The Forbidden City, also named Palace Museum, is the most magnificent and splendid palace complex in China and one of the five world-famous palaces with the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in England, the White House in the U.S. and the Kremlin in Russia.

The incomparable palace occupies an area of 720,000 square meters (177.9 acres) and has approximately 8,700 rooms. A high red wall with a total length of 3,400 meters (3,718 yards) encases the palace. There are four gates in each side, with Meridian Gate (Wu Men) as the main entrance. Four exquisite watchtowers sit at the corners of the wall. With roofs covered with golden glazed tile, red painted walls and grey-white bases, the rectangular palace appears extremely luxurious and grand. Spectacular halls in it are neatly arranged in bilateral symmetry along a central axis that conforms to the axis of Beijing City.The palace has two primary parts: the Outer Court and the Inner Court. Some halls are converted into art galleries to exhibit paintings, clocks, bronze wares, pottery and other invaluable treasures. It is said that there are over 1,000,000 articles in this museum that account for one-sixth of such national treasures. Tourists can enter into the palace from the Wu Men (Meridian Gate) or the Shenwu Men (Gate of Divine Might). It is impossible for visitors to see every corner of the palace in a single day. Let's start our virtual guide  from the Wu Men to make our route clear.

The Forbidden City Route: Wu Men - Golden Water Bridges - Outer Court - Inner Court - Imperial Garden - Shenwu Men

Meridian Gate (Wu Men)

Meridian Gate (Wu Men) is the main gate and the south gate of the Forbidden City. Five Pavilions with golden glazed tiles, like five phoenixes, are connected with the gate, thus the gate is also called Five-Phoenix Pavilion. It has five entrances, each of which used to allow entry to people with certain rank. In feudal dynasties, the entrance in the middle was reserved for emperors and other four entrances were used by ministers.

Golden Water Bridges

There is a river that curves like an arch in front of the Gate of Supreme Harmony (Taihe Men). The river is called the Inner Golden Water, the banks of which are decorated with balusters made of white marble. The Golden Water Bridges refer to the five white bridges on this section of the river. In the past, only emperors could cross the river via the middle bridge, which is the longest and widest. The other four were for government officials and imperial clansmen to pass. Surrounded by the red walls and golden tiles, the exquisitely carved white bridges look simple but elegant.

Outer Court

Gate of Supreme Harmony - Hall of Supreme Harmony - Hall of Central Harmony - Hall of Preserving Harmony

After walking through the Gate of Supreme Harmony, we come to the most fascinating part of the palace: the Outer Court. This court contains three main halls: Taihe Dian (Hall of Supreme Harmony), Zhonghe Dian (Hall of Central Harmony), and Baohe Dian (Hall of Preserving Harmony). The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest hall in the Forbidden City where grand ceremonies were held. The throne, windows, doors and poles inside are carved with dragon designs. The floor is covered with golden bricks that are of fine quality. At the back of the Hall of Supreme Harmony is the Hall of Central Harmony where emperors had a short rest and practiced the required etiquette before ceremonies. In the Hall of Preserving Harmony, banquets were held on New Year's Eve. The west and east wing halls of the Hall of Preserving Harmony have been changed into galleries for art and clocks.

Inner Court

Gate of Heavenly Purity - Hall of Heavenly Purity - Hall of Union and Peace - Hall of Earthly Tranquility

Stepping through into the Outer Court again, you will see the Qianqin Men (Gate of Heavenly Purity) that is the front door to the Inner Court. The court is mainly the residence of the emperors, empress and other concubines, and other members of the royal family. It centers on the Qianqing Gong (Hall of Heavenly Purity), Jiaotai Dian (Hall of Union and Peace) and Kunning Gong (Hall of Earthly Tranquility). The three halls in order are flanked by the Six Eastern Palaces and Six Western Palaces and the Imperial Garden to the north, with studies, gardens, and pavilions scattered.

On the way to the Hall of Heavenly Purity, you will pass the west wing halls of the Hall of Heavenly Purity that used to be the studies of the emperors and princes. Now, the halls are used as the Pottery Gallery and the Bronze Gallery. The Hall of Heavenly Purity was where the emperor resided and handled routine government affairs. The Hall of Union and Peace was the place to celebrate the birthday of the empress and lay the seals of the country. The empress dwelled in the Hall of Earthly Tranquility. The rooms on the east were the bridal chamber which is arranged exactly as it was during the marriage period of Emperor Guangxu, an emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Other major halls are the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Pavilion of the Rain of Flowers and the Palace of Benevolent Tranquility on the west.

Imperial Garden

The delicate Imperial Garden is to the north of the Hall of Earthly Tranquility where members of the royal family amused themselves. There are evergreen cypress trees, rarely-seen flowers and trees, and pavilions in the quaint garden. The Wanchun Pavilion and the Qianqiu Pavilion are very luxuriant.

Shenwu Men (Gate of Divine Might)

The Gate of Divine Might is the north gate of both the Imperial Garden and the Forbidden City. You can start your visit from this gate, which is at the back of the Forbidden City. As we have mentioned before, the palace has four gates, with the other two being the Xihua Men and the Donghua Men, but the Wu Men and the Shenwu Men serve as entrances now.

The last of the three main halls in the outer court is Hall of Preserved Harmony (Baohedian). "Preserved Harmony" means that the consciousness of the members of the imperial family is clear and unconfused so that the emperor could be healthy and the country be peaceful.In Ming Dynasty when the crown prince was conferred and the empress was appointed, the emperor would be here to receive congratulations from officials. In the Qing Dynasty, imperial banquets were given here to entertain princes of vassal states on the eve of lunar New Year.

Since the Forbidden City is too large, it is impossible to visit all rooms. The above mentioned is only the main part of the palace. After visiting the three halls, visitors can choose three routes according to your own interest and schedule.The first route is to visit the three rear palaces. The second is to visit the six palaces in the west. The third is to visit treasure houses in the east.

The last scenic spot is the Imperial Garden. Occupying an area of 120,000 square meters, it holds more than 20 architectures in various styles. While viewing the rare "imperial garden in Chinese palace", you will be distinctively enchanted by the exotic flowers, rare herbs, pavilions and towers in the garden.According to some people, visiting the Forbidden City is a test of eyesight and foot. It is worthy of the name "City in City". The structure is a unique combination of artistic tastes, mechanics, architecture, and craftsmanship. Those people who had visited here said that the most attractive things in the Forbidden City were the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihedian) and the dragon seat in the hall.

If you want to fully appreciate this ancient palace, you will have to spend more than half of the day. If you only intend to visit it as quickly as possible, you will also need at least two hours.