A Visit to The Forbidden City in the Winter

Obert Reyes III
Jul 15, 2020
13 min read

Updated: Apr 9

Seeing "The Last Emperor" in my childhood days always made me dream of setting foot at the Imperial Palace of the Forbidden City, the 72 hectares museum which served as the state residence of the emperors from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. It has always felt like one of the most mysterious places, with only a handful of films ever made about its rise and downfall. Most documentaries I’ve seen never claim complete accuracy in their portrayal of the world’s largest imperial palace.

On my third day in Beijing, I was invited by my host to see him at the center of the city to visit Dongcheng District, known to be Beijing’s urban core, which houses the Old City. It is the home of the country’s many cultural attractions, which are popular destinations for most foreign visitors and domestic tourists, like the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and Temple of Heaven. My colleague (who is a local of Beijing) and I woke up early and left Jinjiang Inn in Fangshan District and drove 32 kilometers for over an hour to Shijingshan District. I booked a room in Lavande Hotel to stay for another 3 days.

FINDING THE HOME OF THE EMPERORS

The Palace Museum, as it is now more widely known, is located at the heart of downtown Beijing. And if you ask locals how to get to the world’s largest ancient palatial structure, you will always be told “just go downtown, and you’ll find it.” It seems easy to go around the city as long as you are within Beijing’s first 5 rings, since most of the tourist destinations you’d like to go to are interconnected by the city's 23 railway systems. Beijing is the country’s capital city; therefore, it is expected that this highly urbanized, industrialized city is densely populated, where traffic congestion is imminent. Tourists and foreign visitors like me are discouraged from traveling in private vehicles due to the heavy traffic. This prompted us to leave our car in the hotel so we could take the public railway transit to get to the train station at Tiananmen Square.

Lavande Hotel is strategically located right next to WuMart in Shijingshan Road, near Shougang Songlin Park and Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park. The hotel sits along Line 1 of Beijing Subway, the city’s oldest and most heavily used among its mass railway transit network. Line 1 has 23 stations from Pingguoyuan that run on a straight line going East and terminate at Sihui Dong, and connects to the Batong Line. Fortunately, the hotel is just between the 2nd and 3rd stations, so there’s more than enough room to be seated when you get to these stations. Gucheng Station, the nearest of the two, is about 950m from the hotel, and it only takes a 12-minute walk.

From Line 1’s first station, going to the Forbidden City takes 15 stops to get to Tian’anmen East Station which is about 38 minutes of travel. Tickets can be purchased from the vending machines at the entrance gates but these machines only accept 1-yuan coins and 5 or 10-yuan bills. Otherwise, tickets could be bought at the windows, though that meant enduring long queues, especially during rush hours. Luckily, the fare from Gucheng to Tian’anmen East was only CNY5, so I purchased the ticket from the machine. It was far more convenient.

It’s very unlikely to get lost or to miss your stop because the LED lights of the route map blink consistently on every door of the train with the names of each station and its English translations. When the train doors opened, the blinking route map made it almost impossible to miss the stop. Exiting the platform meant following the signs in the hallways, each marked with letters A, B, C, D. Exit B on the left led directly to the Palace Museum, while Exit D on the right opened into Tian’anmen Square. Many first‑time visitors paused there, drawn to the historic site where Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Security checks were everywhere, from just outside the station to the gates of the Palace Museum, and passports were always required.

THE PALATIAL HEART OF CHINA

The Forbidden City, a World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO in 1987, is the largest ancient palatial structure in the world and is globally known to be among the Top 5 of the most important palaces ever existed. It is said to have started from the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, where 100,000 skilled artisans and a million laborers constructed the Imperial City for 14 years. The 72-hectare palace complex became the home of 24 emperors, their families, wives, high officials, and eunuchs throughout time until the end of the Qing Dynasty with the abdication of Puyi, China’s last Emperor, in 1912. Thirteen years later, the Forbidden City became the Palace Museum, where it receives 14 million visitors per year. The largest number it received was 19 million in 2019, where I was proud to be a part of.

