Forbidden City is a monumental construction in China, Asia. UNESCO World Heritage List: Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties dates it to 1406-1420 CE. UNESCO World Heritage List: Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties also records: “Imperial palace.”
The largest palace complex in the world, home to 24 emperors.
What makes it extraordinary
Astrological and Symbolic Alignment
The name 'Zijincheng' (Purple Forbidden City) reflects traditional Chinese astrology, where 'Zi' (purple) refers to the North Star, the heavenly abode of the Jade Emperor. The palace was designed as the earthly counterpart to this celestial realm. Its central north-south axis, which forms the backbone of Beijing, is not perfectly aligned with the cardinal direction but is tilted by slightly more than two degrees. Researchers suggest this alignment was intended to point toward Shangdu, the secondary capital of the preceding Yuan dynasty.
Construction Materials and Logistics
The construction of the palace required over a million workers and utilized materials sourced from across China. Key components included whole logs of precious Phoebe zhennan wood from southwestern jungles and large marble blocks from quarries near Beijing. The floors of major halls were paved with 'golden bricks' specially baked in Suzhou. To transport massive stone slabs, such as the 200-ton northern ramp, workers likely used ice sledges along paths lubricated by well water during the winter months.
Defensive Wall Engineering
The palace's defensive perimeter consists of walls 8.62 meters wide at the base, tapering to 6.66 meters at the top. These structures feature a rammed earth core surfaced with three layers of specially baked bricks on both sides, with mortar filling the interstices. At the four corners, intricate towers with 72 ridges were constructed to reproduce architectural styles seen in Song dynasty paintings. These walls served a dual purpose as both defensive fortifications and retaining walls for the massive palace complex.
Preservation and Modern Restoration
After the 1924 eviction of the last emperor, the Forbidden City became the Palace Museum in 1925. During the 20th century, it survived multiple threats, including plans for demolition and the Cultural Revolution, the latter prevented by an army battalion sent by Zhou Enlai. In the early 21st century, a sixteen-year restoration project was launched to return all buildings to their pre-1911 state. By 2020, the goal was to have 76% of the palace open to the public, including newly restored areas like the Shoukang Palace.
Scale and Architectural Composition
Spanning 72 hectares (180 acres), the Forbidden City is recognized as the world's largest preserved royal palace complex. The rectangular site measures 961 meters from north to south and 753 meters from east to west, enclosed by a 7.9-meter-high wall and a 52-meter-wide moat. While oral tradition often claims the complex contains 9,999 rooms, modern surveys indicate the actual count is 8,886 bays of rooms across 980 surviving buildings, representing the largest collection of ancient wooden structures globally.
Hall of Supreme Harmony Symbolism
The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest surviving wooden structure in China, rising 30 meters above its surrounding square. Its design incorporates significant numerology; it is nine bays wide and five bays deep, numbers symbolically linked to imperial majesty. It is the only building in China permitted to have ten statuettes on its roof ridges, including the unique 'Hangshi' figure. Inside, the ceiling features an intricate caisson with a coiled dragon holding a 'Xuanyuan Mirror,' a chandelier-like set of metal balls.
Imperial Residence and Political Center
Constructed between 1406 and 1420 during the Ming dynasty, the Forbidden City served as the imperial palace and winter residence for 24 emperors across the Ming and Qing dynasties. For over 500 years, from 1420 until 1924, it functioned as the ceremonial and political heart of the Chinese government. The complex was established by the Yongle Emperor, who moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing, and it remained the seat of power until the abdication of Puyi, the last emperor, in 1912.
Inner and Outer Court Division
The complex is strictly divided into the Outer Court to the south and the Inner Court to the north. The Outer Court was used for public ceremonial purposes, such as enthronements and imperial weddings, centered around three main halls on a white marble terrace. The Inner Court served as the private residence for the emperor and his family. In the Qing dynasty, the emperor lived and worked almost exclusively in the Inner Court, particularly in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, while the Outer Court remained purely ceremonial.
Imperial Way and Gate Protocols
The central axis of the Forbidden City features the Imperial Way, a stone-flagged path reserved almost exclusively for the emperor. Exceptions were made only for the empress on her wedding day and the top three students of the Imperial Examination. Most gates in the city are decorated with a nine-by-nine array of golden door nails, symbolizing imperial status. However, the East Glorious Gate is a notable exception, featuring only eight rows of nails, though the specific reason for this deviation is not detailed in the source.
Architectural Color Coding
Color was used systematically to denote status and function throughout the complex. Yellow, the color of the emperor, was used for almost all roof tiles. There are two primary exceptions: the Pavilion of Literary Profundity (the library) uses black tiles, as black is associated with water and fire prevention. The Crown Prince's residences utilize green tiles, symbolizing wood and growth. Additionally, the main halls are arranged in groups of three to represent the 'Qian' (Heaven) trigram, while residential clusters of six represent the 'Kun' (Earth) trigram.
