For 600 years, one after another, 24 emperors from two successive dynasties ruled China from the Forbidden City. None of the outsiders dared and could not get here. He was a "city within a city". Isolated, inaccessible, mysterious and powerful … Until it became the Gugun Museum.
What is the Forbidden City
Zhu Di (Yongle), the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, illegally seized power, but became one of the most brilliant monarchs in Chinese history. The ambitious and oppressive Zhu Di ordered the construction of a residence for himself in Beijing.
In 1406, tens of thousands of workers began construction. To prevent them from escaping, heavy wooden "collars" were put on them, which were removed only for the duration of their work. In 1420 the construction of the palace was completed. But only after 1925, ordinary visitors were able to see the Forbidden City from the inside.
In the European tradition, most often the ruler's house is a large building. Usually several floors. A completely different palace of the Chinese emperors. This is a complex of wooden, one-story palaces-pavilions, built one after another along the "south-north" line on a vast territory, enclosed by walls and a moat with water. It is the most grandiose wooden palace ensemble in the world. Listed as a UNESCO treasure in 1987.
The architectural complex of the Forbidden City covers an area of 1,110,000 square meters. m. Premises - about 720,000 sq. m. m. Length from south to north: 961 m, from east to west 753. The height of the walls is 10 m, along the perimeter there is a water moat 52 m wide. At the four corners there are impressive towers. Four gates lead inside the huge fortified city-palace, one on each side.
The residence of the Chinese rulers consists of two parts: external and internal. The outer, southern courtyard was intended for official ceremonies. Internal - for the residence of the sovereign's family. Other residential and utility buildings are concentrated on the sides of the central palace axis.
Googun Museum
On October 10, 1925, a state museum was opened in the former imperial residence. Its name is Gugun - i.e. "Museum in the Old Palace" or simply "palace-museum".
The sights of the museum are the palaces-pavilions themselves and the collections of objects from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The palaces are concentrated along the central line. Permanent exhibitions and temporary exhibitions are located in auxiliary rooms. Porcelain, paintings, bronzes, etc. are exhibited there. A total of about 1,000,000 items.
On the territory of the Forbidden City, in addition to attractions, there are information points, cafes, souvenir and book shops, a left-luggage office, toilets.
Tourist entrance from Tiananmen Square through the South Gate.
Layout of the palaces-pavilions
1. Noon Gate (South) - the main entrance to the Forbidden City. To go further, you need to cross the Golden Water River along one of five openwork marble bridges.
2. Bridges across the river - each carries its own symbolism and means virtue: humanity, justice, politeness, rationality, loyalty.
5. The Gates of the Supreme Harmony - after them there is a vast courtyard, in the depths of which there are three Front Palaces on a three-level white marble terrace. The most luxurious and largest in the entire Forbidden City. The first of them is the pavilion of the Highest Harmony.
6. Pavilion of Supreme Harmony - the imperial throne rises in it, the location of which in the center of the hall was considered the symbolic center of the entire Universe.
7. Pavilion of the Middle Harmony - here the emperor contemplated and concentrated before ascending to the throne.
8. Pavilion for the Preservation of Harmony - for arranging feasts and receptions. Women, except for empresses, had no right to enter here.
9. Gates of Heavenly Purity - separated the official part from the inner, private one.
14. Palace of Heavenly Purity - the living quarters of the emperors.
15. Pavilion of Unification and Prosperity - at first there was the throne of the Empresses. Then they began to keep the imperial seals.
sixteen. The Palace of Earthly Peace is the chambers of the Ming Dynasty Empresses.
17. Imperial Garden - picturesque because of the combination of vegetation with park facilities and Chinese-style ponds.
The Gate of Divine Power leads from the garden outside the Forbidden City.
Helpful information
Address: Beijing, Dongcheng District, st. Jingshanqian, 4.
The official website of the Gugong State Palace Museum in Chinese: www.dpm.org.cn
In English.
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel.: (8610) 8500-7421, (8610) 8500-7420
Fax: (8610) 8500-7079
Working hours:
April 1 - October 31: from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, last entry at 4:10 pm, ticket office until 4:00 pm
November 1 - March 31: from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, last entry at 3:40 pm, ticket office until 3:00 pm
Museum closed on Monday
Ticket prices:
April 1 - October 31: RMB 60
November 1 - March 31: RMB 40
Tickets to the Treasury and the Hall of Hours are purchased separately. Price: 10 RMB each.
Daily limit - 80,000 visitors
Online ticket booking (in Chinese):
Sold no earlier than 10 days before the visit.
How can I get to:
Metro: Line 1 - Tiananmen (West) (天安门 西) or Tiananmen (Est) (天安门 东)
There is no parking lot in the museum.
Subtleties of visiting the Gugun Museum
To choose the best time to visit the Forbidden City, you should take into account the calendar of holidays and public holidays in China (some holidays last for several days). During these periods, the number of visitors increases significantly. Some annual festivals change the date every year. In addition, there are temporary closings. To plan your visit, it is worth visiting the official website with up-to-date information and planning your visit for alternative dates and times.
High number of visits:
- China Summer Vacation (1st July - 31st August)
- National state and traditional Chinese holidays
- Peak Hours: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Fewer visitors: November 1st to March 31st (and ticket prices are lower).
Tours
The direction of the flow of tourists through the Forbidden City is organized from south to north: from the entrance through the Midday Gate to the exit in the opposite direction through the Gate of Divine Power.
Audio guide: available in Russian.
Visiting rules
No smoking and no pets allowed.
Non-professional photography is allowed on the territory of the museum, except in places with a prohibiting sign and in some souvenir shops, inside premises with authentic finishes.
The territory of the museum is huge, as indicated above. Therefore, comfortable footwear is important, and in winter, warm clothing.
Care should be taken to ensure the safety of personal items.
Gugong Museum Police Station: (8610) 8500-7495
