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The Palace Museum, formerly known as the Forbidden City, is located at the heart of Beijing. It is the grandest integral Palace complex still remaining in China. It used to be the imperial palaces of the Ming and the Qing, the last two dynasties of China. The construction of the palaces in the Forbidden City started in 1406, i.e. in the 4th year under the reign of Yong Le in the Ming Dynasty. The project spread over 15 years and was not completed until 1420. They housed the courts of a succession of 24 emperors. The whole palace complex was converted into a museum in 1925.
The palace complex, consisting of over 9000 rooms (with a floor space of 150000 square metres), covers an area of 720000 square metres. It is surrounded by a 3-kilometre-long wall 10 metres high and protected by a moat 52 metres wide. The Forbidden City has four imposing gates and at each corner is an exquisitely designed watch tower.
The entire architectural layout was designed to bring out the supreme authority of the emperor and hierarchy of the feudal society. All the principal palaces lie on the axis of the old city of Beijing and groups of buildings on both sides were laid out to achieve the symmetrical effect of perfect unity.
Wu Men (the Meridian Gate)
Wu Men is the major gate of the Forbidden City. Its gate tower is 8 meters high, flanked by four towers generally called wufenglou (The Five-Phoenix Towers).
Taihe Dian (the Hall of Supreme Harmony)
Taihe Dian is also called the Grand Hall of the Gold Throne. Standing on a 5-meter high marble terrace with carved balustrades, it is the largest structure of the palace complex. The hall is 36 meters high, 63 meters wide and covers a floor space of 2380 square meters. On a 2-meter high platform in the middle of the hall stands a gilded throne made of sandal wood with carved dragon patterns. Behind it is an exquisitely made laquer screen with gilded dragon columns on each side. The ceiling is decorated with gilded dragon patterns and brightly painted beams.
The hall was used for ceremonies on Chinese Lunar New Year's Day and the Winter Solstice, and on great occasions such as a new emperor's accession to the throne or the emperor's birthday during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
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