Report of the Forbidden City in China. Gugun Palace (Forbidden City). Forbidden City, video

The Forbidden City in Beijing is the largest and most mysterious palace complex in the world. For more than 500 years serving as the home of 24 emperors of China, the palace was closed to ordinary citizens. All who dared to break this rule were waiting for death. And despite the fact that most of the complex is open to visitors today, the history of the Forbidden City is still a mystery.

The royal complex, comparable in scale to the Palace of Versailles in France, occupies 72 hectares and consists of more than 800 buildings with 9999 rooms (999 rooms in the Potala Palace in Tibet), with a total area of \u200b\u200b150,000 sq.m. The city is surrounded by a ten-meter wall and a moat with water, which is called "Golden Water". The place for construction was chosen in accordance with Feng Shui: mountains surround the building from the north, the entrance is oriented to the south, a river flows inside the city, gently enveloping the palaces, which, according to Feng Shui, allows you to accumulate energy. The forbidden city in the heart of Beijing was cut off from the rest of the city are moats and purplish-red walls. Only the emperor and his entourage had the right to be here, and for ordinary mortals this part of Beijing was inaccessible. The Forbidden City was the center of the Chinese Empire, and in the eyes of the Chinese themselves - the whole world. They lived here, ruled the country until the fall of the empire in 1911, rulers from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

There is a legend that the design of the Forbidden City came in a dream to a monk who drew designs for Prince Zhu Di at the end of the 14th century. Becoming the emperor of China, he began the realization of his dreams. Zhu Di built the Forbidden City in Beijing and declared it the new capital of China and the center of the universe, from where the divine emperors can rule the Middle Kingdom more effectively. At the same time, he launched a second large-scale project: Taoist temples and monasteries on Wudang Mountain. The Forbidden City was built for 15 years. According to legend, a million workers were involved, 100 million bricks, 200 million tiles and an inexpressible amount of marble were used. The complex was completed in 1421. It was then that Emperor Zhu Di from the Ming Dynasty transferred his capital from the city of Nanjing to Beijing. With tremendous efforts, palace structures were built that corresponded to the greatness of imperial power. In 1644, when the Ming dynasty was overthrown by the Manchus, the city was sacked. But the Manchu rulers who came to power under the name of the Qing Dynasty restored it to its former splendor. New temples and palaces were erected, ponds were dug, gardens of incredible beauty were laid out. By the 18th century, the city approached the zenith of its splendor.

The territory of the Forbidden City is a square in plan. The city lies on the so-called Peking axis (from north to south) and is surrounded by wide moats and walls 10.4 meters high. Behind them, palaces, gates, courtyards, streams and gardens are symmetrically located. In the closed palace lived royal families and servants, consisting of thousands of eunuchs and concubines. Entering the city without permission meant death for the offender, and the punishment was slow and painful. Despite this, many curious people wanted to see what was happening inside. Some received this opportunity in 1644. Emperor Ming lived in luxury when the new taxation literally starved the population. A rebellion broke out burst into the Forbidden City. The Ming Dynasty Emperor is said to have been in a drunken stupor when rebels arrived. To protect his harem from reproach, he killed all the women and cut off his daughter's hand. Then he hanged himself, thereby opening the path of the Qing Dynasty. Tradition says that the Qing clan was cursed by the emperor - "the Qing house will fall at the hands of a woman." However, in 1644, the Qing dynasty settled in the Forbidden City and its secrets became even more intriguing. The eunuchs of the palace, of whom there were about three thousand, began to prepare their own plots and recruited spies from the concubines. There are many scandalous stories about this, in which it is impossible to distinguish truth from fiction when the Forbidden City is described.

In 1853, the seventeen-year-old girl Cixi was taken to the palace as a concubine. Over time, she became the most influential woman in Chinese history and many believe that she led to the destruction of not only the Qing Dynasty, but also imperial China as a whole. Cixi broke the tradition and became the Dowager Empress. She ruled the country until her two-year-old nephew Pu-Yi became a successor. Pu-Yi was the last owner of the Forbidden City in Beijing. In 1912, at the age of five, he abdicated, but he was allowed to remain in the palace.

A major fire in 1923 destroyed the city’s warehouses. Many believe that eunuchs set fire to him to hide the thefts from the royal treasures. In 1925, Pu-Yi, the last twenty-fourth emperor of China, left the Forbidden City. And twenty-four years later, the complex was open to the public.

