiwan, where some of the antiquities from the Forbidden City collection are located.
In 1949, after the proclamation Chinese People's Republic
It was proposed to reconstruct or even destroy the Forbidden City in order to establish a public or entertainment place in this place. During this period, the main buildings and gardens were heavily damaged, and several minor gates and structures were destroyed. During Cultural Revolution in 1966, when all of China's historical heritage was being carefully destroyed, vandalism reached its apogee. For example, the Hall of Ancestor Worship was remodeled for the exhibition of revolutionary sculpture. To prevent further destruction and protect the Forbidden City from gangs of youth - the Red Guards, the then Prime Minister of China Zhou Enlai ordered all gates to be closed and sent army units to guard it. 
In 1987, UNESCO declared the Forbidden City part World Heritage humanity, and since the 1990s, the restoration of values destroyed during the Cultural Revolution began, including the reconstruction of the palace. Now the Forbidden City is one of the main attractions of the capital, visited a huge amount Chinese and foreign tourists. Now the museum is quite heavily commercialized; on its territory there are many souvenir shops and photo spots with unreasonably inflated prices aimed at foreigners. Also, although the age of the complex as a whole is very respectable, many of its buildings and structures were recreated recently, some of them even in the 21st century. Despite these nuances, it remains a unique ancient structure, and is certainly worth a visit.
Address: The Palace Museum, No.4, Jingshan Qianjie, Dongcheng District.
How to get to the Forbidden City: By line 1 to Tiananmen(W) (天安门西) or Tiananmen(E) (天安门东) station By bus - 1, 专1, 专2, 5, 10, 22, 37, 52, 205, 728, 802 to the Tiananmen(W) stop (天安门西) 1, 专1, 专2, 2, 10, 20, 37, 52, 59, 82, 120, 126, 203, 205, 210, 728, 802 to the Tiananmen(E) stop ) (天安门东) 专1, 专2, 101, 103, 109, 124, 202, 211, 685, 810, 814, 846 to the Gugong (故宫) stop 111, 124, 210 to the Jingshan Dongmen (景山东) stop门) 5 to Xihuamen (西华门) stop 2, 210, 819 to Donghuamen (东华门) stop 
Working Mode: Open: Tuesday-Sunday Closed: Monday (Except on Monday national holiday and from July to August)
Working hours: April 1 – October 31: from 8:30 to 17:00 The last visitor is admitted at 16:10 The last ticket is sold at 16:00 Summer holidays(in 2014: from July 5 to August 24): from 8:00 to 17:00 The last visitor is allowed in at 16:10 The last ticket is sold at 16:00 November 1 - March 31: from 8:30 until 16:30 The last visitor is admitted at 15:40 The last ticket is sold at 15:30 
Cost of visiting the Forbidden City April 1 – October 31: 60 yuan November 1 – March 31: 40 yuan To visit the treasury and the clock hall, you must pay an additional 10 yuan. Children 120 cm tall attend free of charge. For schoolchildren and students of Chinese universities, upon presentation of a student card, admission costs 20 yuan.
- Download the map of the Forbidden City (In Russian).
- Visual 3D map (In English)
Forbidden City on the map of Beijing
In China, on a vast territory in the center of the capital, is located one of the largest palace complexes in the world - the so-called “Forbidden City”. Two great dynasties - Ming and Qing - ruled the empire from the walls of this residence. And these are the 24 rulers of the Celestial Empire. The location for the construction of the imperial chambers was selected especially carefully. According to astronomers of those years, this particular point was the center of the globe.
According to the old times Chinese legend One monk saw the city plan in a dream. He told the prince - the future emperor - about the amazing dream. As a result of grandiose construction, a luxurious palace complex was erected.
Forbidden - because inaccessible
Why is the city called Forbidden? At a time when the ruling emperor lived within the walls of this palace with his family and numerous retinue, access to the common man was closed. Anyone who dared to disobey the order and still entered the city was expected to be executed.
The buildings were built mainly from wood, but brick and marble are also found. Heavy roofs of buildings are supported by powerful columns. These are protection measures against possible earthquakes.
Security kept a vigilant eye on who was going into the imperial chambers and why. Five gates stood in the way of ambassadors and local officials arriving to the emperor. The entrance doors face south. Thus, the city residents fenced themselves off from the enemy threatening the Celestial Empire from the north.
