The Forbidden City (Natalie)

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is a complex of ancient buildings and temples where 24 emperors and their families (of the Qing and Ming Dynasties) lived and worked. It was built by Emperor Yongle of the Ming dynasty from 1406 to 1420. Over 230,000 artisans and millions of laborers worked tirelessly to construct it. The architecture was designed by celebrated architect, Khai Xiang. It functioned as the imperial palace until the Qing dynasty was overthrown 500 years later in 1911. It was made into the Palace Museum in 1925, and attracts 80,000 tourists daily.

The Forbidden City is located in the city center of Beijing. Coincidentally, Emperor Yongle also changed the capital of China from Nanjing to Beijing in 1421, so he could rule from the Forbidden City. To get to the palace from our hotel, our family traveled by subway. The nearest you could get to the Forbidden City was still a 10-minute walk, through a maze of Chinese hutongs, traditional Chinese houses.

When we got to the palace, the first thing we noticed was the deep moat. It surrounded three of the four sides of the palace. The walls were steep and high, and we all agreed that if you fell in, there was little to no way to get out. When you enter the city, you go through one of the five Meridian Gates. Tourists can walk through any of the five gates with ease, but back in the 1400s, that was not the case. The emperor was the only one who had unlimited access to the center door. The empress was granted the privilege of using the door once, on her wedding day. The top three scholars in China also were allowed to march through this door after their interviews with the emperor. The small corner doors were used only for grand ceremonies. The medium-in-between door to the east was used by government officials, while the west-in-between door was used by the royal family. The city is set up in a rectangular format.

The interior of the palace was mostly red, with intricate designs including dragons, phoenixes, and in general lots of swirly patterns and shapes. Some of the buildings were under restoration, so they were closed off to the public. Most of the big red buildings that housed any cultural objects had gates, so nobody could go inside. You had to fight the crowd to take a look or picture of the interior. 

 

Our family would definitely recommend the Forbidden City on our list of must do attractions in Beijing. We would also recommend the audio guide, a hand-held electric map with a connecting ear piece that activates when you reach a new part of the city. It definitely taught us some interesting facts, even though it was a little glitchy at times. My favorite fact about the Forbidden City was that there are over 8,000 rooms.