Today, the Forbidden City is home to the Palace Museum. It houses over one million rare Chinese artworks and artifacts. Most of these come from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Forbidden City, Chinese (Pinyin) Zijincheng or (Wade-Giles romanization) Tzu-chin-ch'eng, imperial palace complex at the heart of Beijing (Peking), China.
Who lives in the Forbidden City now? No-one: it is no longer accommodation for anyone, royal or otherwise. The Forbidden City used to be the residence of emperors. After the last emperor of China left the palace in 1925, it became a museum open to the public.
The Forbidden City was the political and ritual center of China for over 500 years. After its completion in 1420, the Forbidden City was home to 24 emperors, their families and servants during the Ming (1368–1644) and the Qing (1644–1911) dynasties.
Birds don't sit on the roofs of the structures
They made roofs in such a way that each roof's slope was steeper, and they built the spine of the roof wider than the gap between a bird's claws. Thus, making it impossible for the birds to land on the roof.
Entry to the Forbidden City for tourists is only through the south gate (Meridian Gate) - tickets and audio guides are sold on the square before this gate. The number of daily visitors is restricted to 80,000 and since tickets are sold online you should go there really early if you want to buy your ticket there.
Measuring 961 meters in length and 753 meters in width, the Forbidden City is composed of more than 90 palace compounds including 98 buildings and surrounded by a moat as wide as 52 meters. The Forbidden City was the political and ritual center of China for over 500 years.
Mostly concubines served to satisfy sexual pleasure since any children that resulted from a mistress was considered illegitimate, and unless allowed by their father, had no rights of inheritance. The rich and the ruling class almost exclusively practiced concubinage. It was popular all across Asia.
The Forbidden City served as the home of Chinese emperors and their households and was the ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government for over 500 years.
The roofs were built to represent the number 9. Each roof has 9 horizontal beams and 72 ridge beams, supported by 18 columns, making a doubly auspicious sum of 99. The number 9 has a special meaning for Chinese people as it represents longevity and eternity.
Seat of supreme power for over five centuries (1416-1911), the Forbidden City in Beijing, with its landscaped gardens and many buildings (whose nearly 10,000 rooms contain furniture and works of art), constitutes a priceless testimony to Chinese civilization during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Conflict has also posed a regular threat to the Forbidden City. In 1644, most of the palace was destroyed at the hands of rebel leader Li Zicheng. After the Ming dynasty fell, Li occupied the city for 42 days, until he was forced out by the Manchu forces who would establish the next ruling dynasty, the Qing.
Why is it called the "Forbidden City"? In the past, commoners were prohibited from entering the Forbidden City without permission and only imperial families and invited high officials can enter. Hence the name. 3.
THE Forbidden City (aka the Palace Museum) is home to the former imperial palace, official residence of the emperor, his family, and entourage during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). The museum now houses 42,000 religious artifacts, 80 percent of which are related to Tibetan Buddhism.
The Forbidden City was built in Beijing on the orders of Zhu Di — Ming Dynasty Emperor Yongle (reigned 1402–24). Its purpose was to consolidate his imperial power and protect his own security.
In ancient China, concubines are thought to have used a drink of lead and mercury in order to prevent pregnancy. (Possible side effects: sterility, brain damage, kidney failure and death.)
Although a concubine could produce heirs, her children would be inferior in social status to a wife's children, although they were of higher status than illegitimate children. The child of a concubine had to show filial duty to two women, their biological mother and their legal mother—the wife of their father.
Adultery VS Concubinage
Adultery is committed by a wife and should be charged together with the other man, while concubinage is committed by a husband and should be charged together with the other woman or concubine. In adultery, a proof of sexual intercourse will suffice to file a case.
The folklore said that the Heavenly Palace, also called Zi Wei Palace, has 10,000 rooms. The son's palace cannot exceed the Heaven's residence. Therefore, when building Forbidden City, the emperor cut the room number and only built 9,999 and a half room, less than but infinitely approaching 10,000.
It is said that there are totally 9,999 and a half rooms in the Forbidden City because only the God of Heaven could be entitled to 10,000 rooms. Emperor Chengzu, who built the Forbidden City, declared himself the son of the God of Heaven, thus defining the smaller size of his palace.
Photography Policy：
1. Photography is permitted for private, non-commercial use outdoors throughout the Forbidden City, except for sites or areas with "No Photography" signs. 2. Visitors are not permitted to take photographs inside halls with original interior decoration whether on the central axis or the west route.
No men (eunuchs excluded) other than the emperor were ever permitted in the Forbidden City. In hopes of living a life of luxury in the Forbidden City, Eunuchs were castrated which only gave them a 50 percent chance of survival.
The Last Emperor was based on Puyi's autobiography, From Emperor to Citizen (published in English in 1964–65). It was the first feature film permitted to be filmed inside the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City is a highly popular attraction with both locals and foreigners. While the Chinese citizens need to buy their tickets online, as a foreigner you're not obligated to do so.
The Forbidden City, a.k.a. the Palace Museum, is home to the best collection of Chinese historical artifacts in the world. Collections span thousands of years of Chinese history and it's considered one of the best museums in the world. It's top of China's top 10 museums list.