The main entrance to the Forbidden City is on the south side through the Midday Gates. The whole complex is divided into Inner and Outer palaces. The main premises of the Outer Palace, where the emperor held public events and ceremonies: rooms of Supreme harmony, Full harmony and Preservation of harmony. The northern part, the Inner Palace, was occupied by the families of emperors and concubines. Here are the halls of Heavenly purity, the Unification of the world and Earthly tranquility. They are surrounded by three imperial gardens: Longevity, Compassion and Peace. Behind them is the elegant Imperial Garden with gazebos and picturesque rock formations. The whole city is divided by an eight-kilometer central axis. At the center of this axis is the Throne, symbolizing imperial power. The imperial throne in the Palace of Supreme Harmony, designed for special occasions.

In the Forbidden City there are only 9,000 rooms in which the emperor and the women surrounding him (mother, wives, concubines), as well as countless servants and eunuchs. Life at court was subject to the strictest rules of etiquette. The Forbidden City was a kind of cage where, having fenced off from reality, the emperor lived with his associates.

The facades of all the main buildings are facing south. Thus, the Forbidden City turned its back on all the hostile forces of the north, on the cold winds from Siberia. The main entrance is also on the south side. It is called Wumen (midday gate), here the emperor inspected his troops. Beyond the gates is the courtyard, which is crossed by a small Golden River. Five marble bridges are thrown over it, symbolizing the five virtues and leading to the Gate of higher harmony. Behind them is another large courtyard. It is so large that 20,000 people can fit there. On its opposite side, on a high marble terrace, stands the most significant building of the Forbidden City - the Palace of Highest Harmony.

In this palace, on days especially solemn for the state, the emperor sat on the throne. To the sound of the bells, he was surrounded by waves of incense managers, dignitaries and nobles.

The palace, which is now a museum, contains about a million precious historical relics of the ancient dynasties of China and is listed as a UNESCO cultural heritage. In Beijing, you can visit the Palace of Peace and Concord, also known as Yunhegun Monastery or Lama Temple. Beijing's most popular temple, undoubtedly, the Temple of Heaven is the pinnacle of China's space four: the temple of the sun, the temple of the moon and the temple of the earth.

Forbidden City, video:

The Forbidden City is located in the center of Beijing. Open daily from 08.30 to 17.00, the entrance costs 40 yuan in the winter and 60 yuan in the summer.

Not the last role is played by the location, it is located in the very center of Beijing.

GPS coordinates

Opening hours / Schedule

8.30 - 17.00 - open
  8.30 - 16.00 - ticket office hours

Cost

Adult - 40 yuan
  Child up to 1.2 m tall - free
  Audioguide rental - 40 yuan
  Entrance to the east wing, the so-called treasury - 10 yuan

general information

Forbidden City (other names - Forbidden City, Forbidden City)

This is the central place in the city, and therefore there are always a lot of people. At the same time, those who wish to visit the Closed City do not care about the time of year. It is better to choose to visit the early morning of a weekday. Forcing you to come here earlier than others will save you from kilometer-long queues.

It is very hot here in summer - the incinerating sun will cherish your desire to hide under the shade, and closer to winter it will be very cold - winds piercing to the bones walk. So the best time of year to visit is autumn and spring. This is only a statement of fact, and visit at any time of the year, just get ready.

Impression

The closed city is the place that is more impressive for documentaries. Visiting live many complain about the monotony: behind one gate there is an area almost identical to the one left behind. A significant part of the architecture is very similar. In part, this can be agreed and I recommend therefore be sure to take an audio guide. In this case, the faceless and similar buildings will come to life in your imagination.

Audio guides in Beijing work automatically. The story begins when you come to the right place. Of the pros, you do not need to follow the map, of the minuses - it works with failures. It can start earlier than the right place, sometimes it ends unexpectedly.

And that's not all. Lectures of audio guides are lame in all kinds of speech errors. Audio guides in Beijing are recorded by local Chinese studying Russian, hence the whole trouble.

On the other hand, it will be very fresh without an air guide. After all, you can get superficial information. Anything is better than going through the Forbidden City and saying that it is nothing of itself.

Many parts of the Forbidden City are closed to the public: some have never been opened, others are under restoration.

The city made a gloomy feeling on me. Everything is somehow too dry, without life. Maybe of course everything used to be different before, but now the bare, straight, stone walls are depressing on all sides. Not surprisingly, some emperors preferred to spend most of their time in.

Be sure to climb the hill ( jinshan park) beyond the Forbidden City. When you are inside the palace this is one thing, and when you look at it from a height - another. If you imagine that you are 300 years behind and you can see this city from above, you will feel the touch of a miracle. After all, it was impossible to get there, what was going on there was unknown to a mere mortal.

