Palace Museum-Forbidden City

The Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, is the royal palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties and is also a symbol and symbol of ancient China. When you are in the high-walled courtyard, you can truly feel the glory of its past. The long history has left a large number of precious buildings and countless cultural relics, and it has become the main attraction of today’s Beijing.

The Forbidden City is an ancient building with a very complete and large scale of wood structure in China and the world. These splendid buildings can be divided into two parts: “outside” and “inner”. The outer court in the south is the place where the emperor handles government affairs. The north is the inner court, and the harem is the residence of the emperor. Walking through the various halls and enjoying the flowers and plants in the emperor’s royal garden, it feels like you have crossed over in time to another world.

Appreciate a large number of precious cultural relics

There are a large number of precious cultural relics in the Forbidden City. According to statistics, there are millions of pieces. It is divided into several exhibition halls depending on the type of cultural relics. Among them, the Treasure Hall and the Watch Museum are the most eye-catching. The Watch Museum has a timetable demonstration at 11:00 and 14:00 every day. You can see the unique and precious mechanical clocks of the Qing Dynasty collection, which will definitely open your eyes.

Suggested Route through the Palace Museum

The Forbidden City covers a wide area, with more than 70 palaces, large and small, with many sightseeing routes. If you want to take a good walk, you need to arrange a day. If you just take a look at the main palace, you can walk around in two hours.

Recommended route for two-hour tour:
If there are only two hours, it is recommended to visit along the central axis of the Forbidden City. The most scenic spots in the Forbidden City are basically on this line, and the walking time is relatively small.

1. Wumen-Taihemen-Hongyi Pavilion (Emperor’s Religious Exhibition)-Taihe Hall-Zhonghe Temple-Baohe Hall-Qianqingmen-Qianqinggong-Chengtai Temple-Kunning Palace-Yuyuan-Shenwu door

2. Wumen-Taihemen-Taihe Hall-Baohe Temple Xitun (Tianfu Yongzang Exhibition)-Baohe Diandong Temple (Miyazaki to the exhibition)-Zhonghe Temple- Baohe Hall-Qianqingmen-Dry Qing Palace – Jiao Tai Temple – Kunning Palace – Royal Garden – Shenwumen

Recommended route for half-day tour:
If you feel that the two-hour tour is not enough, you can also go to the courtyard of the East and West Palaces, where you once lived in the favor of Zijincheng. Or take a look at the Clock Museum and Treasure Hall to see the precious artifacts.

1. Wumen-Wenhua Hall (ceramic hall)-Taihemen-Taihe Hall-Zhonghe Temple-Baohe Hall-Fengxian Temple (Watch Museum)-Qingqing Palace-Chengtai Temple-Kunning Palace-Yangxin Temple – West Sixth District – Royal Garden – Shenwumen

2. Wumen-Wuying Hall (Painting and Painting Hall)-Taihemen-Taihe Hall-Zhonghe Temple-Baohe Temple-Qingqing Palace-Chengtai Temple-Kunning Palace-Dongliugong District-Zhaigong-Ningshou Palace Qianqian Dynasty (Zhenbao, Shigu 2) – Sleeping in Ningshou Palace (Jumbo, Opera 2 and Zhenjing) – Shenwumen

Recommended route for a day trip:
The day trip planning route includes almost all the important palaces and pavilions in the open areas of the Palace Museum, but you also need to pay attention to the use of time during the visit and choose the exhibition contents that you are interested in. If you are entangled everywhere, I am afraid that one day will also be not enough to see the scenery.

Wumen-Wuying Hall (Painting and Painting Hall)-Wenhua Hall (Ceramic Hall)-Taihemen-Taihe Hall-Zhonghe Temple-Baohe Temple-Qingqing Palace-Chengtai Temple-Kunning Palace-Yangxin Temple-West Liugong District – Royal Garden – Dongliugong District – Fengxian Temple (Watch Hall) – Ningshou Palace Area (Jumbo Museum, Opera House) – Shenwumen

 

 

Classic attractions

The Hall of Supreme Harmony – The place where the emperor held the ceremony
The Hall of Supreme Harmony, commonly known as the “Golden Temple”, is the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties held a grand ceremony.

Yang Xin Dian
Yang Xin Dian is divided into two halls. After the Qing Emperor Yongzheng, the emperor’s palace moved and the front hall became the place where the emperor handled daily government affairs and met with his ministers.

Jinshui Bridge – The most beautiful stone bridge in the Forbidden City
There are 5 Jinshui Bridges in the square in front of Taihe Gate. The shape is beautiful, and it is fascinating with the majestic Wumen Gate and the magnificent Taihe Temple.

Kunning Palace – Emperor’s wedding room
Kunning Palace is one of the three palaces in the inner court of the Forbidden City in Beijing. In the Ming Dynasty, Kunning Palace was the Queen’s palace, but it was gradually changed into a place of worship in the Qing Dynasty.

Baohe Temple – The place where the “temple test” was held
Baohe Temple is the essence of traditional Chinese palace architecture and belongs to a palace-style building in the Forbidden City in Beijing. On New Year’s Eve every year, the emperor is here to host the ministers of the minority ministers. Since the late Qianlong period, it has become a place for holding the “temple test”.

Treasure Hall – Unparalleled treasures of all kinds
Located in the Ningshou Palace area, the collection is extremely rich in treasures, including Buddhist supplies, accessories, household appliances and treasures. Among them, the red coral lion with a height of 14 cm, the Dongzhuzhuzhu with a length of 137 cm, and the golden “Fengtianzhibao” of 17.5 cm are all rare treasures.

Clock Museum – Beautifully styled watches and clocks
Located in the Palace of the First Hall. The watches on display are mostly British products, as well as watches from other Western countries such as France and Switzerland. In addition to the timing function, these watches, the decorative characters, birds, beasts, flowers, etc. will also make a variety of different movements, making it very delicate. There are clock shows at 11 and 14 every day, so don’t miss it.

Special Notes

1. Ticketing Guide: All tickets for the Forbidden City are pre-sold ten days in advance on the official website. There is no ticket window on the site. All online tickets are purchased, and real-name tickets are purchased. 2. Visiting route: The Forbidden City needs to be visited from south to north. Wumen is the only entrance and the exit is Shenwumen and Donghuamen. 3. Tour Guide Service: If you want to learn more about the history of the Forbidden City, you can rent a voice interpreter or hire a lecturer. The interpreter has 20 or 40 yuan. The interpreter service is 250 yuan for the whole process, 150 yuan for the middle and west roads, and 100 yuan for the middle road. If the number of people exceeds 5, the fee is 10 yuan/person. Free Chinese and English explanations are available in the exhibition halls such as the Treasure Hall, the Clock House, and the Painting and Calligraphy Hall. 4. Free storage: The Imperial Palace provides free deposit service. The deposited parcel is transferred between the Meridian Gate and the Shenwumen (that is, you can store the bag at the entrance of the Meridian Gate and take the bag at the exit of Shenwumen). The storage office is open from 8:30 to 18:00. 5. Nearby attractions: After the tour ends, after coming out of Shenwumen, the opposite is Jingshan Park. You can walk to Jingshan Park on foot or 600 meters to Beihai Park. There is a detailed Forbidden City guide including maps here.

 

Palace Museum Map

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Map

Gu Gong Bo Wu Yuan, Dongcheng Qu, Beijing Shi, China, 100006

Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing

97 Jinbao St Dongcheng District, 东单 Beijing, 北京市 China, 100005