Imperial Palace
When the capital of the Ming Empire was moved to Beijing in 1421, the emperors took up residence in the Imperial Palace. It was not meant to be a home for a mortal king but for the Son of Heaven.
The architecture of the palace raised the court above all earthly things. Huge red walls enclosed the inner sanctum, an area forbidden to ordinary mortals. No building in the city was permitted to be taller than the walls of the palace. The exact, grid-like geometric pattern of the complex reflects the strongly hierarchical structural of imperial Chinese society. The buildings were aligned on north-south lines, the most important of them orientated to face south, towards the sun.
Until the overthrow of the last emperor (1924), the general public had no access to the Imperial Palace (hence: 'The Forbidden City')
Visit March 2004
The Forbidden City is a huge complex at the center of Beijing (behind the Tiananmen gate), that nowadays attracts thousands of visitors every day. I entered from the North, so I was met with innumerable (mainly Chinese) groups that had started from the main entrance in the South.
The funny thing is that everybody clings to the main path (the North-South axis), and that 10 meters to the right or left you're almost on your own.
The complex is surely meant to impress: everything is just huge. You have to take your time to find and look at the details. What I liked most where its simple but effective colours: bright red walls, with green and yellow accents in the tiles.
More photos can be found in the Picture Gallery
Reviews
Rajeev Aloysius (Sri Lanka):
I took an entire day to visit the Imperial Palace in Beijing, popularly known as The Forbidden City. It is a central enclave facing Tiananmen Square. I first walked the South - North axis, and then returned to see the Seven Dragons Wall, Archery Pavilion, East Palaces and West Palaces in the Imperial Gardens. The scale and the artistry, as well as the strange names of the pavilions, halls, gardens and monuments were fascinating. |
| Date posted: October 2005 |
Kang Chong (Malaysia):
I went this Palace in a tour group. Due to time constraints, we were made to walk from the "Wu Men" (front) all the way to the back. One straight path passing all the main palaces. Do not forget to visit some of the palaces at sides. These are hidden treasures with less tourists and more intrigue. Certain smaller palaces even house artefacts etc. Also, do not forget to climb the hill "Jing Shan" (create from the earth excavated from the construction of the palace) at the back of the palace compounds. This will offer you a breathtaking view of the whole palace compound. Definitely worthwhile spending more time exploring the entire compound!!! |
| Date posted: October 2005 |
Ben Pastore (USA):
Only the Forbidden City could host so many throngs of tourists and still seem huge. The open areas are truly impressive and the famous landmarks are even better in real life. It is another one of those "If I'm here, I have to see it" places and a worthy entrant on the World Heritage List |
| Date posted: June 2005 |
C H Ho (Hong Kong, China):
The Forbidden City may be the largest palace in East Asia. However, many treasury are stored in the Imperial Palace Museum in Taiwan. The former government moved the treasury to Taiwan before turnover to Communists in 1949. Therefore, tourists visit the architechture of the palace mainly. |
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Rob Wilson (UK):
The Forbidden City is possibly the most packed tourist attraction I've ever visited. Thankfully, it is still well worth the visit.
The sheer scale and opulence of the place it quite astonishing. |
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samnuan (thailand):
Imperial palace is truly magnificent, the size , colour and in everydetail has it own history, it's show you the power of the emperor who is the center of chinese's universe. |
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