The Forbidden City, known as the Palace Museum, is now the largest and most well preserved imperial residence in China. It is located in the center of Beijing, covering an area of 720,000 square meters and stretches 960 meters from south to north and 750 meters from east to west. A 52-meter-wide moat encircles a 10-meter-high wall, which encloses the complex. Construction began in 1,407 and took 14 years to accomplish. Twenty-four emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties reigned at the Forbidden City. Not until 1925 was the complex converted into a museum, and thrown open to the public.

As the Forbidden City was the residence of Chinese emperors their families, most of it was constructed using red walls and yellow glazed tiles, a color reserved exclusively for the emperor. It consists of an outer and an inner court. The outer court was where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. The inner court was where he lived with his royal family. There are many gardens, studies and yards within the inner court. An inner Golden Water River flows eastwardly leading out of the Forbidden City. The Treasure Hall exhibits a portion of treasures and artifacts used in the Forbidden City, some of which are priceless national treasures.



Name:Beijing Forbidden City (Gu Gong)
City:Beijing
Address:Beijing Downtown
Admission:CNY60
Hours: 08:00 am -04:00 pm (summer)
08:30 am-03:30 pm (winter)
Tel: 0086-10-65132255
Admission: CNY40 (Nov-Mar)
CNY60 (Apr-Oct)

This article was posted on 2007-08-21
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