Outside, the city is surrounded by a high wall and a ditch filled with water. This is an artificially created channel called the River of Golden Water. There are several bridges across the canal. And every resident knew which of the bridges was allowed to enter the city for a person of his class. The two central ones were used exclusively by members of the imperial family. The two bridges were assigned to the highest civilian and military officials. And through the remaining two, the remaining residents could enter the city, regardless of rank and rank.
Gugun Museum Complex
Wooden buildings have repeatedly suffered from fires and robberies. But every time, restoring buildings, architects tried to give the buildings their former appearance. Therefore, today tourists see the grandeur and beauty of ancient buildings almost unchanged.
Now the Forbidden City is a museum complex. And now anyone can enter it and admire the rich decoration of the imperial chambers.
The palace complex occupies about 72 hectares of land. Its territory accommodates 800 buildings. Pavilions, carved gazebos, bright galleries are interspersed with flowering gardens, lakes, even rivers. In the center rises the Pavilion of Supreme Harmony - Taihedian. Its height is about forty meters. For several centuries, this building was the tallest in all of Beijing. In the empire it was strictly forbidden to build buildings higher. In the center of the pavilion there is a majestic throne - a symbol of imperial power on earth.
The roof of Taihedian rests on 86 wooden columns. The diameter of each of them is a whole meter. Six gilded columns surround the magnificent throne. Carvings of dragons decorate these powerful pillars. The luxurious hall of the pavilion was used for the most significant palace receptions.
Each palace is beautiful in its own way. The works of great masters are collected here: bronzes, paintings, skillfully made jewelry, rich imperial clothes. The collection of exhibits is replenished every year, and now the museum complex has about a million luxurious items.
Gugun, that is, “ Former palace" - this is what the imperial possessions are called these days, most beautiful place, which is definitely worth checking out when visiting Beijing.
For centuries, only the emperor and his family lived in the Forbidden City in Beijing. The entire royal retinue was located outside its walls; until a certain time, ordinary people were prohibited from entering here.
History of the construction of the Imperial Palace
The building of the Imperial Palace was built in 1406-1420; 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties lived here for 5 centuries. 1 million builders and more than 100 thousand other specialists took part in the construction, among whom were artists, wood and stone carvers, and many others. This magnificent structure and a unique landmark of China is included in the list of world heritage of mankind.
Full title historical building– Zijingcheng, which translated meant the Purple Forbidden City, later another name appeared - Gugong, the Palace of the Former Rulers, it almost replaced the first one. Very often this city is simply called the Imperial Palace or the Winter Imperial Palace, because the emperor often visited here in the winter, and in the summer he visited one of his country residences.
The last Chinese emperor, Pu Yi, who abdicated the throne in 1912, left the Forbidden City only in 1925. The palace building was often destroyed due to constant fires, after which many areas had to be rebuilt. Most of them date from the 17th to 19th centuries.
What to see on the territory of the Forbidden City
The Imperial Palace is located in the city center near Tiananmen Square, it is made in the shape of a rectangle, with watchtowers at the corners of the walls of the building. Moreover, the Forbidden City is a whole complex of buildings, there are 9999 of them, and an ordinary platform, which is surrounded by columns, is also considered a room. They occupy an area of 72 hectares.
The main entrance to the city is the southern gate of Umen, or the Midday Gate, also called the Middle Gate. Behind them is big square Jinshuihe with a canal (“Golden Water River”). Five marble bridges rise across the canal and lead to the Taihemen Gate, enclosing a complex of buildings. Official events took place here.
The northern part of the Beijing landmark is decorated with the Imperial Garden. Its size is small, but its beauty is indescribable. Here you can stroll among the pools and fancy stones, visit small pavilions and relax in a cozy gazebo. And nearby are some of the best
One of the most mysterious, vast and famous palace complexes in the world is called “Gugun”, which is translated from Chinese language means "palace of former rulers." Better known as " Forbidden City" It was built at the beginning of the 15th century under Emperor Zhu Di (Ming Dynasty), who made Beijing the capital of the Chinese Empire. Gugun, this “city within a city,” was closed to mere mortals for 500 years, as it served as the home of the “celestials” - the emperors.
From here, 24 generations of rulers led the Celestial Empire - from 1421 to 1912. Gugun is the first of architectural masterpieces China, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Debunking the myths about the Forbidden City in Beijing
The full historical name of the modern Gugong museum complex, which occupies a total area of 720,000 square meters, is the Purple Forbidden City, as it is fenced off from the rest of Beijing by high 10-meter high bright red walls with a total length of 3,400 meters and 52-meter wide ditches filled with “golden gold”. " with water. And any resident of the country who dared to enter the territory of the palace complex would face the death penalty.