Photos of the Forbidden City

Queue at checkpoint. All Chinese people are verified and identified. Foreigners are more loyal, they do not look at their passports. But just in case, it is better to have it with you.

The ticket is bought at the box office on the left side of the entrance. Then we go straight and see the turnstiles.

Behind them is a building where you can take an audio guide.

Here is such a thing

Entering the Forbidden City
  (Rebus: find the ninja in the photo below)

This is not the same building. I already spoke about similarity.

This is the original building we went through.

It is sad that you cannot go inside the most important palace rooms. You can only balk around in the crowd to move closer to the viewing area. It is terrible to imagine what is happening here in the summer.

And with some palaces, things are even worse: you need to look through the window.

And then you can see the interior.

The Forbidden City

Side building view

One of the side entrances in the Closed City

In this place surrounded by trees in ancient times, emperors chose for themselves concubines from pretty girls 15-17 years old brought from all around. So, for example, the great empress was chosen here Tsy Xi  ruling subsequently by China from 1861 to 1908.

Before visiting the main attractions of Beijing, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the last two centuries of Chinese history. In particular, read, for example, on Wikipedia, about the Dowager Empress Tsy Xi, who will talk a lot about in audio guides.

A building built on wonderful stones nearby. Only the emperor and his wife could go upstairs. This happened once a year on one of the holidays.

Ceiling in one of the unremarkable rooms

Wall of Nine Dragons. There are several Walls of Nine Dragons. This one was built in 1771 and is located in the Forbidden City at the entrance to the treasury. Entrance is separate and paid (10 yuan). The second wall can be seen near the Forbidden City, in Beihai Park.

Not just dragons 9. This figure in China has a sacred meaning. And the dragons themselves in China are good creatures, they are created to protect and maintain from evil spirits and all that is bad.

Separate expositions from the treasury of the Forbidden City.

The gates have five doors - three in the center and two doors on the sides. The side doors were used by maintenance personnel and are now closed. Of the three central doors, the right was used by officials, the left by members of the imperial family, and only the emperor himself could go through the central large door, but there were two exceptions.

The first exception was made only for the empress and only once - on the wedding day. The second exception was made once every few years for the winners of the imperial exam. We recommend that tourists go through the central door. Feel like an emperor.

Tourists should pay attention to the rivets on the doors. In total there are 9 rows of rivets and 9 columns (you can count yourself in the photo in the gallery on the right). 9 is the lucky number of the emperor, and in the Forbidden City you will meet him constantly.

The midday gates are striking in size - they are 35 meters high, which is equivalent to an 11-story building. At the top are 5 towers called the “phoenix towers”. The whole structure really resembles this mythical bird.

At the edges of the central tower were installed the main bells and drums of Beijing. The bells rang every year, announcing the emperor’s departure, the drums beat when the emperor left for the Temple of the Ancestors. At the most important ceremonies, bells and drums sounded simultaneously, announcing the coronation or wedding of the emperor.

The midday gates were a place of “communication" between power and the world. Here, new laws were officially declared, the emperor welcomed subjects on holidays, took parades and looked at the punishments of the guilty officials.

Gate of Supreme Harmony (Tahihimen) (2)

After the Midday Gate you will find yourself in a large area - the Forbidden City Outer Courtyard. Here passes the water channel “Inner Golden River”, through which five bridges are built. The rules for accessing these bridges were completely analogous to the rules for doors at the Midday Gates.

This channel had several functions. The first is a source of water in case of fire, the second is a natural barrier for attackers in the event of an attack on the Forbidden City. Tourists should pay attention to the balustrades of bridges, decorated with figures of dragons and phoenixes - symbols of the emperor.

Another interesting point on this square that you should pay attention to is the bricks of the pavement. These bricks are made by special technology, they produce a pleasant ringing sound when you step on them. This property of covering the area has almost disappeared, but in some places this sound can still be heard.

The main attraction of the square is two giant bronze lions. The right lion holds a sphere under its paw, symbolizing the power of the emperor, which extends to the whole world. The left lioness holds a lion cub under its paw, symbolizing the well-being and fertility of the imperial family. The Chinese believe that such lions protect the house from evil spirits and attract good ones. Naturally, these lions are the largest in China.

Behind the lions are the Gates of Supreme Harmony themselves. The name “gate” is a convention, in reality, it is a real pavilion. It was used in all cases when they did not want to let anyone go on, but a meeting with the emperor was necessary. For example, receptions of foreign ambassadors or the imperial court.

Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taikhidian) (3)

Passing through the Gate of Higher Harmony, you will find yourself on the largest square in the Forbidden City - 30,000 square meters. Behind it rises the Hall of Supreme Harmony - the main building of the Forbidden City.

This is the “heart” of the Forbidden City. It was here that the emperor received officials and generals, all the most important ceremonies and celebrations were held here. The hall is on a marble base in three tiers. Upstairs are two large stairs. In the center is a marble slab weighing 250 tons, which we already talked about above, decorated with bas-reliefs with phoenixes and dragons.

The height of the building is 37.5 meters, and for a long time the Hall of Supreme Harmony was the tallest building in Beijing. The law prohibited the construction of buildings above it. When you look at the Hall of Higher Harmony, it doesn’t even occur to you that this building is the height of a 12-story building.

The traditional architecture of China never aspired to gigantism. The harmony of size, shape and content is the main goal of the ancient Chinese architects. And to be honest, they did it great.

Some sites on the Internet write that the Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest wooden building in the world. Of course, this is not so. The Odate Zhukai House stadium in Japan has a height of 52 meters and an area of \u200b\u200b25,000 square meters. Compared to it, the Hall of Supreme Harmony is a baby.

Even before the Hall of Supreme Harmony, tourists will see many interesting things. Pay attention to the huge water tanks - another measure of fire safety. There are also the main sundials in the Forbidden City. Here you can also see very interesting stone columns, similar to lanterns, which served as a repository of standards for measures and weights.

The Hall of Higher Harmony is 64 meters wide and 37.2 meters deep, with an area of \u200b\u200b2381 square meters. The roof is held by 72 columns - 6 rows of 9 pieces. Notice, and the number 9 is used here - a symbol of imperial power.

Inside is the main imperial throne. It is called the Throne of Supreme Harmony. It can be difficult for tourists to look at it, because the interior is dark. In the Hall of Supreme Harmony rarely open more than four doors, and there is not enough light. The central door is opened very rarely, and you have to look at the throne from an angle. In addition, with this angle, the throne is blocked by columns. In the photo on the right, you can see how sad it looks.

There are a lot of people who want to see the throne, and you still need to “break through” to the open doors. On weekdays, it is quite possible to do this, but on the day off it is an epic feat. Hence the conclusion: do not go to the Forbidden City on weekends and holidays. On weekends in Beijing, it is better to go to the markets or or go to the shopping centers of the area. Cultural attractions these days are always crowded with visitors.

In addition to the throne, inside you can see six gilded columns decorated with bas-reliefs with dragons. These columns can be seen a little better (see photo on the right). On the roof right above the throne is a large golden dragon playing with a pearl. There is a legend that if someone usurps the throne, then this pearl will fall on him and crush to death. This dragon is very difficult to discern for tourists, and even more so to photograph.

Hall of Central Harmony (Jonhedian) (4)

This is a small building with a pyramid-shaped roof. This hall served as a resting place for the emperor and changing clothes before ceremonies. There is also a throne inside, but much more modest than the Throne of Higher Harmony. The hall was often used as a place for the emperor to speak with close ministers and generals.

The inscriptions around the throne read: “The path of Heaven is deep and mysterious, and the path of mankind is complex. Only if you make an accurate and unified plan and follow it, you can rule the country well. " These words were left by Emperor Qianlong from the Qing Dynasty. He knew what he was talking about, because he ruled the country for 60 years.

Hall of Preserved Harmony (Baohedian) (5)

This is the last building of the “external palace” - the working part of the Forbidden City. After him, you will already be in the “inner palace” - the residence of the emperor and his family.

The Hall of Preserved Harmony had many functions. During the Qing Dynasty, he most often served as a banquet hall. In the Ming era, it served as the training ground for the empress and princes for ceremonies.

In appearance, it looks like the Hall of Higher Harmony, but smaller. Inside there is also an imperial throne, and also of a smaller size.

All these three halls stand on a single base of three tiers. If it rains during your visit to the Forbidden City, then do not be upset right away. This is a good opportunity to look at the amazing drainage system. Tourists notice the dragon’s stone heads at the base, and it seems that this is just a decor, but these are the outlets of pipes leading down the water. In total there are 1412 such dragon heads.

In China, on a vast territory in the center of the capital, is located one of the largest palace complexes in the world - the so-called "Forbidden City". Two great dynasties - Ming and Qing ruled the empire from the walls of this residence. And this is the 24 ruler of the Middle Kingdom. The place for the construction of the imperial chambers was carefully chosen. According to astronomers of those years, it was this point that was the center of the globe.

