The Forbidden City

The universally accepted symbol for the length and grandeur of Chinese civilization is undoubtedly the Great Wall, but the Forbidden City is more immediately impressive. A 720,000-sq.-m (7,750,008-sq.-ft.) complex of red-walled buildings and pavilions topped by a sea of glazed vermilion tile, it dwarfs nearby Tian'an Men Square and is by far the largest and most intricate imperial palace in China. The palace receives more visitors than any other attraction in the country (over seven million a year, the government says), and has been praised in Western travel literature ever since the first Europeans laid eyes on it in the late 1500s. Yet despite the flood of superlatives and exaggerated statistics that inevitably go into its description, it is impervious to an excess of hype, and it is large and compelling enough to draw repeat visits from even the most jaded travelers. Make more time for it than you think you'll need.

The palace, most commonly referred to in Chinese as Gu Gong (Former Palace), is on the north side of Tian'an Men Square across Chang'an Dajie (tel. 010/6513-2255; www.dpm.org.cn). It is best approached on foot or via metro (Tian'an Men Dong, 117), as taxis are not allowed to stop in front. The palace is open daily from 8:30am to 5:30pm during summer and from 8:30am to 4:30pm in winter. Regular admission (men piao) in summer costs ¥60 ($8), dropping to ¥40 ($5) in winter; last tickets are sold an hour before the doors close. Various exhibition halls and gardens inside the palace charge additional fees. All-inclusive tickets (lian piao) had been discontinued at press time, perhaps in an effort to increase revenues, but it's always possible these will be reinstated. Tip: If you have a little more time, it is highly recommended that you approach the entrance at Wu Men (Meridian Gate) via Tai Miao to the east, and avoid the gauntlet of tiresome touts and tacky souvenir stalls.

Ticket counters are marked on either side as you approach. Audio tours in several languages (¥40/$5 plus ¥500/$63 deposit; the English version is narrated by Roger Moore) are available at the gate itself, through the door to the right. Those looking to spend more money can hire "English"-speaking tour guides on the other side of the gate (¥200-¥350/$25-$44 per person, depending on tour length). The tour guide booth also rents wheelchairs and strollers at reasonable rates. Note: Only the central route through the palace is wheelchair-accessible, and steeply so.

The Big Makeover--An immense $75-million renovation of the Forbidden City, the largest in 90 years, will be completed in two phases (the first by 2008, the second by 2020). Work started on halls and gardens in the closed western sections of the palace in 2002, with the most effort concentrated on opening the Wuying Dian (Hall of Valiance and Heroism) in the southwest corner of the palace, the Jianfu Gong Huayuan (Garden of the Palace of Building Happiness) in the northwest, followed by Cining Huayuan (Garden of Love and Tranquillity) next to the Taihe Dian. Wuying Dian, formerly the site of the Imperial printing press, should be open when you arrive, displaying a collection of Buddhist sutras, palace records, and calligraphy, as will Jianfu Gong Huayuan, an ambitious restoration as the entire section was devastated by fire in 1923. Cining Huayuan is said to be opening in 2008. Plans also call for the construction of new temperature-controlled buildings to house and exhibit what is claimed to be a collection of 930,000 Ming and Qing imperial relics, most now stored underground.

On the other side of the palace, within the northern section of the Ningshou Gong Huayuan, a remarkable building is undergoing restoration with assistance from the World Cultural Heritage Foundation. Qianlong commissioned the European Jesuit painters in his employ to create large-scale trompe l'oeil paintings, which were used both in the Forbidden City as well as in the Yuan Ming Yuan. Juanqin Zhai, an elaborately constructed private opera house, houses the best remaining examples of these paintings, including a stunning image of a wisteria trellis, almost certainly painted by Italian master Castiglione. It is due to open in 2006.

Background & Layout

Sourcing of materials for the original palace buildings began in 1406, during the reign of the Yongle emperor, and construction was completed in 1420. Much of it was designed by a eunuch from Annam (now Vietnam), Nguyen An, but without improvements to the Grand Canal, construction would have been impossible -- timber came from as far away as Sichuan, and logs took up to 4 years to reach the capital. The Yuan palace was demolished to make way for the Forbidden City, but the lakes created during the Jin (1122-1215) were retained and expanded. Between 1420 and 1923, the palace was home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The last of these was Aisin-Gioro Puyi, who was forced to abdicate in 1912 but remained in the palace until 1924.

The Forbidden City is arranged along a north-south meridian, aligned on the Pole Star. The Qing court was unimpressed when the barbarians designated Greenwich Royal Observatory as the source of the prime meridian in 1885; they believed the Imperial Way marked the center of the temporal world. Major halls open to the south. Furthest south and in the center is the symmetrical outer court, dominated by immense ceremonial halls where the emperor conducted official business. Beyond the outer court and surrounding it on both sides is the inner court, a series of smaller buildings and gardens that served as living quarters. During the Ming, only eunuchs were allowed to pass between the two courts, enhancing their power.

The palace has been ransacked and parts destroyed by fire several times over the centuries, so most of the existing buildings date from the Qing rather than the Ming. The original complex was said to contain 9,999 rooms, testament to the Chinese love of the number nine, and also to an unusual counting method. The square space between columns is counted as a room (jian), so the largest building, Taihe Dian, counts as 55 rooms. Using the Western method of counting, there are now 980 rooms. Only half of the complex is open to visitors (expected to increase to 70% after repairs are completed in 2020), but this still leaves plenty to see.

