Situated at the heart of Beijing, the Forbidden City, known as the Palace Museum, was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is approached through Tiananmen Gate. Immediately to the north of the Palace Museum is Jingshan Park (also called as Prospect Hill, or Coal Hill), while on the east and west are Wangfujing and Zhongnanhai neighborhoods.

The construction of Forbidden City began in 1406 and ended in 1420. All together 24 emperors lived and ruled here for 492 years.

Surrounded by 10-metre high walls and a 52-metre wide moat, measuring 961 meters from north to south and 753 meters from east to west, the Forbidden City is a vast compound full of various palaces and buildings, covering a total area of 720,000 square meters. With outer court as ritual quarter and inner court as living quarter, total 9,999 buildings account for an area of some 163,000 square meters. Its layout adopted traditional Chinese mode. Once inside, you will see a succession of halls and palaces spreading out on either side of an invisible central axis.

Known as the Outer Court, the southern portion of the Forbidden City centers on the halls of Supreme Harmony, Central Harmony, and Preserving Harmony. The halls of Literary Glory and Military Eminence flank these. It was here that the emperor held court and conducted his grand audiences.

Mirroring this arrangement is the Inner Court at the northern end of the Forbidden City, with the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility straddling the central axis, surrounded by the Six Palaces of the East and West and the Imperial Garden to the north. Other major buildings include the halls for Worshipping Ancestors and of Imperial Splendor on the east, and the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Pavilion of the Rain of Flowers and the Palace of Benevolent Tranquility on the west. These contain not only the residences of the emperor and his empress, consorts and concubines but also the venues for religious rites and administrative activities.

Designated by the State Council as one of China's foremost-protected monuments in 1961, the Forbidden City was also listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 1987. It is now open to all - a vision of ancient wonder in modern-day Beijing.

Opening Hours: The whole year open.
November--March 8:30--16:30. Last Entry at 15:30 
April--October 8:30--17:00. Last Entry at 16:00 

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