Forbidden City is the best preserved imperial palace in China and the largest ancient palatial structure in the world.
Today, Forbidden City is most commonly known in Chinese as Gùgōng (故宫), which means the "Former Palace." The museum which is based in these buildings is known as the "Palace Museum". The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum.
Structure of the Forbidden City
The Forbidden City falls into two parts: the outer court and the inner palaces.
The outer court is made up of three main buildings; these halls were the place the emperors attended the grand ceremonies and conducted state affairs.
Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihedian),
Hall of Central Harmony (Zhonghedian)
Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohedian).
The inner court is composed of the three main structures at the rear of the Forbidden City, namely:
Palace of Heavenly Peace (Qianqinggong),
Palace of Union and Peace (Jiaotaidian)
Palace of Terrestrial Tranquility (Kunninggong).
Besides the three main buildings there are the six eastern palaces and six western palaces, where the emperor used to handle every day affairs and was the living quarters for the emperor, expresses and concubines.
Function & Importance of the Forbidden City
For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government. The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere.
The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.
The Forbidden City remains important in the civic scheme of Beijing. The central north-south axis remains the central axis of Beijing. This axis extends to the south through Tiananmen gate to Tiananmen Square, the ceremonial centre of the People's Republic of China. To the north, it extends through the Bell and Drum Towers to Yongdingmen. This axis is not exactly aligned north-south, but is tilted by slightly more than two degrees.
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