The Palace Museum, as we know it now, is one of the most visited attractions in the country, along with the Great Wall of China. It occupies 720,000 square meters and is as wide as the Vatican City and the Moscow Kremlin combined. It houses 980 buildings designed with traditional Chinese palatial architecture surrounded by 32-foot-high walls built along the central axis of the world, accentuating the position of the emperor as the son of heaven. It is said, however, that only 60-80% of the entire Palace Museum is being shown to the public, which may take at least 4 hours of the tour on foot.

GATES TO THE PALACE MUSEUM

Getting inside the Imperial City is only through the Southern Gate, which is also called Wumen, or the Meridian Gate. The Tiananmen, or the Gate of Heavenly Peace, is the monumental entrance under the famous portrait of Mao Zedong to get to the Meridian Gate if you’re coming from the south. Taking a side trip at Tiananmen Square, which is just across W Chang’an Avenue, is one of the best ways to get a glimpse of the entire façade of the Forbidden City. From the Tiananmen Gate is another 180m walk to get to another gate called Duanmen, or Gate of Uprightness, which almost has the same structure as Tiananmen. Further north is another 400m walk to get to the main gate of the Forbidden City itself, the Meridian Gate, which is the largest of all its gates, known as the Five Phoenix Turrets because of its five arches, with two of them constructed on its protruding walls. Meridian Gate is the convergence of two other passageways from either side, Zhongshan Park if you’re coming from the west, or Donghuamen if you’re coming from the east. Any of these three channels can bring you to the main gate of the Imperial City.

The Forbidden City is normally open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Tuesday to Sunday, though it closes earlier at 4:30 pm in winter. We reached Tiananmen Gate at 2:00 pm, and we hurriedly secured our tickets so we still had time to go around. Entrance tickets are sold at RMB40 per visitor (priced at RMB60 in Spring and Summer), which can be purchased online; however, my colleague was having difficulty buying the tickets through his mobile phone at that time, so we had no choice but to join the long queue at the passport window. The queues were extremely long, so purchasing tickets in advance is the best way to avoid wasting time and the stress of wading through a sea of people at the southern gate. Passports for foreign visitors like me are required for tickets to be issued, and I made sure it is always handy as it is being checked on several occasions before passing through the Meridian Gate. Getting past the Ticket and Security Check Entrance is quick, as it is fully automated to accommodate millions of visitors getting in. Besides, we really had to move fast because we only had less than 3 hours to go around. Due to time constraints, we planned to see only the best sites and the most popular ones.

THE INNER GOLDEN WATER BRIDGES

The first breathtaking view that welcomes visitors upon getting past the Meridian Gate is the bow-shaped Inner Golden Water River, bending through both ends, which terminates at the Tongzi River outside the walls of the Imperial City. Five marble bridges connect the wide expanse of land leading to the Gate of Supreme Harmony. The two outermost bridges were designed and constructed mainly for the passageway of the former emperors’ military officers, while the innermost pair was designated for the monarchial sons and their next of kin. The central bridge, on the other hand, was dedicated only for use by the emperor, where its balustrades were intricately decorated with the architecture of marble dragons. It’s the most crowded of the five bridges, and getting a photo alone there is almost impossible.

THE OUTER COURT

A 130‑meter walk north brings you to the Gate of Supreme Harmony, the second major gate of the Imperial City. It serves as the north boundary separating the three halls at the heart of the Outer Court. This is where state affairs are being discussed by the emperor and his ministers during the morning court sessions and sometimes used for ceremonial meals. Going past through this gate is the Harmony Square, which leads to the Forbidden City’s ceremonial centre, the grand Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Harmony Square is the widest open expanse in the Palace Museum, which takes a 180m walk to reach the Hall of Supreme Harmony. It is the largest hall and one of the three halls of its Outer Court, along with the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. The Hall of Supreme Harmony houses the intricately designed throne that was used by the Qing dynasty's former emperors, where they used to host their enthronement and imperial wedding ceremonies. I took a picture of the symbolic cisterns at the sides of the hall, which were used to be filled with water to be used in putting out a fire, a crucial protective measure in preserving these ancient wooden complexes. Just behind this tall structure is the Hall of Central Harmony, the smallest among the three, which was formerly used for all pre and post-ceremony activities and relaxation. Not far from it is the Hall of Preserving Harmony, the house where rehearsals prior to ceremonies used to be held.

