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City
guide / Beijing |
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The
Forbidden City |
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 The
Forbidden City, also known the Imperial Palace as the Forbidden
City or "Gugong", was the imperial residence and center
of the kingdom during the reign of 24 emperors. 14 in the Ming
and 10 in the Qing dynasty resided and ruled from this palace
for 491 years until Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing dynasty
and of China. It is now the largest and best preserved ancient
architecture in China.
Located in the center of Beijing, the Forbidden City covers an
area of 72 hectares. Rectangular in shape, it runs 960 meter long
from north to south. And 750 meter wide extended from east to
west. There is a 10-meter high wall, encircled by a 52-meter wide
moat.
The palace boasts more than nine thousand rooms, with layout following
strict feudal code. The palace is divided into two main sections:
the Front Palace and the Inner palace. In the center of the Front
Palace stand the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Complete
Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. The Inner Palace includes
the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Prosperity, the Hall
of Earthly Peace and the Imperial Garden.
There are four gates at each corners of the walls: The Meridian
Gate to the south, the Gate of Divine Military Genius to the north,
the East Flowery Gate to the east and the West Flowery Gate to
the west. The Gate of Divine Military Genius was the gate connecting
the imperial palace with the market area to the north of the palace.
It is the largest gate of the Forbidden City, 35.6 meters high
and surmounted by five pavilions. The central pavilion is rectangular
in shape, while the other four, two on each side are square and
hence the nickname is "The Five Phoenix Tower"
The Meridian Gate was so named because the Chinese emperors believed
that they lived in the center of the universe, and the Meridian
Line went through the Forbidden City. 
A pair of bronze lions guards the Gate of Supreme Harmony, symbolizing
the imperial power. In China, lions were supposed to be good doorkeepers
and put at the gate to ward off evil spirits. Lions are frequently
seen in front of buildings as guardians, one playing with a ball
(male) and the other a cub (female). It was considered auspicious.
The ball is said to represent imperial treasury or peace. The
cub sucks milk from underneath the claw, because the female doesnĄ¯t
have breast.
The hall of Supreme Harmony is 35 meter high, 60 meter wide and
33 meter on both sides. It is now the largest, best preserved
wooden hall in China. Twenty-four pillars support the roof. The
Central six are gilded and painted red. The EmperorĄ¯s throne,
which is surrounded by art treasures of symbolic significance,
is in the middle of the hall.
Above the throne is gold painted caisson, or coffer ceiling, with
dragon designs, from which hangs a spherical pearl called "The
Xu Anyuan mirror".
The Forbidden City is the largest museum in China; it preserves
more than 900,000 priceless antiques covering all dynasties of
Chinese history. It has been recognized as the biggest and most
important treasury house of Chinese culture and arts in the world.
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