The Forbidden City: Beijing's Imperial Palace Complex, Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The **Forbidden City (Zijin Cheng / 故宫)** is a vast palace complex in central Beijing, China, that served as the imperial palace and political center for the **Ming (1420–1644) and Qing (1644–1912) dynasties**—nearly 500 years.

What It Is

• Scale: 980 buildings, 8,886 rooms, 72 hectares (178 acres).
• Layout: Strict north-south axis; Outer Court (ceremonial: Hall of Supreme Harmony, etc.), Inner Court (residential: Palace of Heavenly Purity, etc.).
• Defenses: 10-m high walls, 52-m wide moat, four corner towers, four gates (Meridian Gate south, Gate of Divine Might north).
• Name: "Forbidden" = commoners forbidden entry without permission.

Location

• Address: 4 Jingshan Front St, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China.
• Coordinates: 39°54′54″N 116°23′27″E.
• Landmarks: Just north of **Tiananmen Square** (Gate of Heavenly Peace); opposite the **National Centre for the Performing Arts** ("The Giant Egg").

Historical Highlights

• 1420: Yongle Emperor occupies completed palace.
• 1644: Last Ming emperor suicides; Qing enters.
• 1860: Anglo-French forces occupy; Summer Palaces burned.
• 1912: Puyi abdicates; remains in Inner Court until 1924.
• 1925: Palace Museum established.
• 1987: UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Today

World's most visited museum (19M+ pre-COVID). Houses 1.8M+ artifacts (paintings, ceramics, bronzes, jade, clocks, imperial treasures). Ongoing conservation. Symbol of Chinese civilization's continuity and imperial grandeur.