Construction of the Imperial Palace in Beijing, also known as the Forbidden City, began in 1406 during the reign of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty. The construction lasted until 1420, taking exactly 16 years. From here, 24 Chinese emperors ruled subsequently.
The entire complex covers an area of 780,000 square meters, making it the largest and best-preserved ancient imperial palace complex in the world.
The Forbidden City is laid out as a rectangle, with a gate on each of its four sides. The main buildings are aligned along the central axis running from east to west. The southern part of the complex (Qianchao) was designated for governmental affairs, while the northern part was the residential area. Qianchao served as the site for court ceremonies. The most important buildings here are the three halls: Taihe, Zhonghe, and Baohe. Of these, Taihe, the "Hall of Supreme Harmony," is the most significant. It is the hall with the strongest symbolic character, which is why it was built higher than the other buildings, in accordance with Chinese notions of hierarchy. Imperial enthronements and grand weddings, among other ceremonies, were held here. The residential area for the emperor, the empress, and the concubines was called Houqin. Ancestral sacrifices, religious ceremonies, and daily affairs were conducted here. Houqin mainly consists of the three palaces: Qianqing, Jiaotai, and Kunning. The walls of all these buildings are red, and their roof tiles are golden yellow. They symbolize old feudal China.
At each of the four corners of the palace grounds stands a corner tower, which served as a watchtower. The entire palace complex is surrounded by a ten-meter-high wall and a 52-meter-wide moat.
The Shenyang Imperial Palace is located in the city of Shenyang, Liaoning Province. It is the only palace of local rulers in China who were not of Han nationality. Today, 114 different ancient buildings still exist. It is the only palace complex where architectural and artistic styles of the Han Chinese, Mongols, Tibetans, and Manchus are combined.
The Imperial Palace has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
