The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace for the Ming and Qing Dynasty. It served as the home of the Chinese Emperor. (It is a must see for your China vacations)
The English name,”the Forbidden City”, is a translation of the Chinese name Zijin Cheng. “Zi” is purple, means elegant and in behalf of the place where the emperor lives. “Jin” is the like English word “forbidden” and it means “No one is allowed to enter or leave this city without the Emperor’s permission”. “Cheng” is city.
The forbidden city is amazing, bloods and loves are still hidden there. It is a lovely place to explore. The attraction of China comes from the unique Chinese culture and lifestyle. This city is a place where you can really feel this kind of unique attraction.
Now the Forbidden City is known as the Palace Museum or Gugong in China. It is the world’s largest palace complex and covers 74 hectares.
There are two parts for the Forbidden City: Outer Court and Inner Court. The Outer Court was the place where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation while the Inner Court was where he lived with his family. Since yellow is the symbol of the royal family, the civilians are not allowed to use this color in the close, house decoration, etc. In the forbidden city, yellow is the dominant color. Roofs are built with yellow tiles; decorations are painted yellow.
Nowadays, the Forbidden City is not a forbidden place anymore. It is open to the tourists all over the world and is one of the most popular tourist attractions world-wide. The admission fee is 40 RMB (Nov.1 to Mar. 31), 60 RMB(Apr. 1 to Oct. 31), (you can get 50% off if you can show them your student ID), the Openning Hours are: 8:30 am to 4:20 pm (Oct.16 to Apr. 15), 8:30 am to 5:00 pm(Apr.16 to Oct. 15). Usually it takes 3 hours to visit the whole Forbidden City.
Travel tips: (For your China vacations)
1. Forbidden City is a must see when traveling in Beijing and it is also very crowded because of this. The best time to visit this place is from late March to early June and from late August to late November. You also need to choose non-weekdays or holidays.
2. There are audio guide devices available for the tourists. (Chinese, Cantonese, English, French, Japanese, German, Korean, Russian, Thai, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic and Italian) It can be rented from the tour guide service at Wumen and the Shenwu Men. The cost is 40 RMB.
3. Tour guides are available too. (English and Japanese-speaking)
4. The tourist service center is located at the Jianting.