It is forbidden to miss Forbidden City !!!
Amazing exemple of chinese architecture…
Hall of supreme harmony Forbidden city,Beijing
The Forbidden City is also known as the Palace Museum. It is the largest palace in the world and was built in the beginning of the Ming Dynasty (1406-1420) Construction of the palace took approximately 14 years to build. A total of 24 emperors were enthroned here. There are a total of 9,999 rooms ( the number 9 was always used by the emperor, because it was considered the highest single- digit odd number.) There are also 9 nails in each door, horizontally and vertically. The color red signifies happiness, yellow signifies earth, which can be seen throughout the city for it was most extensively used by the emperors, who were regarded as the supreme rulers of humanity. Black, which signifies water was used on the library in hopes that it would protect the many books contained within from fire.
South West Corner of the Forbidden City
Why is it called Forbidden City? The answer is simple – for five hundred years ordinary people could not enter it. It was the seat of emperors belonging to two dynasties: Ming and Qing. The emperors hardly ever left their shelter and in result completely lost any contact with outside world. The country was practically ruled by eunuchs, appointed by emperors.
This is number 1 of Beijing’s 4 must sees (Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, and Summer Palace are the other 3) The enormous size of the palace grounds and main halls makes you understand why the Chinese word for China literally translates as “Middle Kingdom”. It is the true center of Beijing and, for Chinese people from the Ming through Qing dynasties, the center of the world.
Gilded Lion
Aside from the general entrance fee, be prepared to pay for extra tickets allowing you to see special exhibits and enter the Tiananmen rostrum. The Forbidden City now serves as a national museum so there are more interesting things to see inside other than just walking around the fascinating buildings. Take time to stray off the beaten path toward the eastern side of the palace as this is one of the best places to get those splendid photos with absolutely no people in them. The entrance to the museum is not easy to spot, but it would be a shame to miss the museum. The palace was built for record-breaking short terms – during 14 years. For this purpose emperor collected two hundred thousand workers, masters and handicraftsmen.
Fantastic place, fantastic history, fantastic everything… The Forbidden City is one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites and A MUST SEE IN BEIJING.
- Directions: In the Center of Beijing You can access it from the first Subway station I mentioned in the previous tip – Tian an Men Dong. We could have used this at it was only 3 stops west of the nearest Subway to our hotel.
- Website: http://www.dpm.org.cn/
Tags: Beijing, China, Forbidden city
