Beijing is a large city, coming in second as the largest city in China. It is also the capital city of the country and was formerly the seat of the dynasties, Ming and Qing.
The Imperial Palace from both these dynasties is now known as the Forbidden City in Beijing – China.
Location
The Forbidden City in Beijing – China is situated right in the heart of the city, within the Dongcheng District.
Getting There
The Forbidden City in Beijing – China can be reached via the subway or bus. There are two subway lines that you can take to reach this particular sight: Line 1 and Line 2.
For Line 1, you can alight from either the Tiananmen West or Tiananmen East Terminal. From this point, go towards the northern side until you reach the Gate of Heavenly Peace and then walk past this upon which you will reach the South Gate of the City.
For Line 2, alight at the Qianmen Terminal and then walk towards the Gate of Heavenly Peace again until you reach the South Gate.
For buses, there are several different routes that you can take to reach the Forbidden City: bus numbers 101, 103, 109, 124 as well as 814, 202 and 685 will take you straight to the Forbidden City Terminal.
What to See
The Forbidden City in Beijing – China is a large complex that houses almost a thousand buildings with around eight thousand and seven hundred rooms.
The complex is enclosed within the Imperial City; the Imperial City is enclosed by what is known as the Inner City and south of the Inner City is the Outer City.
The City generally has two parts: the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The Outer Court was mainly utilized as a place where special ceremonies are held while the Inner Court was where the Emperor lived. This was also utilized as an office of sort for daily affairs of the Emperor.
One notable structure is the Hall of Supreme Harmony which is the biggest of the structures within the complex, standing at almost one hundred feet. It is also the biggest surviving wooden edifice in the country.
Surrounding the complex are beautiful gardens.
It is also now home to the Palace Museum where collections from the Qing Dynasty are on display, among other things.
Brief History
The Forbidden City in Beijing – China was constructed some time in the year 1406 under Yongle Emperor, Zhu Di. It took around fifteen years to complete the entire complex.
This humongous undertaking required over a million laborers and the wood used was a special kind of wood found only in SW China.
Between the years 1420 and early 1644, the City served as the seat of government for the Ming Dynasty. From October 1644 up until about 1911, it was the seat of the Qing Dynasty.
In the year 1912, the Forbidden City no longer served as the seat of government for the country after the last Emperor of China abdicated the throne under the new government of the Republic of China.
By 1924, it ceased to be the residence of the emperors of China.
It was enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 1987.
Cost
The cost to visit the Forbidden City in Beijing – China is 40 CNY from the 1st of November until the 31st of March, and 60 CNY from the 1st of April until the 31st of October.
Other Information
During special holidays, the number of people allowed to visit the Forbidden City in Beijing – China may be limited. During these times, certain portions of the City may also be closed.
It is recommended that you first check the schedule during special holidays prior to your visit.
