Decoding the Forbidden City: Your Ultimate Guide to Beijing’s Top Tourist Attractions

Explore the Forbidden City: A Complete Guide to Beijing’s Must-See Tourist Attractions

Look north from Tiananmen Square. The crimson walls of the Palace Museum, or “Forbidden City” as it is known in the West, stand like a three-dimensional history book, quietly telling six hundred years of Eastern stories.

As the world’s largest wooden palace complex housing a million artifacts, this architectural wonder is the key to understanding Eastern civilization for global travelers visiting Beijing tourist attractions.

Item	Content
Location	Dongcheng District, Beijing, China
Open Hours	08:30 – 17:00 (last entry 16:10, varies by season)
Best Time to Visit	Spring (Apr–May), Autumn (Sep–Oct)
Duration	3–4 hours (main tour), full exploration 5–6 hours
Tickets	Adult: ¥60, Child/Senior: ¥30 (seasonal variations may apply)
Highlights	Hall of Supreme Harmony, Imperial Garden, Treasure Gallery, Meridian Gate

Forbidden City Architecture: A 600-Year Masterpiece of Chinese Design

The Forbidden City covers 720,000 square meters—about the size of 100 football fields. Its design hides a complex triple cosmology:

• The Digital Code: The 9,999.5 rooms correspond to the heavenly number of the “Nine-Five Supremacy” (the Emperor). The 28 pillars on each of the four corner towers represent the Twenty-Eight Mansions of the stars. This design, predating Versailles by 200 years, shows a more precise cosmic mathematics.
• The Spatial Narrative: The Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihe Dian) on the central axis uses the chongyan wudian roof—the highest style in ancient Chinese architecture. Inside, the floor is made of “golden bricks” baked through 29 steps. Tapping them produces a metallic sound. This craft has been passed down in Suzhou for 600 years, offering a fascinating contrast to the marble floors of the Doge’s Palace in Venice.
• Defensive Wisdom: The 720,000-square-meter city only has four gates. The moat is 52 meters wide and 6 meters deep, forming a “giant water-and-land fortress.” The structure of the Corner Tower (nine beams, eighteen pillars) was praised by architect Liang Sicheng as the “pinnacle of Chinese city planning,” exceeding the complexity of the Moscow Kremlin.

Forbidden City Artifacts: Explore China’s Priceless Cultural Treasures

The 1.86 million artifacts offer a tangible history of China, including several internationally recognizable “cultural IPs”:

• A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains: This 11.9-meter-long blue-green landscape painting is 20 times larger than the Mona Lisa. The mineral pigment technique used by 18-year-old Wang Ximeng has never been fully cracked. Western art historians call it “12th-century nano-art.”
• Jade Mountain of Great Yu Taming the Waters: This jade carving weighs 5 tons. The raw material came from Hetian, Xinjiang, and was carved by Yangzhou artisans over 10 years. Its sheer size surpasses the British Museum’s Rosetta Stone, showcasing the Qianlong Emperor’s ambition to “gather the world’s finest craftsmanship into one object.”
• Mechanical Clocks: An 18th-century gilded copper automaton clock was specially made for Emperor Qianlong in England. Its mechanical figure can write the Chinese characters meaning “all directions are transformed, and nine lands come to the king.” This blend of “steampunk” aesthetics and Eastern calligraphy emerged a half-century before the rise of the Swiss watch industry.

Things to Do in the Forbidden City: Routes, Tips, and Must-See Highlights

• Booking Strategy: The official website supports 10 languages for reservations. A peak-season ticket, including the Treasure Gallery, is only 80 RMB (about $11 USD)—roughly one-third the price of a standard Louvre ticket.
• Route Design Logic: Get the maximum cultural density in the least amount of time.

Forbidden City Power Line Route: Discover Imperial Authority in 3 Hours

• Core Value: Deciphering the physical embodiment of China’s two-thousand-year-old imperial system.
• Route: Meridian Gate (Wu Men) → Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihe Dian) → Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing Gong) → Grand Council Office (Junji Chu).
• Key Highlights:
  • Meridian Gate: The only gate that keeps its original Ming Dynasty appearance. The Yan Chi Lou (Wings) were where the emperor issued edicts.
  • Taihe Dian: The sword marks on the bronze cauldron (left by the Li Zicheng uprising) tell the physical story of dynastic change.
  • Qianqing Gong: The secret box for selecting the heir behind the “Justice and Brightness” plaque shows how power was passed down, contrasting with the state banquets of Buckingham Palace.
  • Junji Chu: Shows the ultimate centralization of monarchical power, which you can contrast with 18th-century British East India Company documents.

Forbidden City Daily Life Route: Experience Palace Life in 4 Hours

• Core Value: Restoring the actual scenes of court life and breaking the stereotype that “the Forbidden City equals serious politics.”
• Route: Palace of Ci Ning (Cining Gong) → Palace of Longevity and Good Health (Shoukang Gong) → Icehouse Restaurant.
• Key Highlights:
  • Cining Gong: The exhibited silver hairpin of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang can be compared to Marie Antoinette’s jewelry collection at Versailles.
  • Shoukang Gong: The restored bedroom of Qianlong’s mother features Western clocks sitting beside Manchu Shamanic ritual objects, showcasing cultural fusion.
  • Icehouse Restaurant: Enjoy “icy sour plum juice” using a palace archive recipe, offering a contrast to 19th-century British afternoon tea culture.

Top Things to Do in the Forbidden City

• Walk the Main Halls: Start at the Meridian Gate and visit the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central Harmony, and Hall of Preserving Harmony.
• Explore the Imperial Garden: A peaceful retreat filled with pavilions, rockeries, and ancient trees.
• Visit the Treasure Gallery and Clock Exhibition: See exquisite artifacts, ancient timepieces, and imperial treasures.
• Climb the Watchtowers: For panoramic views of the palace layout and surrounding Beijing cityscape.
• Photograph the Courtyards at Sunrise or Sunset: The light enhances the golden roofs and red walls dramatically.

Why the Forbidden City Remains Beijing’s Premier Tourist Attraction

The Forbidden City is not only a centerpiece of Beijing’s heritage but also a hub connecting visitors to other iconic sites:

• Tian’anmen Square: Just south of the Meridian Gate
• Jingshan Park: Offers a hilltop view over the entire palace complex
• National Museum of China: Located nearby for complementary cultural insight

Walking through the Forbidden City is more than sightseeing—it’s a journey through centuries of Chinese history, architecture, and culture. Every hall and courtyard invites reflection on imperial power and artistic brilliance.

FAQs about Forbidden City