The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the imperial palaces of the Ming and Qing dynasties, known as the Palace Museum. The consitruction took 14 years and was finished in 1420. In the following years, the capotal of the Ming Dynasty was moved from Nanjing to Beijing.

Twenty-four emperors, 14 in the Ming and 10 in the Qing dynasties ruled from here. The last dynasty fell in 1911, but Emperor Puyi still lived in the Inner Court until 1924, when he was thrown out of the palace by the troops of General Feng Yuxiang. After that, the palace was opened to the public as the Palace Museum and it was no longer forbidden to the common people.

The Forbidden CityThe Forbidden City located in the centre of Beijing, covering an area of 72 hectares. It is rectangular in shape, 961 meters long from north to south and 753 meters wide from east to west.

There are total 9999.5 rooms in the whole clmplex. There is a 10-metre-high wall, encircled by a 52-metre-wide moat.

The Forbidden City is the largest piece of ancient Chinese architecture still standing. Some of the buildings were damaged by lightning and rebuilt in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It had beed expanded several times, but the original layout was preserved.

After liberation, some costly renovations were done and the Forbidden City is listed as one of the important historical monument under special preservation by the Chinese Government.