The Palace Museum is located in the middle of the south-north central line of Beijing city. It is at the center of Beijing city and north to Tian'anmen Square.

The Palace Museum, also called Forbidden City, was the imperial palace through the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Twenty-four emperors in total successively were enthroned here. Meantime, the Palace Museum is the largest and most complete ancient architectural complex of wood structure extant in the world.

The construction of the Palace Museum was started in the 4^th year (1406) of Emperor Yongle's reign, but it was not completed until the 17^th year (1419) of Emperor Yongle's reign. Later on, it experienced several reconstructions and expansions during the Ming and Qing dynasties, but it kept the original arrangement and architectural style.

The Palace Museum occupies an area of about 720.000 square meters. It has 9,999 and a half rooms and halls with a construction area of 15,000 square meters. The grand purplish red wall that is about 3,400 meters long encloses it. In the middle of the wall on each side is a gate. The south gate, so-called Wumen (the Meridian Gate), is famous for the old saying beheaded out of Wumen (to cut off someone's head); the east gate is called Donghuamen (the Eastern Flowery Gate); likewise, the west gate is called Xihuamen (the Western Flowery Gate); while the north gate is called Shenwumen (the Gate of Devine Might). Four watchtowers of unconventional style stand at four corners of the wall respectively. A 52-meter-wide city moat that runs around the wall, together with the huge wall and watchtowers, transforms the Forbidden City into a grand and forbidding castle.

The Palace Museum includes two big parts: the Outer Court in the front and the Inner Court in the back. Their architectural style is quite different from each other. The Outer Court is where emperors held celebrations for ascending the throne, discuss national affairs with his subjects, and exercise national power. Wumen is the starting point of the Outer Court. The hall with hip roof on the city wall extends to both sides, forming 5 wall towers called Wufenglou (five phoenix building). People feel the solemn atmosphere once they come and face Wumen. Inside Wumen there is a broad view. The grand and overwhelming Hall of Supreme Harmony is towering in due north. The inner Jinshui Bridge comes first. With beautiful carvings on its balusters, the bridge looks like a jade belt. North to the Jinshui Bridge is the main architectural complex of the Outer Court.

The three main halls of the Outer Court, Taihedian (Hall of Supreme Harmony), Zhonghedian (Hall of Central Harmony) and Baohedian (Hall of Preserved Harmony) form a line inside the gate. These halls are all situated on three-tier marble terraces, with ornate marble balustrades. A stone ramp carved with coiled dragons and clouds is located between the steps leading up to each hall. The ramp of Baohedian (Hall of Preserved Harmony) is the largest of these.

The first and grandest hall is Taihedian (Hall of Supreme Harmony), where emperors exercised their autocracy over the whole country. This is where the emperor ascended his throne and granted audience to visiting officials and other important events were celebrated. The hall is flanked by Wenhuadian (Hall of Literary Glory) and Wuyingdian (Hall of Martial Velour). The former, on the right side, used to be the study of the crown princes, where banquets and some rites were held. The latter, on the left side, is the imperial press where many books were compiled and published and where Li Zicheng, leader of the famous peasants revolt, ascended his throne after overthrowing the Ming Dynasty. On the north of Wenhuadian lies Wenyuange (Pavilion of Literary Source), the imperial library where the world largest encyclopedia Sikuquanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasures of Knowledge) was housed. The library architecture has many Chinese cultural facts in its structure and decoration. Nanxundian (South Fragrance Hall) near Wuyingdian is where portraits of emperors of dynasties are kept.

Behind Taihedian is Zhonghedian (Hall of Central Harmony), a square building much smaller than Taihedian. It was the place where the emperor rested on his way to Taihedian and interviewed his ministers or officials from the Ministry of Rites and rehearsals for ceremonies were also held here.

Baohedian (Hall of Preserved Harmony), the second largest architecture in the palace, is the rear hall of the Outer Court. Imperial banquets were often given here to entertain high officials. Emperors presided the final stage of national examinations to select officials from intellectuals all over the country in this hall.

Leaving the Baohedian, visitors will see Qianqingmen (Gate of Celestial Purity), which is the boundary of the Outer Court and the Inner Court. Inside the gate is the residence of the royal family. In the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi often heard reports from high officials and issued his orders under the gate. The Inner Court is divided into three parts. The three halls on the center axis are the main structures and they are smaller in size than the three halls in the Outer Court, although they look the same in style. Xiliugong (Six Western Palaces) and Dongliugong (Six Eastern Palaces) are also important complexes, for it was here that the imperial concubines resided.

The first hall inside the Qianqingmen is Qianqinggong (Palace of Celestial Purity), which was originally the bedroom of emperors as well as their office. Emperors also gave banquets here. Behind it is a smaller hall named Jiaotaidian (Hall of Celestial and Terrestrial Union), where empresses received greetings from others concubines. It was used to store the emperor's and empress' imperial seals. The third hall on the central axis is Kunninggong (Palace of Terrestrial Tranquility), which was empress' bedroom.

On the left side of the Inner Court, Yangxindian (Hall of Mental Cultivation) and Xiliugong (Six Western Palaces) stand from north to south. Yangxindian (Hall of Mental Cultivation) was an important hall in the palace since from Emperor Yongzheng, most emperors later lived and attended to state affairs here. North of Yangxindian, is located Xiliugong (Six Western Palaces), which consists of Yongshougong (Palace of Eternal Longevity), Yikungong (Palace of the Queen Consort), Chuxiugong (Palace for Gathering Elegance), Taijidian (Hall of the Supreme Pole), Changchungong (Palace of Eternal Spring) and Xianfugong (Palace of Universal Happiness). The first three are on the right and the second three on the left along a north-south alley.

On the right side of the Outer Court, viz. east side, there are Fengxiandian (Hall for Ancestry Worship), Zhaigong (Palace of Abstinence) where emperors practiced abstinence a few days before going to offer sacrifices at the Temple of Heaven or the Temple of Earth, and Dongliugong (Six Eastern Palaces) which consists of Jingrengong (Palace of Great Benevolence), Chengqiangong (Palace of Celestial Favor), Yonghegong (Palace of Eternal Harmony), Jingyanggong (Palace of Great Brilliance), Zhongcuigong (Palace of Purity) and Yanxigong (Palace of Lasting Happiness). In a separate enclosure further east are two palaces which Emperor Qianlong built for his abdication. They are Ningshougong (Palace of Tranquil Longevity) and Huangjidian (Hall of Imperial Supremacy). Further north, there are Yangxingdian (Hall of Temper Cultivation), Leshoutang (Hall of Joyful Longevity) and Yihexuan (Pavilion of Sustained Harmony). Now most these palaces on the east are exhibition halls displaying different curiosities.

North of the Inner Court is Yuhuayuan (Imperial Garden). Though small in size, it is exquisitely laid out with towers, pavilions, artificial hills, springs, rocks, old trees, flowers and lawns - a replica of the gardens of southern China. Yuhuayuan is the model for all the classical gardens in the court. It has more than 20 buildings and is famous for its elegance, splendor and compact arrangement. On the Double Nine Festival (lunar September 9), emperors with their wives would climb to Yujingting (Pavilion of the Imperial Scene) -- the highest spot in the garden to entertain themselves. The yards in the Inner Court are connected by winding corridors, forming a perfectly indivisible building complex.

After the 1911 Revolution broke out, Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, remained living in the Inner Court (though he had been deprived of the power) until he was forced out in 1924. In 1925, the Palace Museum was officially established. It enjoys a collection of 910,000 pieces of valuable cultural relics of past years and is one of the largest museums in the world.