For Hundreds of Years Covered Up, This Is the Secret Within Beijing's Forbidden City

 

Friends, have you heard or read about the Forbidden City?

The Forbidden City is not just a place name that is told in fairy tales and children's animated cartoons.

As it turns out, the Forbidden City in the real world really exists, and it is located in the center of Beijing City, China.

In fairy tales, the Forbidden City is described as a place that certain circles cannot reach, the general public does not visit, and seems mysterious.

Does the Forbidden City in Beijing have the same characteristics as the image of the Forbidden City in fairy tales? 

Come on, find out interesting facts!

Why is it called the Forbidden City?

According to National Geographic, the Forbidden City is considered the largest palace complex in the world.

The area is known to accommodate 50 palaces as large as Buckingham Palace, England, which contains a total of 775 rooms. Wow, how wide!

Historically, the Forbidden City served as the seat of the Chinese empire between 1420 and 1912.

The Forbidden City was built by Emperor Yongle, ruler of the third Ming Dynasty (1403-1424).

Various sources state that the construction of the Forbidden City required 100,000 artisans and one million workers to complete the palace complex in 14 years.

In Chinese, the Forbidden City is called Zijincheng, which means "purple forbidden city".

According to Chinese culture, purple is considered auspicious and symbolizes immortality.

The palace complex of the Forbidden City has been used as a home and seat of power by 24 rulers.

The rulers consisted of 14 rulers from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and 10 rulers from the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Forbidden City is called forbidden because the area is forbidden to most royal families.

Government officials and the imperial family were even only given limited access within the area.

The entire area of the Forbidden City may only be freely visited by the reigning Emperor.

Secrets within the Forbidden City

In fact, the total area of the Forbidden City is known to be 720,000 square meters.

It contains 980 buildings with 9,999 rooms. In Chinese culture, the number 9,999 is a lucky number.

Pronounced in Chinese, the number is the same as the Chinese word for "eternal".

The Forbidden City has nine zones, which include the waiting room, the empress's room, and the library.

Before entering the palace, we will pass through the largest field or square in the world called Tian An Men.

After entering the main gate, there is a building consisting of five bridges.

The bridge in the middle may only be passed by the king, while the bridges on the left and right are passed by royal relatives.

Meanwhile, for those who do not have a relationship with the king, must pass through the bridge that is on the outer side.

UNESCO says that the Forbidden City is the largest collection of ancient wooden structures in the world.

The Forbidden City was also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 as the Royal Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.