Due to the centuries-old veil of secrecy that reliably surrounded Gugun, many legends were composed about the imperial palace. It is believed that the design of the Forbidden City of China was dreamed of by a hermit monk, who created all the main designs of the buildings. He showed them to Prince Zhu Di and thereby gave the future wen huangdi (“cultural emperor”) the great dream of building a house for the Sons of Heaven.
The third emperor of the Ming dynasty wanted to build a complex consisting of 10,000 rooms, but the Jade Lord Yu Di himself came to him and forbade Zhu Di to build a palace using the sacred number “wan”. Only the Lord of Heaven could afford this. Then it was decided to make 9999.5 rooms. Whether they were actually built is unknown, since the Forbidden City of Gugun burned many times and was rebuilt several times. Now it has 8,707 rooms.
It’s curious, but if you spend the night in each room in Forbidden City only once, it would take a person 27 years to sleep in each room. Such a number of rooms also had a practical meaning: no one, except the trusted eunuch, knew which room the emperor would sleep in that day, which reliably protected him from hired killers.
It took almost 16 years to build the future home of the “earthly gods.” According to legend, 1 million people were involved in the construction, 200 million tiles, 100 million bricks and marble were used. In 1421 the last apartments were finished. Construction was carried out in accordance with the strict requirements of Feng Shui: the entrance to the palace and all the main buildings are oriented to the south, and from the north the complex is surrounded by mountains that protect it from cold winds and evil spirits. Each part of the palace corresponded to a specific season so that the emperor could live in constant harmony with nature.
In general, all of Gugun is complex and ingenious system of signs and symbols. For example, together with the city gates located on the south-north line, the complex forms a single hieroglyph zhong (“middle”) - this is one of the main categories of Chinese philosophy and culture.
The true story of the Forbidden City with a hint of fiction
Over five centuries, the owners of Gugong changed 24 times: 14 times representatives of the Ming dynasty ascended the throne and 10 times emperors from the Qing dynasty. During this time, strangers entered the palace territory only a few times. So, in 1644, Zhu Yujian, the last Ming Emperor, imposed such exorbitant taxes on the entire country that it forced the population to revolt. The rebels broke into the Forbidden City and plundered it. But how much the abode of the “earthly gods” suffered then is unknown. But it was thanks to this uprising that the Qing dynasty came to the throne.
Zhu Yujian killed his concubines and daughters, and then hanged himself so that, according to ancient beliefs, he could ascend to heaven riding a dragon. But this was far from the last blood that stained the marble of the imperial palace. During the Qing reign, the general line of power was to completely isolate China from the rest of the world, which led to increased intra-palace intrigues.
It is known that At least 3,000 eunuchs lived in the Forbidden City in China and several thousand concubines. Eunuchs weaved intrigues, concubines were spies, and over several centuries the history of Gugun was replenished with many scandalous stories in which truth cannot be distinguished from fiction. Like the Vatican in Rome, the palace lived its own life, and, of course, the brightest page in the book called “the era of Zinn” was the almost 50-year reign of Cixi. Having made a career from a concubine to an empress, having ruined many lives in her lifetime, this woman became an integral and most secret part of the Forbidden City. Moreover, it was thanks to her, or rather, Cixi’s passion for photography, that the world saw the photographs for the first time interior decoration palace
The death of the empress (1908) almost coincided with the end of the Qing dynasty. After 3 years, the last ruler, the young Pu-Yi, signed an abdication of the throne. He lived in the palace until 1924, and during his reign the last major fire occurred, destroying many caches and warehouses in the Forbidden City. A number of historians believe that the palace was set on fire by eunuchs who wanted to hide the scale of the theft from the imperial treasuries. This theory is also supported by the fact that in the entire huge complex there is not a single chimney: the heat for the buildings was provided by underground pipes, and in general the entire heating system was designed in such a way that it practically excluded the possibility of spontaneous combustion.
