The Forbidden City

By Sally Franz

The Forbidden City is the very center of Beijing circled by no less than eight concentric ring roads. The City itself is circled by a wide moat. The dirt from the moat was piled up across from the North Gate and is now a formidable hill known as Jingshan Park. The Forbidden City was built on a site belonging to the Mongol Yuan dynasty for Kublai Khan’s palace. The formal construction of the edifice we all know began in 1368 with the Ming dynasty under Emperor Zhui Di. Next was the Qing dynasty started in 1644. The last emperor of The Forbidden City, Aisin Gioro Puyi, was during 1911. He died in 1967. Each of the 24 Emperors added buildings and renovations. It has been expertly restored under the current government. In 1987 it became a UNESCO World Heritage site.

You enter the Forbidden City through the South Gate and exit the North Gate. You may approach the South Gate through a massive wall across from Tiananmen Square into a wide plaza or from entrances at the southern edges of the moat. You purchase tickets on the west side of the plaza just outside the grand entrance. Then proceed through the horseshoe shaped 38 meter high Meridian Gate. Just inside you will cross the marble bridges over the Jade Ribbon River into the Outer Court.

Before you are The Hall of Supreme Harmony, then The Hall of Middle Harmony and finally The Hall Preserving Harmony. But before you venture too far, check out the cultural exhibits inside the Meridian Gallery. And you may want to go east to the Hall of Literary Brilliance and check out the rare ceramics display. There are 400 pieces, some dating back 6,000 years. The Hall of Martial Valor houses paintings and calligraphy.

Now onward to the three great Halls of Harmony. The first holds the famous Dragon throne, the middle one was for staging major events, and the final one was a banquet room. Leaving this is a 250 ton marble one piece sculpted relief known as The Imperial Carriage way that was dragged from the mountain quarry to Beijing in winter on ice. Outer halls to the left and right of the grand Outer Court were used to store silks, carpets, etc. Look for the Hall of Clocks which houses clocks given to emperors from other countries; especially the one story water clock. Also the courtyard holds carvings of a tortoise and a lovely sundial. From there you proceed to the Gate of Heavenly Purity flanked by lions and huge copper vats filled with water to put out fires.

The next group of buildings found in the Inner Court were smaller and used primarily as the living quarters for the Emperor and his family. You reach these through a Pavilion named Gate of Heavenly Purity. The residence pavilions are named: Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Union and Peace, and Palace of Earthly Tranquility. This last one was used as a honeymoon chamber with ornate silks and carpets.

Within the walls of the Inner Court left and right of the main entrances are pavilions with names such as: The Gate of Mental Cultivation and a hall of the same name, Palace of Gathering Excellence, Palace of Complete Happiness, Palace of Eternal Spring, Pavilion of Rain and Flower, and so that you don’t O.D. on the euphoria, The Palace of Abstinence. It reads like a new-age course schedule at Esalen Institute.

Your next passage is through The Gate of Earthly Tranquility. With yet another mid-sized Gate of the Heaven’s First Creation. There are so many gates I felt like a croquet ball going through wickets. But at long last you will find yourself in The Imperial Gardens. I’d recommend you go through every doorway, pathway and “wicket” you can find. Taking a left (west) will get you to the massive wisteria and old cypresses garden. Also look for the Hill of Gathered Excellence of Imperial Scenery. Don’t leave this area until you have seen as many of the side palaces east and west as you can take. Most have viewing windows into rooms of ceramics and silk festooned beds.

One last Gate with galleries is The Gate of Compliance and Faith. Your exit is through the Gate of Martial Spirit, which crosses a huge bridge over the moat. Before you exit you can climb up and walk along the massive outer walls and look back over the Forbidden City imagining it in its heyday. Alas, the regular tourist was not allowed anywhere near the place then, so I am glad it is no longer forbidden. 

Sally Franz and her third husband live on the Olympic Peninsula. She has two daughters, a stepson, and three grandchildren. Sally is the author of several humor books including Scrambled Leggs: A Snarky Tale of Hospital Hooey and The Baby Boomer’s Guide to Menopause. She hosts a local radio humor segment, “Baby Boomer Humor with Sassy Sally”.