The evolution of The Forbidden City

from fortress and city of kings to a tourist attraction

The Forbidden City evolved from its initial use to a tourist attraction over a very long
period of time. In 1406 when Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty ordered the Forbidden
City built.
In late feudal China, the Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing dynasties in Beijing
and Shenyang served as the focal point of State authority. The Ming emperor Yongle built the
Forbidden City between 1406 and 1420. In the next 505 years, there were 14 Ming emperors
and 10 Qing emperors. The complex has 980 buildings with 8,886 rooms spread across
720,000 m2. The palace has inspired cultural and architectural advancements in East Asia
and worldwide by exemplifying the lavishness of the Chinese emperor's homes and
traditional Chinese palatial architecture. One of the biggest and best-preserved old wooden
buildings in the world is the Forbidden City in Beijing. In 1961, it was included in the first
group of national important cultural treasures. 1
With the establishment of the new Republic of China under Sun Yat-sen in 1912, the
Forbidden City lost its status as the residence of the emperor after having housed 24
monarchs, including 14 of the Ming Dynasty and 10 of the Qing Dynasty. Officially, the
Qing Empire was overthrown. 2
The Forbidden City was off-limits to visitors until 1912 unless they had the Emperor's
permission. After Emperor Puyi abdicated in 1912, the Forbidden City's outer court was
made public as part of a deal with the new Republic of China administration.3 Because of the
importance of this amazing part of Beijing, the transition was very hard to be made in the
matter of opening such a treasure to the eyes of the world.
The "Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties," the Forbidden City was
designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987 because of its pivotal role in the
advancement of Chinese architecture and culture.4
Yellow rooftops are present. Yellow, which is associated with the earth element in
Chinese philosophy's five elements, is positioned in the middle of the picture, signifying the
emperor's sovereignty.5
1
Lotha, Gloria, Virginia Gorlinski, Shweta Gupta, and Parul Jain, “Ming Dynasty Dates, Achievements, Culture,
& Facts.”
2
Lotha, Gloria, Virginia Gorlinski, Shweta Gupta, and Parul Jain, “Ming Dynasty Dates, Achievements, Culture,
& Facts.”
3
Hays, “Forbidden City: Its History, Treasures, Tourism And Issues Facts and Details.”
4
Heritage Centre, “Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang.”
5
Hays, “Forbidden City: Its History, Treasures, Tourism And Issues Facts and Details.”

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 Within The Forbidden City, there is The Temple of Heaven. It is an axial arrangement
of a Circular Mound Altar to the south open to the sky with the conically roofed Imperial
Vault of Heaven immediately to its north. This is linked by a raised sacred way to the
circular, three-tiered, conically roofed Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests further to the north.6
Here at these places the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties as interlocutors between
humankind and the celestial realm offered sacrifice to heaven and prayed for bumper
harvests.7 To the west is the Hall of Abstinence where the emperor fasted after making a
sacrifice.8 A double-walled, pine-tree-lined enclosure surrounds the whole structure. The
Divine Music Administration Hall and the structure that served as the Stables for Sacrificial
Animals are located to the west between the inner and outer walls. There are 600 rooms
spread among 92 historic buildings on the property. It is the largest extant architectural
complex in the world for offering sacrifice to heaven and the most comprehensive imperial
sacrificial complex still in use in China.9 The first Altar of Heaven and Earth, which is
situated south of the Forbidden City on the east side of Yongnei Dajie, was finished in 1420,
the eighth year of the Ming Emperor Yongle's reign, along with the Forbidden City. The
Circular Mound Altar was constructed to the south of the main hall for sacrifices made only
to heaven in the ninth year of Emperor Jiajing's reign (1530). This choice was made to make
distinct sacrifices to heaven and earth. Thus, in the thirteenth year of Emperor Jiajing's rule,
the Altar of Heaven and Earth has renamed the Temple of Heaven. The emperor served as the
"Son of Heaven," and the temple's placement, planning, and architectural design, as well as
the sacrifice ceremony and related music, were all based on prehistoric ideas that connected
numbers and spatial organization to beliefs about heaven and its relationship to people on
earth. Other dynasties also constructed altars for the worship of heaven, but Beijing's Temple
of Heaven is considered the pinnacle of ancient Chinese culture and the most emblematic
example of the country's myriad sacrifice structures.10
The temple of heaven represents a great touristic attraction because of its rich history
and beautiful architecture. Because this is one of the biggest holy places in China and served
as the location where the monarch offered sacrifices to thank heaven for the harvest and to
pray for succeeding crops, tourists from all over the world come to see this wonder and visit
it in enormous numbers. An important cosmogony for the development of one of the world's
greatest civilizations is simply and beautifully illustrated in The Temple of Heaven, a marvel
of architectural and landscape design.11
Currently, the Forbidden City is being preserved and restored by the Palace Museum.
There are limitations on building heights close to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City's
structures will be repaired and returned to their pre-1912 condition over the course of a
sixteen-year restoration project that began in 2005.12 Sections of the Forbidden City are being
gradually closed off for inspection, maintenance, and restoration as part of the greatest
6
Heritage Centre, “Temple of Heaven; an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing.”
7
Heritage Centre, “Temple of Heaven; an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing.”
8
Heritage Centre, “Temple of Heaven; an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing.”
9
Huang, “The Temple of Heaven: History, Architecture.”
10
Heritage Centre, “Temple of Heaven; an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing.”
11
Huang, “The Temple of Heaven: History, Architecture.”
12
Lotha, Gloria, Virginia Gorlinski, Shweta Gupta, and Parul Jain, “Ming Dynasty Dates, Achievements, Culture, &
Facts.”