The Birth of a Museum, or the Transformation of the Forbidden City into an Open Temple of Art
The first museum was opened in the Forbidden City in 1914 and was located in the Hall of Military Glory. In 1925, an inventory of the palace property was carried out, which included 1.17 million items. Later, the collection of the Gugun Museum was significantly expanded. In 1933, due to the invasion of China by the Japanese army, a significant number of exhibits were evacuated to the provinces of Guizhou and Sichuan, but the Beijing part of the collection was also preserved. In 1948, almost 3,000 boxes of imperial treasures arrived in Taiwan, and in 1965 they opened in Taipei National Museum, which displays nearly 700,000 bronze sculptures, paintings, ceramics and porcelain, jewelry, books, historical documents, ancient coins and other artifacts from Gugun. The Forbidden City Museum in Beijing opened in 1949.
Currently, a significant part of the Forbidden City is closed for major renovations, and Gugun will appear in all its splendor only in 2020. But even the part that is accessible to tourists attracts about 7 million people to the chambers of the emperors every year: at the height of the season there are 70,000-75,000 tourists a day.
The main attractions of Gugun
The main entrance to the mysterious Forbidden City of China is the Gate of Heavenly Peace, located on the south side. A wide road begins immediately behind them, on the left side of it is the luxurious imperial garden, and on the right is the Taiji cypress forest. The road will lead us to the Gate of Right Conduct.
The Forbidden City itself begins behind the Midday Gate. There are always a lot of people on the huge square: some are relaxing, others are just preparing for the trip. Having crossed the bridge over the Golden Water, the tourist sees in front of him the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Passing them, another, truly gigantic square, where military formations were held in previous centuries, spreads out before the amazed gaze. After walking a couple more kilometers you can reach the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
In general, the entire imperial the complex is divided into Outer and Inner Palaces. In the premises of the Outer Palace, the ruler conducted all ceremonies: the main hall was considered to be the Hall of Supreme Harmony, as well as the halls of Preservation of Harmony, where the throne of the emperor was installed, and Complete Harmony. The families of emperors, eunuchs, servants and concubines lived in the Inner Palace. Here are such world-famous halls (thanks to hundreds of photos taken by tourists) as the halls of the Unification of the World, Heavenly Purity and Earthly Tranquility. How to find it - see a special article.
Also installed here is one of the most popular “miracles” of China - a carved marble slab 16.75 meters long and weighing 250 tons. The pattern on it was embossed in 1761: relief images of mountains, foamy seas and cirrus clouds, and dancing dragons holding a huge pearl ball in their mouths, invariably cause delight among tourists from all over the world.
The Forbidden City in Beijing is the largest and most mysterious palace complex peace. Home to 24 Chinese emperors for more than 500 years, the palace was closed to ordinary citizens. Anyone who dared to break this rule faced death. And despite the fact that most of The complex is now open to visitors; the history of the Forbidden City still remains a mystery.
The royal complex, comparable in scale to the Palace of Versailles in France, covers 72 hectares and consists of more than 800 buildings with 9999 rooms (the Potala Palace in Tibet has 999 rooms), with total area 150000 sq.m. The city is surrounded by a ten-meter wall and a moat with water, which is called “Golden Water”. The site for construction was chosen in accordance with Feng Shui: the building is surrounded by mountains from the north, the entrance is oriented to the south, a river flows inside the city, gently bending around the palaces, which, according to Feng Shui beliefs, allows one to accumulate energy. The Forbidden City in the very heart of Beijing was cut off from the rest of the city by moats and purple-red walls. Only the emperor and his entourage had the right to be here, and this part of Beijing was inaccessible to mere mortals. The Forbidden City was the center of the Chinese Empire, and in the eyes of the Chinese themselves, the center of the whole world. Rulers from the Ming and Qing dynasties lived here and ruled the country until the fall of the empire in 1911.
There is a legend that the design of the Forbidden City came in the dream of a monk who drew the designs for Prince Zhu Di at the end of the 14th century. After becoming Emperor of China, he began to realize his dream. Zhu Di built the Forbidden City in Beijing and declared it the new capital of China and the center of the universe, from where the divine emperors could rule the Celestial Empire more effectively. At the same time, he launched a second large-scale project: Taoist temples and monasteries on Mount Wudangshan. The Forbidden City took 15 years to build. According to legend, a million workers were employed, 100 million bricks, 200 million tiles and an untold amount of marble were used. The complex was completed in 1421. It was then that Emperor Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty moved his capital from Nanjing to Beijing. With enormous efforts, palace buildings were built that corresponded to the greatness of the imperial power. In 1644, when the Ming Dynasty was overthrown by the Manchus, the city was sacked. But the Manchu rulers, who came to power under the name of the Qing dynasty, restored it to its former splendor. New temples and palaces were erected, ponds were dug, and gardens of incredible beauty were laid out. TO XVIII century the city approached the zenith of its splendor.