THE WESTERN PALACES

By 3:00 pm, we had seen only about 30% of the entire Palace Museum. As we descended from the rear gate of the Hall of Preserving Harmony, there were two huge entrance gates on both sides. On our right side is the Gate of Good Fortune, and on our left is the Gate of Thriving Imperial Clan. We noticed that there were more people, particularly group tours led by English-speaking guides, going to the right, so we went westward instead to a lesser group of visitors.

The western area of the Forbidden City is called the “World of Women,” where wives of the former emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties lived. The incumbent emperor was not permitted to live with the wives of the former emperors, and this led to the construction of the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility to house them. It looks like a colossal fortress with individual apartments specifically decorated with elaborate imperial architecture suitable for the wives of the sovereign rulers in those times. It now houses the Sculpture Gallery showcasing 425 exhibits on 5 exhibit galleries: the Terracotta Statues, Buddhist Statues, Xiude White Stone, Supreme Sculpture, and Stone and Brick Relief.

We moved westward, and just behind the walls of the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility is the Palace of Longevity and Good Health. This was the place where the empress dowagers were housed and lived for the rest of their lives. The palace’s five rooms - the Bright Room, two Subordinate Rooms, and two Side Rooms - are all open for public viewing, and it was amazing to see how well their artifacts had been preserved. The exit from these two palaces led to the walled Garden of Compassion and Tranquility. This area served as a place of worship for the empress dowagers and their consorts, where they also got entertained and took a rest. It has now become a photoshoot location for women who rent traditional Chinese empress outfits and are photographed for a considerable fee.

THE INNER COURT

At 3:30 pm, we went back to the center court and proceeded northward getting past a raised walkway through the Gate of Heavenly Purity. To the north of the Outer Court is the Inner Court where there are also three palaces – the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Union, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. While the Outer Court is the designated workplace for the emperors, the Inner Court is designed to be a place for their personal use and is under a high level of protection, albeit smaller in an area that is almost just a third of the outer courtyard.

From the gate is a 150m walk to get to the largest of the three halls in the Inner Court, the Palace of Heavenly Purity. It is said to be the emperor’s chamber for sleeping although it is quite smaller than the Hall of Supreme Harmony where he works. This is one of the many halls in the Palace Museum where lots of visitors are flocked to take pictures of the throne. Just behind it is the Hall of Union, the smallest among the three and looks almost the same as the Hall of Central Harmony in the Outer Court. This is where the empress used to have been celebrating her birthday along with other major festivities like the Lunar New Year. The Qing Dynasty emperors’ collection of 25 imperial seals are stored and protected here. Just a few more steps ahead are the Palace of Earthly Tranquility which was constructed primarily as the empress’ chamber for sleeping and was later converted as a place of worship. The halls are constructed with glass screens so the public can view what is inside which includes the bridal suite of the emperor and the empress.

SOUVENIR and GIFT SHOPS

Buying souvenirs is a ritual for me whenever I visit a foreign country, and I was amazed to find 20 gift shops inside the Palace Museum. You can buy a lot of Chinese arts and mementos, including knock-off versions of paintings and other antiquated artifacts that were said to be found only in the Forbidden City. The Inner Courts have the most souvenir shops that I have seen since I saw one right before getting in at the Meridian Gate. Without a tourist guide or a companion who has been to the Palace Museum a lot of times before, it is a little challenging to know where it’s best to buy souvenir items that can be bought at reasonable prices. My colleague keeps telling me, whenever I tell him that I liked one particular item, that it is way too overpriced and it isn’t worth buying. I wonder why I see a lot of tourists and foreign visitors around who shop like crazy, and they don’t mind how expensive the items are. Either (1) they just literally have lots of money to buy or (2) no one has told them where these same items can be bought at a much lower price.

