 The Forbidden City viewed from Jingshan Hill | |
  Location within Beijing  Forbidden City (China) | |
| Established | 1406–1420 1925 (as public museum) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4 Jingshan Front St, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China |
| Coordinates | 39°54′57″N 116°23′27″E / 39.91583°N 116.39083°E |
| Type |
|
| Visitors | 16.7 million[1] |
| Curator | Wang Xudong |
| Website | dpm.org.cn (in Chinese) intl |
| Area | 72 hectares |
| Built | 1406–1420 (Ming dynasty) |
| Architect | Kuai Xiang |
| Architectural style(s) | Chinese architecture |
| Part of | Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang |
| Criteria | Cultural: i, ii, iii, iv |
| Reference | 439-001 |
| Inscription | 1987 (11th Session) |
| Forbidden City | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.svg) "Forbidden City" in Chinese characters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 紫禁城 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Purple Forbidden City" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Manchu name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manchu script | ᡩᠠᠪᡴᡡᡵᡳ ᡩᠣᡵᡤᡳ ᡥᠣᡨᠣᠨ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Romanization | dabkūri dorgi hoton "Former Inner City" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Forbidden City (Chinese: 紫禁城; pinyin: Zǐjìnchéng) is the imperial palace complex in the center of the Imperial City in Beijing, China. It was the residence of 24 Ming and Qing dynasty Emperors, and the center of political power in China for over 500 years from 1420 to 1924. The palace is now administered by the Palace Museum. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. The Forbidden City is arguably the most famous palace in all of Chinese history, and is the largest preserved royal palace complex still standing in the world.
The Forbidden City was constructed from 1406 to 1420, and was the imperial palace and winter residence of the Emperor of China from the Ming dynasty (since the Yongle Emperor) to the end of the Qing dynasty, between 1420 and 1924. The Forbidden City served as the home of Chinese emperors and their households and was the ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government for over 500 years. Since 1925, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts was built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987.[2]
The complex claims to consist of 9,999 rooms in total, although experts have shown in recent years that the number only amounts to 8,886,[3] covering 72 ha (720,000 m2)/178-acre.[4][5] The palace exemplifies the opulence of the residences of the Chinese emperor and the traditional Chinese palatial architecture,[2] and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. It is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. Since 2012, the Forbidden City has seen an average of 14 million visitors annually, and received more than 19 million visitors in 2019.[6] In 2018, the Forbidden City's market value was estimated at US$70 billion, making it both the world's most valuable palace and the most valuable piece of real estate anywhere in the world.[7]
It was listed as the first batch of national key cultural relics in 1961.[8] The palace is extremely important to the Chinese public and nation, who often view it as a cultural and heavenly link to their ancestors.
- ^ 故宫2017年接待观众逾1699万人次 创历史新纪录 (in Chinese). 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- ^ a b "UNESCO World Heritage List: Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 5 May 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Oaklandwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Lu, Yongxiang (2014). A History of Chinese Science and Technology, Volume 3. New York: Springer. ISBN 978-3-662-44163-3.
- ^ "Advisory Body Evaluation (1987)" (PDF). UNESCO. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 November 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- ^ "1900万！故宫年客流量创新高-新华网". www.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ "How much the world's most valuable palaces are worth". MSN.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
Forbidden City, China – $69.66 billion+ (£54bn+). The crown jewel of Beijing, the Forbidden City was the residence of the Chinese emperors and the locus of government from 1420 to 1912. Now a museum, the complex was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.