The territory of the Forbidden City is a square in plan. The city lies on the so-called Beijing axis (from north to south) and is surrounded by wide moats and walls 10.4 meters high. Behind them are symmetrically located palaces, gates, courtyards, streams and gardens. The closed palace housed the royal families and servants, consisting of thousands of eunuchs and concubines. Entering the city without permission meant death for the offender, and the punishment was slow and painful. Despite this, many curious people wanted to see what was happening inside. Some received this opportunity in 1644. Emperor Ming lived in luxury when new taxation literally starved the population. An uprising broke out and broke into the Forbidden City. The Ming Emperor is said to have been in a drunken stupor when the rebels arrived. To protect his harem from desecration, he killed all the women and cut off his daughter's hand. Then he hanged himself, thereby opening the way for the Qing Dynasty. Tradition says that the emperor placed a curse on the Qing family: “The Qing house will fall by the hand of a woman.” However, in 1644, the Qing Dynasty settled in the Forbidden City and its secrets became even more intriguing. The eunuchs of the palace, of whom there were about three thousand, began to prepare their own conspiracies and recruited spies from the concubines. There are many scandalous stories about this, in which it is impossible to distinguish fact from fiction when describing the Forbidden City.
In 1853, a seventeen-year-old girl, Cixi, was brought to the palace as a concubine. Over time, she became the most powerful woman in Chinese history and is widely believed to have led to the destruction of not only the Qing Dynasty, but Imperial China as a whole. Cixi broke tradition and became empress dowager. She ruled the country until her two-year-old nephew Pu-Yi succeeded her. Pu-Yi was the last owner of the Forbidden City in Beijing. In 1912, at the age of five, he abdicated the throne, but was allowed to remain in the palace.
A major fire in 1923 destroyed the city's warehouses. Many believe that it was set on fire by eunuchs to hide thefts from the royal treasuries. In 1925, Pu-yi, the last twenty-fourth emperor of China, left the Forbidden City. Twenty-four years later, the complex was opened to the public.
The main entrance to the Forbidden City is on the south side through the Midday Gate. The entire complex is divided into the Inner and Outer Palaces. The main premises of the Outer Palace, where the emperor held state events and ceremonies: the halls of Supreme Harmony, Complete Harmony and Preservation of Harmony. Northern part, Inner Palace, occupied by the families of emperors and concubines. Here are the halls of Heavenly purity, Peace Unification and Earthly tranquility. They are surrounded by three imperial gardens: Longevity, Kindness and Tranquility. Behind them is the elegant Imperial Garden with gazebos and picturesque rock formations. The entire city is divided by an eight-kilometer central axis. In the center of this axis is the Throne, symbolizing imperial power. The imperial throne in the Palace of Supreme Harmony, intended for special occasions.
In the Forbidden City there are only 9,000 rooms in which the emperor and the women around him (mother, wives, concubines), as well as countless servants and eunuchs lived. Life at court was subject to the strictest rules of etiquette. The Forbidden City was something like a cage where, isolated from reality, the emperor lived with his entourage.
The facades of all main buildings face south. Thus, the Forbidden City turned its back on all the hostile forces of the north, on the cold winds from Siberia. The main entrance is also located on south side. It is called Wumen (midday gate), where the emperor inspected his troops. Behind the gate is a courtyard, which is crossed by a small Golden River. Five marble bridges are thrown across it, symbolizing the five virtues and leading to the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Behind them is another large courtyard. It is so big that 20,000 people can fit there. On its opposite side, on a high marble terrace, rises the most significant building of the Forbidden City - the Palace of Supreme Harmony.
In this palace, on especially solemn days for the state, the emperor sat on the throne. While the bells were ringing, he was surrounded by waves of incense from managers, dignitaries and nobles.
The palace, now a museum, contains about a million precious historical relics from China's ancient dynasties and is listed as a UNESCO cultural heritage site. In Beijing, you can visit the Palace of Peace and Harmony, also known as Yonghegong Monastery or Lama Temple. The most popular temple in Beijing is undoubtedly the Temple of Heaven - the pinnacle of China's cosmic quartet: the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Moon and the Temple of the Earth.
Forbidden City, video:
The Forbidden City is located in the center of Beijing. Open daily from 08.30 to 17.00, admission costs 40 yuan in winter and 60 yuan in summer.