the Forbidden City
Gugong, also known as the Forbidden City, is located in the heart of Beijing, China. It is the royal palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and one of the largest and most well-preserved groups of ancient wooden structures in the world. It was built during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, and has survived hundreds of years of wind and rain, witnessed the rise and fall of twenty-four emperors, and carries a profound historical and cultural heritage. The Forbidden City covers an area of about 720,000 square metres, with a building area of about 150,000 square metres, more than seventy palaces of various sizes and more than 9,000 houses, with a rigorous layout, clear axes, and various types of palaces, gardens and places of worship distributed symmetrically on the east and west sides, embodying the essence and splendour of the ancient Chinese palace architecture.
Walking in the Forbidden City, red walls, yellow tiles, splendid and magnificent, every brick and tile reveals the majesty and dignity of the Royal Family. Walking in from the Meridian Gate, passing through the solemnity of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving of Harmony, and then to the serenity and elegance of the Harem, it is as if travelling back to that distant and mysterious imperial era. The Forbidden City is not only a treasure of ancient Chinese architectural art, but also a microcosm of China's 5,000 years of civilisation, attracting countless Chinese and foreign tourists to come and visit, and to feel the cultural charm across time and space.
