A Tour of the Forbidden City in Beijing, ChinaThe Forbidden City in China is an ancient fortress situated at the center of Beijing city. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 because it is the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. It was built during the famous 'Ming Dynasty' in the early 1400's and was home to a succession of Chinese Emperors and their 'Inner Circle' for the next 500 years. During those years the City remained closed (or Forbidden) to anyone but the Emperor, his Concubine and the Eunuchs who served the Emperor and the Imperial family. No one was ever allow to enter or leave the 'Forbidden City'. If a 'commoner' tried to walk the grounds of the city without the Emperor's permission, they died slowly and painfully for all the people of the city to watch. Sometimes trespassers even got the deadly 'Hot Noodle Whipping' about the face before they were beheaded.
No man was ever allowed to enter the city. Only Eunuchs and chosen women were allowed within the walls of the City. People actually volunteered to have their Penis and Scrotum sliced off in order to enter the Forbidden City as an Eunuch. Poor and Middle-Class Families even offered up their Children to become Eunuchs. The Children often bled to death after the crude procedure to remove their sex organs. The ones that survived would be ensured a life of privilage as an Eunuch in the service of the Emperor. It was considered a great honor even though the price seems so high. You won't have to climb the walls, have your balls cut off or suffer execution to get into the City anymore. This mammoth National Landmark is now home to the 'Imperial Palace Museum'. The Museum is spread across more than 250 acres and houses tens of thousands of some of the most important and priceless artifacts in China. During the Chinese Civil War, many important artifacts were removed from the country by Chiang Kai-Shek, whose Kuomintang was losing the Chinese Civil War. This relatively small but high quality collection was kept hidden from 1947 to 1965 by the Kuomintang, who were now living in Taiwan. Eventually, they realized that they would not return to the Mainland and in 1965 unveiled the artifacts. This collection has since become the core of the national palace museum in Taipei and also a very sore spot in Sino-Taiwanese relations. The history of the Forbidden city is full of betrayals, deceit and violence. Learn more from an excellent book called The Forbidden City (Wonders of the World) The Forbidden City IronyIt took about 1,000,000 workers almost 15 years to complete the Forbidden City. The laborers were mostly 'borrowed' from prisons and detention camps from all over the country. Guards heated hot metal branding irons over open fires until they were red hot. They branded a single Chinese symbol onto each of the workers' foreheads or cheeks. It made escape pointless because the facial burn scarred over and remained with them for life. Today, farmers brand their cows the same way. It's done to avoid theft and easy recovery if the cow runs away. Sometimes even that seems cruel to me. Free the cows! A few thousand years later they opened a Starbucks Coffee shop within the walls of the City. It wasn't long before the Starbucks was closed on July 13, 2007 amongst heated objections from well... nearly everyone. What Does The Forbidden City Look Like?The City is surrounded by Imperial Gardens and a six-meter deep, 52-meter wide moat. The 30 foot high walls encircling the City also contribute to the imposing structure. To the North is Jingshan Park, also known as Coal Hill or Jingshan Hill. It's basically a massive hill created from the soil removed in order to build the moat and the city. The photograph above was taken from Jingshan Hill. You'll notice that most of the City structures are colored Goldish-yellow. This color is a representation of Royalty thus almost every rooftop in the City is topped with glazed Yellowish-Golden tiles. There are 2 buildings that are not yellowish-gold in color and they are the most interesting. At least in their logic.
The Library at the 'Pavilion of Literary Profundity' has a black tiled roof. The people decided that they wanted to protect the books in the library from destruction by fire. To the Chinese, the color black is a representation of water so they painted the Library's roof with black-colored tiles for fire-prevention.
