The Palace Museum

故宫博物院

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Synopsis

The Palace Museum is located in the Forbidden City in Beijing. It served as the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Construction began in 1406, covering an area of 720,000 square meters with over 70 palaces and 9,000 rooms. Twenty-four emperors once ruled from here. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and houses a collection of over 1.86 million cultural relics. It is the world's largest and most completely preserved ancient palatial architectural complex.

Overview

The Palace Museum is located in the center of Beijing and is the former imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties, known as the Forbidden City. Construction of the Forbidden City began in the fourth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming dynasty (1406) and was completed 14 years later in the eighteenth year of the Yongle reign (1420). It covers an area of approximately 720,000 square meters, with a building area of about 150,000 square meters, containing over 70 palaces and more than 9,000 rooms. From the time Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di) moved the capital to Beijing until the abdication of the last emperor Puyi at the end of the Qing dynasty, a total of 24 emperors lived and ruled here. In 1987, the Forbidden City was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Palace Museum was officially established and opened to the public in 1925. Today, it receives over 19 million visitors annually, making it one of the most visited museums in the world.

The Forbidden City is the world's largest and best-preserved ancient palace complex and represents the pinnacle of ancient Chinese palatial architecture. The entire palace is symmetrically arranged along Beijing's central axis and is divided into two main parts: the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The Outer Court centers on the Three Great Halls—the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony—and was where the emperor held grand ceremonies and conducted state affairs. The Inner Court centers on the Three Rear Palaces—the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility—along with the Six Eastern and Western Palaces, and served as the living quarters for the emperor, empress, and concubines.

Core Buildings

Building	Purpose	Features
Hall of Supreme Harmony	Holding grand ceremonies	Largest existing wooden hall structure in China
Hall of Central Harmony	Emperor's rest and preparation	Pyramidal roof with four corners, exquisite and elegant
Hall of Preserving Harmony	Banqueting foreign envoys, holding imperial examinations	Features the largest imperial stone carving in the Forbidden City at its rear
Palace of Heavenly Purity	Emperor's residence	Houses the "Zheng Da Guang Ming" plaque
Palace of Earthly Tranquility	Empress's residence	Converted into a place for sacrificial rituals during the Qing dynasty
Imperial Garden	Imperial garden	Artificial hills, rare stones, ancient and famous trees

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, also known as the Throne Hall, is the largest hall in the Forbidden City and the largest existing wooden structure in China. The hall is 35.05 meters high, 63.96 meters wide, and 37.17 meters deep. Its double-eave hip-and-gable roof is supported by 72 large pillars, creating a majestic atmosphere. The Hall of Supreme Harmony was where the emperor held major ceremonies such as enthronements, weddings, investitures, and military appointments, symbolizing the highest authority of imperial power.

Collection of Cultural Relics

The Palace Museum currently houses a total collection of over 1.86 million items (sets), including approximately 8,000 first-grade cultural relics. The collection spans 25 categories, including painting, calligraphy, ceramics, bronze ware, jade, enamelware, and clocks. The painting collection is particularly precious, containing many national treasures such as "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains," "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," and "Five Oxen." The museum's ceramic collection comprises about 360,000 pieces, covering a complete sequence from the Neolithic Age to modern times. The Clock Gallery houses around 1,500 Chinese and foreign clocks, with those made by the Qing imperial workshops and those from Britain and France being the most exquisite.

Practical Information

Item	Details
Ticket	Peak season: 60 RMB; Off-peak season: 40 RMB
Opening Hours	8:30 to 17:00 (Closed on Mondays)
Reservation	Real-name reservation required in advance on the official website
Transportation	Tian'anmen East Station or Tian'anmen West Station on Subway Line 1
Suggested Visit Duration	3 to 5 hours
Special Exhibitions	Separate tickets required for the Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery

Cultural Significance

The Forbidden City is not only a magnificent architectural complex but also a microcosm of China's 5,000-year-old civilization. In terms of architectural layout, the Forbidden City strictly adheres to the traditional Chinese concept of axial symmetry. The arrangement of the Outer Court in the front and the Inner Court at the back reflects Confucian ritualistic principles. In terms of architectural details, the number of roof ridge ornaments, the arrangement of door nails, and the hierarchy of decorative paintings all follow strict regulations, reflecting the rigid feudal order at every turn.

As China's largest comprehensive museum, the Palace Museum undertakes the important missions of cultural relic preservation, academic research, and public education. In recent years, through cultural and creative products, digital displays, and variety shows, the Palace Museum has successfully introduced traditional culture to younger audiences, becoming a model for cultural innovation in China. In 2019, the number of visitors to the Palace Museum exceeded 19 million, setting a global record for museum attendance.