We checked out other gift shops until I saw a replica collection of coins from the 10 emperors of the Qing Dynasty. I got interested in bringing it home, put it in a display frame, and hung it on my wall. Despite my host’s dissuasion, I insisted on taking it so I could have something to remember buying in the Forbidden City. Tourist traps wouldn’t survive if visitors didn’t find something tempting enough to spend on, would they? There were tons of other collectible items that are so compelling to buy, like documentary books of each emperor from the Ming dynasty to the Qing dynasty, imperial-designed clothing for all ages, wall decors, tiny figurines, and lots of other cultural relics that can only be found in the Palace Museum. But what I was looking for were fridge magnets, which I don’t miss buying whenever I visit a country. They have a display rack full of fridge magnets, and I immediately pointed out the ones that I liked. I was given a purchase slip to be paid at the cashier, where they marked it paid, and presented it at the designated counter to claim the purchased items. Now I understand why I see a lot of tourists shopping around, not minding how expensive the merchandise is. It isn’t the compulsion, it’s the happiness that it brings.

THE IMPERIAL GARDEN

By 3:56 pm, we had only 34 minutes left to explore. From the Kunning Gate in the north, we exited the Inner Court through an astonishing, enormous botanical view of a typical Chinese garden designed for imperial use. It’s a 3-acre land constructed during the Ming dynasty as an exclusive haven for the imperial family, where they celebrate festivals, special occasions, and a place to be entertained and rest. It was an astonishing spectacle, filled with ancient black locusts and cypresses, exotic plants, and flowers perfectly set among bizarrely shaped rocks and Chinese statues.

In the center of the garden is the Hall of Imperial Peace, or Qin’andian, a structure surrounded by exquisitely carved white marble balustrades where a 4-century old pine tree named Consort Pine stands tall. It is known to be the place of worship of the Qing dynasty emperors to Daoist deities. Four colossal pavilions are built at each corner of the garden, which are ancient representations of China’s four seasons. To the west is the Qianqiu ting, or the Pavilion of One Thousand Autumns. It caught my eye with its astonishing overhanging eaves carved in a cross shape. It is less popular than Wanchun ting, or the Pavilion of Myriad Springs in the east, which looks almost entirely the same, so I took my chance to take my pictures here, as there are fewer people around. Behind it is Chengrui ting, or the Pavilion of Auspicious Clarity, which is designed differently from the first two as it was constructed with four open sides and its roof is pyramid-shaped, embellished with glazed tiles in green color. At the other end is Fubi ting, or the Pavilion of Floating Jade, which is designed to complement Chengrui ting accentuated with yellow-glazed tiles on its edges.

EXITING THE FORBIDDEN CITY

At exactly 4:00 pm, the Palace Museum’s PA System started announcing its closure in 30 minutes and urged its visitors to wrap up and begin their way out. As we are already at the Imperial Garden, the exit is just right at the Gate of Divine Prowess, more popularly known as the North Gate, serving as the exit point of the tour. We are 130m from the gate, and it only takes 2 minutes to walk towards the exit, but we decided to walk southward so we can take a few more walks.

By rule, entering the Palace Museum is only through the south gate (Meridian Gate), and exit through the north (Gate of Divine Prowess). But the entrance gate in the east, near the south gate, more popularly known as Donghuamen (East Prosperity Gate), can also serve as an exit point. From where we are at the Imperial Garden, it will take 18 more minutes to get to Donghuamen, just in time before the gates close. I highly recommend this exit route because on the way back, you can pass through the Inner Courts, Outer Courts, and the Inner Golden Water Bridges again, minus the sea of people, and you can take better pictures of the palaces, halls, gates, and sculptures without the photo bombers. But the walk had to be quick— the sun seemed to set almost instantaneously before we could even reach the Imperial City’s enormous gates.