Forming the very heart of Beijing, the Forbidden City, officially known as the Palace Museum (Gugong), is China’s most magnificent architectural complex and was completed in 1420. The huge palace is a compendium of imperial architecture and a lasting monument of dynastic China from which 24 emperors ruled for nearly 500 years. The symbolic center of the Chinese universe, the palace was the exclusive domain of the imperial court and dignitaries until the 1920s. It was fully opened to the public in 1949.

A short distance north through the Gate of Heavenly Purity lies the Inner Court with three impressive inner palaces. Further on through the Imperial Flower Garden stands the Shenwu Gate, the north gate of the Forbidden City, an exit from the palace that leads to a walk across to Jing Shan Park. On the western and eastern flanks of the Inner Court, it is also possible to explore numerous halls, some of which house museum collections (entry fee payable).

Hall of Supreme Harmony

The largest hall in the palace, this was used for major occasions such as the enthronement of an emperor. Inside the hall, the ornate throne sits beneath a fabulously colored ceiling.

The inside of Hall of Supreme Harmony

Hall of Middle Harmony received the emperor before official ceremonies.

Hall of Preserving Harmony

Palace of Heavenly Purity

Palace of Earthly Tranquillity

Beyond the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Outer Court) lies a large but narrow courtyard with gates leading to the open areas east and west of the Outer Court and a main gate, the Gate of Heavenly Purity, leading to the Inner Court. Here lie three splendid palaces, mirroring those of the Outer Court but on a smaller scale. The Palace of Heavenly Purity was used as the imperial sleeping quarters and for the reception of officials. It was here that the last Ming emperor, Chongzhen, wrote his final missive in red ink, before getting drunk, killing his 15-year-old daughter and his concubines, and then hanging himself on Jing Shan, just north of the palace, as peasant rebels swarmed through the capital. Beyond lie the Hall of Union, used as a throne room by the empress, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquillity, the living quarters of the Ming empresses. During the Qing dynasty, the hall was used for Manchurian shaman rites, including animal sacrifice.

The Imperial Gardens

The Imperial Flower Garden, north of the three inner palaces and the Gate of Earthly Tranquillity, dates from the reign of the Ming Yongle emperor. It is symmetrically laid out with pavilions, temples, and halls as well as a rock garden and ancient trees. On the west and east sides of the garden are the charming Thousand Autumns Pavilion and Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion, each topped with a circular roof. Positioned centrally in the north of the garden, the Hall of Imperial Peace formerly served as a temple, and, on top of the lofty rockery in the northeast of the garden, the Imperial View Pavilion rises with long views over the gardens and beyond. During the Qing dynasty, sacrifices were performed in the gardens on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month (China’s equivalent of Valentine’s Day) by the emperor, empress, and imperial concubines to a pair of stars that represent lovers.

Eastern Palaces

On the east side of the Inner Court lies a much closer knit series of smaller palaces and courtyards formerly used as the residences of imperial concubines. Nowadays, some of these areas serve as museums of jade, paintings, enamels, and antique collectibles, including the impressive Clock Exhibition Hall (housed in the Palace of Eternal Harmony) with its sizeable and fascinating display. Note that these are occasionally moved to other halls and at some an entry fee is payable. Among the collection are elaborate Chinese, British, and French timepieces, donated or collected by Qing emperors. In the southeast of the inner court is the Palace of Abstinence, where the emperor fasted before sacrificial ceremonies. Further southeast stands a beautiful Nine Loong Screen, a 100 ft (31 metres) long spirit wall made from richly glazed tiles and similar to the screen in Beihai Park. Screens were used to shield areas from sight and allow visitors to make themselves presentable. The screen leads on to the jewelry displays housed in a series of halls in the northeast of the complex, including the Imperial Zenith Hall and the Palace of Peaceful Longevity. These halls contain an array of decorative objects and tools used by the emperor. Northwest of the Palace of Peaceful Longevity is its flower garden, a tranquil strip of rockeries and pavilions.

Western Palaces

Much of the western flank of the Forbidden City is closed to visitors, but the halls west of the three inner palaces are accessible. The Hall of Mental Cultivation was used by Yongzheng for his residence, rather than the Hall of Heavenly Purity, where his father, Kangxi, had lived for 60 years. The East Warm Chamber of the Hall of Mental Cultivation was the site of the formal abdication by Henry Pu Yi, the last emperor, on February 12, 1912.

The Palace Walls

The wall around the Forbidden City is marked at each corner by an elaborate Arrow Tower, notable for its many eaves. The northern gate of the palace is called the Gate of Divine Prowess or Shenwu Men, and served as a combined bell and drum tower. The palace wall was enclosed within a moat and another wall ran around the grounds of the Imperial City. Beyond this lay the inner and outer city walls of Beijing. Damaged in the 1950s and 1960s, only a few parts of the Imperial City wall survive, while the city walls have all but vanished. However, the wall of the Forbidden City and its four gates had survived intact and can still be admired.

Forbidden City Beijing Map

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Tips: North of Tiananmen Square. Apr-Oct: 8:30am-5pm daily; Nov-Mar: 8:30am-4:30pm daily.