The forbidden city

Forbidden City

Forbidden City Palace Building. 

 

The forbidden city

location: heart of Bejing (Peking), China.

it is one of the must-visit attractions for travelers to China. It used to be an imperial palace in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

history the layout of this palace is strictly according to Chinese fengshui theory. China's best-preserved imperial palace .

     Commissioned in 1406 by the Yongale emperor of the Ming dynasty, it was first officially occupied by the court in 1420. It was so named because access to the area was barred to most of the subjects of the realm. Government functionaries and even the imperial family were permitted only limited access; the emperor alone could enter any section at will.

§      Interior part Within the compound, all the most important buildings, especially those along the main axis, face south to honor the Sun. The buildings and the ceremonial spaces between them are arranged to convey an impression of great imperial power while reinforcing the insignificance of the individual. This architectural conceit is borne out to the smallest of details—the relative importance of a building can be judged not only from its height or width but also by the style of its roof and the number of figurines perched on the roof’s ridges.

The Forbidden City ceased to be the seat of Qing(Manchu)imperial government with the Chinese revolution of 1911–12. Although some of the ancient buildings (which had been repaired and rebuilt since the 15th century) were lost to the ravages of the revolution and during the war with Japan (1937–45), the site was maintained as a whole. Puyi, the last Qing emperor, was permitted to live there after his abdication, but he secretly left the palace (and Beijing) in 1924. In the late 20th century several of the palace buildings were restored.

§  A 52-meter-wide moat and 10-meterhigh walls form the protective boundary around the Forbidden City. Four entrance gates exist at each of its four walls. Inside, the city is divided into two primary sections, the Outer Court where the emperor held court and the Inner Court, where the emperor and his family resided. Philosophical and religious principles and imperial power is reflected in the constructions at the Forbidden City. Colors have been chosen very carefully here with yellow, the symbol of royalty, used as the dominant color in the roofs of all buildings in the city. The main halls of both the Inner and Outer Courts are arranged in groups of three and the residences in groups of six, as per the ancient Chinese cosmological principles. Other decorations and layouts of buildings strictly adhere to the Classic of Rights. A rare collection of ancient Chinese ceramics, paintings, jades, timepieces, brozen ware, and other artifacts also glorify the precious collections of the Forbidden City.

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