2
Forbidden City restoration project in two centuries. Some abandoned or ruined areas are
being reconstructed as part of the project. The Palace of Establishing Prosperity's grounds
were reconstructed in 2005 after being damaged by fire in 1923. The structures are used by
visiting dignitaries, and the inside was likewise created distinctly. A region with traditional
Chinese architecture that is surrounded on three sides by red walls. All have screened
windows and doors, and there is one even taller one beyond the back wall. Tables are in the
center, and in the Six Western Palaces' right foreground are an ice cream truck and a food
court.13
Despite efforts to stop the palace from being overly commercialized, several
businesses like gift stores and picture booths do exist. These for-profit endeavors frequently
spark debate. Objections were raised when a Starbucks location first opened in 2000, and it
finally shut down on July 13, 2007. Chinese media also reported on two souvenir stores that
turned away Chinese nationals in 2006. The intention, according to the allegations, was to
maintain a situation where outsiders may become the targets of price gouging. The Palace
Museum pledged to investigate the situation.14
In the Forbidden City, there are currently more than 100 cats residing there. Tourists
could run into some of them when you go to the Forbidden City. Despite the dissolution of
the dynasties, the cats stayed in the Forbidden City for ages. As a result, some cats in the
Forbidden City are descended from those royal cats. Others are stray cats that have made
their way into the Forbidden City from elsewhere. These cats will circle a certain area, look
out for mice, and patrol every nook and cranny. They are a formidable guard for the
Forbidden City.15
The forbidden city is and remains one of the best locations for tourists, because of its
rich and extensive history but also for the architecture of this wonder of the world. Millions
of visitors come to witness this creation since its opening as a public museum in 1925.
Unfortunately, till this day, a great part of this historical treasure remains off-limits to visitors
from all over the world. Even though China opened a lot to the public and to tourism, it
remains a country that has a communist political ideology. We can be grateful for being able
to visit this ancient architectural masterpiece and hope for improvement over the years.
In conclusion, besides the magnificence of this architectural masterpiece and its long
history, The Forbidden City is the greatest location to view China's imperial treasures and
antiques, except for paintings and a few magnificent imperial relics that are in Taipei's
National Museum. Also, The Forbidden City is home to the biggest collection of intact
medieval wooden buildings in the whole globe. Even though 40% of The Forbidden City has
restricted access, its historical heritage, and its magnificence make this, in my opinion, one of
the world's wonders.

13
Peng, “The Forbidden City China Khan Academy.”
14
Hays, “Forbidden City: Its History, Treasures, Tourism And Issues Facts and Details.”
15
Cindy, “Forbidden City.”

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 Bibliography

Cindy. “Forbidden City.” Forbidden City: Highlights, Secret of the Name, December 2021.
https://www.chinahighlights.com/beijing/forbidden-city/forbidden-city-facts.htm.

Hamill, Jim. “Beijing History.” JIM HAMILL, n.d. http://www.jimhamill.com/beijing.html.

Hays, Jeffrey. “Forbidden City: Its History, Treasures, Tourism And Issues Facts and
Details.” Forbidden City: Its History, Treasures, Tourism And Issues Facts and Details,
August 2021. https://factsanddetails.com/china/cat15/sub94/item429.html.

Heritage Centre. UNESCO World. “Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in
Beijing and Shenyang.” Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and
Shenyang - UNESCO World Heritage Centre, n.d. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/439/.

Heritage Centre. UNESCO World. “Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in

Beijing.” Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing - UNESCO World
Heritage Centre, 2009 https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/881/.

Huang, Kimi. “The Temple of Heaven: History, Architecture.” The Temple of Heaven:
History, Architecture, 2021. https://www.chinahighlights.com/beijing/attraction/temple-of-
heaven.htm.

Kuiper, Kathleen , Marco Sampaolo, and Kathleen Sheetz. “Temple of Heaven Building
Complex, Beijing, China.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Temple-of-Heaven.

Lotha, Gloria, Virginia Gorlinski, Shweta Gupta, and Parul Jain. “Ming Dynasty Dates,
Achievements, Culture, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 2006.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ming-dynasty-Chinese-history.

4
Peng, Ying-chen . “The Forbidden City China Khan Academy.” Khan Academy.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/south-east-se-asia/china-art/a/
forbidden-city.