The Inner Court (Nei Ting)

During the Ming, only the emperor, his family, his concubines, and the palace eunuchs (who numbered 1,500 at the end of the Qing dynasty) were allowed in this section. It begins with the Qianqing Men (Gate of Heavenly Purity), directly north of the Baohe Dian, fronted by a magnificent pair of bronze lions and flanked by a Ba Zi Yingbi (a screen wall in the shape of the character for "eight"), both warning non-royals not to stray inside. Beyond are three palaces designed to mirror the three halls of the Outer Court.

The first of these is the Qianqing Gong (Palace of Heavenly Purity), where the emperors lived until Yongzheng decided to move to the western side of the palace in the 1720s. Beyond is Jiaotai Dian (Hall of Union), containing the throne of the empress and 25 boxes that once contained the Qing imperial seals. A considerable expansion on eight seals used during the Qin dynasty, the number 25 was chosen because it is the sum of all single-digit odd numbers. Next is the more interesting Kunning Gong (Palace of Earthly Tranquility), a Manchu-style bedchamber where a nervous Puyi was expected to spend his wedding night before he fled to more comfortable rooms elsewhere.

At the rear of the inner court is the elaborate Yu Huayuan (Imperial Garden), a marvelous scattering of ancient conifers, rockeries, and pavilions, largely unchanged since it was built in the Ming dynasty. The crags allowed court ladies, who spent their lives inside the Inner Court, a glimpse of the world outside. Puyi's British tutor, Reginald Fleming Johnston, lived in the Yangxin Zhai, the first building on the west side of the garden (now a tea shop).

From behind the mountain, you can exit the palace through the Shenwu Men (Gate of Martial Spirit) and continue on to Jing Shan and/or Bei Hai Park. Those with time to spare, however, should take the opportunity to explore less-visited sections on either side of the central path.

Western Axis

Most of this area is in a state of heavy disrepair, but a few buildings have been restored and are open to visitors. Most notable among these is the Yangxin Dian (Hall of Mental Cultivation), southwest of the Imperial Garden. The reviled Empress Dowager Cixi, who ruled China for much of the late Qing period, made decisions on behalf of her infant nephew, the Guangxu emperor, from behind a screen in the east room. This is also where emperors lived after Yongzheng moved out of the Qianqing Gong.

Eastern Axis

This side tends to be peaceful and quiet even when other sections are teeming. Entrance costs ¥10 ($1.25) and requires purchase of useless over-shoe slippers which quickly disintegrate (¥2/30¢). The most convenient ticket booth is 5 minutes' walk southwest of the Qianqing Men, opposite Jiulong Bi (Nine Dragon Screen), a 3.5m-high (11 1/2-ft.) wall covered in striking glazed-tile dragons depicted frolicking above a frothing sea, built to protect the Qianlong emperor from prying eyes and malevolent spirits (that are only able to move in straight lines). The Qianlong emperor (reign 1736-1795) abdicated at the age of 85, and this section was built for his retirement, although he never really moved in, continuing to "mentor" his son while living in the Yangxin Dian, a practice later adopted by Empress Dowager Cixi, who also partially took up residence here in 1894.

Zhenbao Guan (Hall of Jewelry), just north of the ticket booth, has all 25 of the Qing imperial seals, ornate swords, and bejeweled minipagodas -- evidence that the Qing emperors were devoted to Tibetan Buddhism. One of the highlights is the secluded Ningshou Gong Huayuan, where the Qianlong emperor was meant to spend his retirement. Water was directed along a snakelike trough carved in the floor of the main pavilion. A cup of wine would be floated down the miniature stream, and the person nearest wherever it stopped would have to compose a poem, or drink the wine. The Qianlong emperor, whose personal compendium of verse ran to a modest 50,000 poems, was seldom short of words.

East of the garden is the Changyin Ge, sometimes called Cixi's Theater, an elaborate green-tiled three-tiered structure with trap doors and hidden passageways to allow movement between stages. Further north is sumptuous Leshou Tang, built entirely from sandalwood, where the Qianlong emperor would read, surrounded by poems and paintings composed by loyal ministers set into the walls and framed by blue cloisonne tablets. Cixi slept in the room to the west. The following hall, Yihe Xuan, is not a good place to bring friends from Mongolia or Xinjiang. The west wall has an essay justifying the Qianlong emperor's decision to colonize the latter, while the east wall has a poem celebrating the invasion of Mongolia. In the far northeastern corner is Zhen Fei Jing (Well of the Pearl Concubine), a surprisingly narrow hole covered by a large circle of stone. The Pearl Concubine, one of the Guangxu emperor's favorites, was 25 when Cixi had her stuffed down the well by a eunuch as they were fleeing in the aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion. According to most accounts, Cixi was miffed at the girl's insistence that Guangxu stay and take responsibility for the imperial family's support of the Boxers.

Also worth seeing is the Hall of Clocks (Zhongbiao Guan), a collection of timepieces, many of them gifts to the emperors from European envoys. Entrance to the exhibit costs ¥10 ($1.25).