The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City (紫禁城 Zǐjìn chéng) was the residence of the imperial family during the last two dynasties, Ming and Qing. Its name comes from the fact that entry was strictly forbidden to any outsider, and its layout resembled a city in "miniature." The architectural complex is impressive, but the vast majority of precious objects such as paintings and porcelain were taken to Taiwan by Chiang Kai-shek (Jiǎng Jièshí in Mandarin) and are displayed at the museum in Taipei (Táiběi in Mandarin).

The Forbidden City is located north of the center of Beijing. The entire complex is oriented towards the south, and a small artificial hill, Coal Hill, is situated to the north of the Forbidden City to meet the requirements of Chinese geomancy, Fengshui (literally Wind and Water).

The Forbidden City is 960 meters long and 750 meters wide. The walls are 7 to 10 meters high, and the moats are 52 meters wide. During the five centuries of its occupation by the emperors of the last two dynasties, no other construction in Beijing could surpass those of the Forbidden City. The courtyards are paved with nearly 12 million bricks, and the Forbidden City consists of about 9,000 rooms.

The Forbidden City is also called the "Old Palace" (故宫 Gùgōng), but this term more precisely refers to the central part of the Forbidden City, excluding the area between the Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tiān'ānmén) and the Meridian Gate (Wǔmén).

History of the Forbidden City

It was Emperor Yongle who decided to move the capital from Nanjing to Beijing. The construction of the Forbidden City began in 1406 and lasted fourteen years, which is very rapid for a project of this scale. More than 200,000 artisans participated in the construction. Materials came from all corners of the empire: stones from the Beijing region, marble from Shanghai, wood from the provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan, and bricks from Shandong. The construction combined the modern techniques of the time while retaining the aesthetic and symbolic traits of tradition.

The Forbidden City was more or less cut off from the outside world until 1924 when Puyi, the last emperor, was expelled from it.

The Forbidden City was frequently the victim of fires deliberately set by eunuchs or courtiers who enriched themselves through reconstruction work. In 1664, the Manchus reduced the palace to ashes to rebuild the palace of the new dynasty on the old one with high-quality materials from all over the empire. Most of the buildings visible today date from the 18th century. During the 20th century, the Forbidden City was looted twice, first by the Japanese army and then by the Guomindang, who fled to Taiwan in 1949.

Visit of the Forbidden City

Click on the links in the texts below to access images of each visited part of the Forbidden City.

Visit of the Forbidden City through the southern entrance

We start with the Meridian Gate, then we arrive at the Gate of Supreme Harmony.