Facts from the Forbidden City

Facts from the Forbidden City

In 1409 the Yongle Emperor, the son of the Ming founder. moved the capital of the Chinese Empire from Nanking back Beijing in his effort to dominate the Mongol empire, the same way the Mongol's dominated Chinese empire. He oversaw the construction of the "Violet-Purple Forbidden City" (the Forbidden City). Thousands of craftsmen, millions of laborers and building material from all over China were utilized in the project. Some scholars estimate that over two million laborers and craftspeople took part in the building of the great palace.

The Forbidden City (near Tiananmen Square) was the home of 24 Ming and Qing emperors, their families, and their coterie of eunuchs and servants for 600 years from 1406, when construction began, until 1911, when the Qing dynasty was ousted and the Imperial era ended. Ordinary people were not allowed inside its gates—which is why it was called the Forbidden City—until 1925 when members of the public entered it for the first time.

The Forbidden City was built in on the spot used a century and half before by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan for his winter capital Khanbalik. The basic outline of the palace was built between 1406 and 1420 under the Emperor Yongle. The majority of the five halls and 17 palaces were built after 1700. The West Flowery Gate (Xihua Gate) was the primary gate use by the imperial court to go in and out of the palace. The East Flowery Gate (Donghua Gate) is sometimes called the “Gate of the Ghost” because after the Emperor died his coffin was carried out this gate.

#1. The soldiers chosen to guard this revered area must be exactly the same size (even shoulder width) so as to be perfectly uniform when marching.

#2. The Dragon Line is a line running north-south through Beijing on which only the emperor was allowed to walk. It bisects the Forbidden City, Mao’s mausoleum, and the Water Cube and Bird’s Nest built for the 2008 olympics. Like many ancient Chinese traditions, it is still highly respected.

#3. The Forbidden City is named such because it was forbidden for any commoner to enter. Any commoner who saw the emperor was killed, even if the emperor was outside the gates of the Forbidden City. To warn the people of Beijing if the emperor was leaving his palace, the palace guards would sound bells if the emperor turned left, drums if he turned right, and both if he went straight.

#4. The Forbidden City also contained the residences of the emperor’s concubines. One emperor had over 10,000 of them(!), but the last emperor had only two.

#5. Nine was the lucky number for the emperors because it represents heaven, and the emperors are said to come from heaven. They thus built nine gates surrounding the inner palace of the emperor, several of which were palaces or offices themselves. They all looked rather similar, but we were in awe of the ornate details of each gate and the length they went to to protect their ruler.There are 9,999 rooms in this series of exquisite palaces inside the City.

#6. The stone sculpture shown below is along the Dragon Line. It weighs over 200 tons and is made from a single piece of stone. To transport the stone to the city hundreds of horses pulled it along an ice road with men pouring water on the road to decrease the friction. It took them more than two years to get to Beijing!

#7. Two giant lion statues, one male and one female, guard the entrance to the inner palace. The male has a silk ball under his paw that represents power, and the female has a cub understand her’s that represents life.

#8. In addition to the many gates, there is also a moat surrounding the palace. It used to contain metal stakes to deter people from trying to swim across.

#9. The Gate of Supreme Harmony. This particular area occupies the central space of the north side of the Taihemen Courtyard, where the wedding ceremonies of the emperors were held.

#10. Meridian Gate. It serves as the southern entry to the Forbidden City.

#11. Hall of Central Harmony. This area is the smallest of the three halls, which serves as the resting spot of the emperors before going on his way to hold important ceremonies.

#12. Gate of Heavenly Purity. This is the gate that separates the place into the two, the inner and the outer courts.

#13. Hall of Mental Cultivation. This is the portion of the palace where emperors ruled and lived and where a number died.

#14. Palace of Heavenly Purity. This area serves as the sleeping station of Ming Dynasty emperors, which is one of the must-see attractions for tourists.

#15. Hall for Ancestry Worship. As its name indicates, this is the area where the emperors worship to their gods and ancestors.

#16. Six Western Palaces. This is the assigned quarters that house the concubines and wives.

#17. Imperial Garden. This area serves as the place for private retreat for the imperial family, covering 12,000 square feet. This is definitely one of the key areas that should not be missed when visiting the Forbidden City.

#18. Gates, Moat and Corner Towers. Primarily built to provide security, the moat, the gates and towers are definitely must-see structures, which are all impressive on their own.

#19. The last stop (and many people’s favorite) on our tour was the beautiful emperor’s garden. It had some crazy rock structures (pictured below) and 300 year-old cypress trees.

#20. Ministers and officials had to prostrate themselves on the floor before reporting to the Emperor.

Over the years, the Forbidden City has remained to be one of the most popular and celebrated places to visit in China. There are very few ancient structures these days that can claim to have taken part of the history and politics of one country, as that of the Forbidden City.If you want to get a glimpse of the Forbidden City for yourself, watch the 1987 movie The Last Emperor!