According to ancient Chinese legend, a monk saw a city plan in a dream. He told about a wonderful dream to the prince - the future emperor. As a result of grand construction, a magnificent palace complex was erected.

Forbidden - because inaccessible

Why is the city called Forbidden? At a time when the ruling emperor lived in the walls of this palace with his family and his large retinue, access to the common man was closed here. The one who dared to disobey the order and still penetrated the city was expected to be executed.

The buildings were built mainly of wood, however, brick and marble are found. Heavy roofs support powerful columns. These are protective measures against possible earthquakes.

Security vigilantly watched who and why were going to the imperial chambers. Five gates stood in the way of the ambassadors and local officials who arrived at the emperor. Entrance doors facing south. Thus, the inhabitants of the city fenced off from the enemy, threatening the Celestial Empire from the north.

Outside the city is surrounded by a high wall and a moat filled with water. This is an artificially created canal called the Golden Water River. Several bridges were laid across the canal. And each resident knew which of the bridges allowed a man of his estate to enter the city. The two central ones were exclusively used by members of the imperial family. Two bridges were assigned to senior civil and military officials. And after the two remaining, the remaining residents could enter the city, regardless of rank and rank.

Gugun Museum Complex

Wooden buildings have repeatedly suffered from fires and robberies. But each time, restoring the buildings, the architects tried to give the buildings their former appearance. Therefore, today, tourists see the grandeur and beauty of the old buildings almost unchanged.

Now the Forbidden City is a museum complex. And now anyone can get into it and enjoy the rich decoration of the imperial chambers.

The palace complex occupies about 72 hectares of land. Its territory accommodates 800 buildings. Pavilions, carved gazebos, light galleries interspersed with flowering gardens, lakes, even rivers. In the center rises the pavilion of Higher Harmony - Taihegyan. Its height is about forty meters. For several centuries, this building was the highest in all of Beijing. In the empire, it was strictly forbidden to build buildings higher. In the center of the pavilion is a magnificent throne - a symbol of imperial power on earth.

The roof of Taihegyan rests on 86 wooden columns. The diameter of each of them is a meter. Six gilded columns surround the magnificent throne. Carved images of dragons adorn these powerful pillars. The magnificent hall of the pavilion was used for the most significant palace receptions.

Each palace is beautiful in its own way. Here are collected the works of great masters: bronze items, paintings, artfully executed jewelry, rich imperial clothes. The collection of exhibits is replenished annually, and now in the museum complex there are about a million luxurious items.

Gugun, that is, the “Former Palace” - these are the so-called imperial possessions these days, a beautiful place that is certainly worth visiting when visiting Beijing.

For centuries, only the emperor and his family lived in the Forbidden City in Beijing. The entire royal retinue was located outside its walls, until a certain time, ordinary people were forbidden to enter here.

The history of the construction of the Imperial Palace

The building was built in the Imperial Palace in 1406-1420, 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties lived here for 5 centuries. 1 million builders and more than 100 thousand other specialists took part in the construction, among which were artists, masters of wood and stone carving, and many others. This magnificent building and a unique attraction of China is included in the list of world heritage of mankind.

The full name of the historical building is Zijingcheng, which means Purple Forbidden City, later another name appeared - Gugun, the Palace of the former rulers, it almost replaced the first one. Very often this city is simply called the Imperial Palace or the Imperial Winter Palace, because the emperor often visited here in the winter, and in the summer visited one of his suburban residences.

The last Chinese emperor Pu Yi, who abdicated in 1912, left the Forbidden City only in 1925. The palace building was often destroyed due to constant fires, after which many sections had to be rebuilt. Most of them date back to the 17-19th centuries.

What to see in the Forbidden City

The Imperial Palace is located in the city center near Tiananmen Square, it is made in the shape of a rectangle, watchtowers are located at the corners of the walls of the building. Moreover, the Forbidden City is a whole complex of structures, there are 9999 of them here, the usual site, which is surrounded by columns, is also considered a building. They occupy an area of \u200b\u200b72 hectares.

The main entrance to the city is the southern gate of Umen, or the Midday Gate, also called the Middle. Behind them is a large Jinshuihe Square with a canal (the "Golden Water River"). 5 bridges of marble rise across the canal, they lead to the gates of Taihemen, enclosing a complex of buildings. Official events took place here.

The imperial garden adorns the northern part of Beijing's attraction. Its size is small, but its beauty is indescribable. Here you can stroll among the pools and fancy stones, visit small pavilions and relax in a cozy gazebo. And some of the best hotels in Beijing are located nearby.

Visitor Information

Address:  4 Jingshan Qianjie, Dongcheng, Beijing.