The Crown Prince's residences are covered with green tiles. Green is a color the Chinese associate with life and growth amongst trees and nature. have a look at the video for a quick visual tour of the Forbidden city... Entering and Touring the Forbidden City
Entrance fees range from $5USD to $8USD depending on the time of year. Visitors enter through the famous Tiananmen Gate. The Tiananmen Gate connects The Forbidden City with Tiananmen Square and is the most interesting because of the big portrait of Mao Zedong and the 2 placards that read: "Long live The People's Republic of China" and "Long Live the Great Unity of The World's Peoples". Once you go through the outer wall of the city, you'll come to the Meridian Gate, the Main entrance to the City. You'll notice the huge square made of brick where the Emperor would stand to announce the new Lunar Calendar during the Winter Solstice. That's when you'll realize how massive, wondrous and mysterious this Ancient City is. A lot of people recommend taking a guided tour to avoid the hectic public transport system, the crowded lines of people and the stifling heat. An organized tour is not usually on the agenda for people who travel to Beijing on a budget. But for under $50USD you can get a full day tour that includes Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City and a visit to the Jiangan Silk Factory. Let the bus driver fight the crazy, congested traffic in Beijing. Let them pick you up outside your hotel and return you there in the comfort of an air-conditioned bus. The best part of this tour is that they just know where to go and what interests people the most. The historical stories that they tell about this Ancient City are both informative and generous. Find out more about the Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City and Jiangan Silk Factory tour The Forbidden City is divided into two sections. The 'Outer Court' and the 'Inner Court'. The Outer Court of The Forbidden CityThree large buildings make up the Outer Court.
'The Hall of Preserving Harmony' was mostly used for rehearsing ceremonies such as Coronations or Imperial Weddings. It was also where future Emperors took the final stage of the Imperial Examination. You must make sure to see the ramp on the Northern side of the Hall of Preserving Harmony. It is carved from a single piece of stone 17 meters long, 3 meters wide, and 2 meters thick. It's estimated to weigh 200 tonnes and is the largest stone carving in China.
The Hall of Central Harmony is a smaller, square hall that the Emperor used to rest and prepare for Ceremonies in solitude. The Forbidden City was closed to public eyes for 500 years but even fewer people ever entered The Hall of Central Harmony.
This is one of the most intriguing places in the Forbidden city. It burned to the ground a mere 100 days after its completion and took another 16 years to rebuild. This was the last Great Hall to be built in the Forbidden city and because of this, the attention to detail and improvements in building technique benefited the construction of this wonderful place. After the fire, the Emporer sent 1000 men out to gather the rare 'Phoebe Zhennan' tree trunks from the jungles of South-Western China. It took another 4 years to float the massive logs down the river to Beijing before they finally became the Main Pillars of the 'Hall of Supreme Harmony'. Only 500 of the original 1000 men returned from the Jungles. Harvesting the trees was dangerous work but they had succeeded. A visit to the The Hall of Supreme Harmony is a must. The more you read about it the more fascinating it is. Get a budget tour just for the guide, his information and the air-conditioned bus back to the steps of your hotel. The Inner Court of The Forbidden City6 Western and 6 Eastern Palaces make up the Inner Court of the City. These Palaces were once the living quarters of the Emperor and the Imperial family. It was where he conducted some of the more mundane, daily business. The 2 largest palaces in the Inner Court are...
The 'Palace Of Heavenly Purity' is where the Emperor lived during the time of the Ming Dynasty. The boys from the following Qing Dynasty decided to move the Emperor's living quarters to the smaller 'Hall Of Mental Cultivation' to the West. It's a chance to see the bedrooms of 2 Emperors from 2 different dynasties. The current Chinese government is paying massive sums of money to 'Buy Back' artifacts removed from the Forbidden Palace. The place just gets more restored to its original glory by the month.
During the Ming Dynasty, the 'Palace of Earthly Tranquility' was where the Empress lived. She lived in lavish surroundings with many Eunuchs as servants to performed every task from lighting candles to grooming the Empress. During the following Qing Dynasty, large portions of the palace were converted for worship by the new Manchu rulers. However, two rooms in The Palace of Earthly Tranquility were left untouched. They were only spared for use on the Emperor's wedding night. Exit the Forbidden City. The visitor exit is at the 'Gate of the Divine Might', located behind the Imperial Garden. You could take up an entire day at the Forbidden City. You may want to make it a multiple day attraction and nearby hotel accommodations in Beijing may be ideal for many travelers. The cheapest and most reliable places to book budget hotel rooms and guesthouses is at either Hostelbookers.com or Hostelworld.com Here is a short video of the inside of the City. Have a look before you travel to Beijing and decide if it's worth your time.  Go See Hong Kong Ocean Park
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