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The Forbidden City (紫禁城, pinyin: Zǐjìn Chéng, literal meaning: "Purple Forbidden City"), located at the exact center of the ancient City of Beijing, was the imperial palace during the mid- Ming and the Qing dynasties. Known now as the Palace Museum (故宫博物院, pinyin: Gùgong Bówùyùan), its extensive grounds cover 720,000 square metres, 800 buildings and over 9,000 rooms. (Not to be confused with the National Palace Museum in Taiwan.) As such, it is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the World, and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987. The Imperial Palace grounds are located directly to the north of Tiananmen Square and are accessible from the square via Tiananmen Gate. It is surrounded by a large area called the Imperial City.Although no longer occupied by royalty, the Forbidden City remains a symbol of Chinese sovereignty and the image of its entrance gate appears on the seal of the People's Republic of China. The Palace Museum is now one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.
1 History
The construction of the Forbidden City started in 1406 and took 14 years and an estimated 200,000 men. From its completion in 1422 to 1644Events February to August Explorer Abel Tasman's second expedition for the Dutch East India Company maps the north coast of Australia. April A popular Chinese rebellion led by Li Zicheng sacks Beijing, prompting Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dyn, when a peasant revolt invaded it, the Forbidden City served as the seat of the Ming Dynasty. The following Qing Dynasty also occupied the Forbidden City.
After being the home of 24 emperors, the Forbidden City ceased being the political center of China in 19121912 is a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar) Events January 1 Establishment of Republic of China. January 6 New Mexico is admitted as the 47th U. January 17 British polar explorer Robert Falcon Scott and a team of four begin the with the abdication of Pu Yi, the last Emperor of China. However, he was allowed (and in fact required) to live within the walls of the Forbidden City until a coup launched by a local warlord in 1924Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 See also 1924 in aviation 1924 in film 1924 in literature 1924 in mu. Until then, fourteen emperors of the Ming dynasty and ten emperors of the Qing dynasty had reigned here. Having been the imperial palace for some five centuries, it houses numerous rare treasures and curiosities. In 1947Events January January 1 British mines nationalized January 1 Nigeria gains limited autonomy January 1 The Canadian Citizenship Act went into effect January 3 Proceedings of the United States Congress are televised for the first time. January 10 United Na, after being moved from one location to another inside mainland ChinaAll islands except Hainan and Taiwan are invisible on the map. Mainland China ( or , pinyin: Zhongguo Dalu, lit. The Chinese Massive Landmass" or "Continental China"), is an informal geographical term which is usually synonymous with the area currently ad for many years (most recently to hide from the Japanese in the warThere were two wars known as the Sino-Japanese War (between China and Japan): The first Sino-Japanese War occurred between 1894 and 1895, primarily over control of Korea. The second Sino-Japanese War occurred between 1931 (proceeding in earnest in 1937) a), Chiang Kai-shek ordered many of the artifacts within the Forbidden City to be moved to Taiwan where they formed the core of the National Palace Museum in Taipei. This action has been extremely controversial, with some regarding it as looting while others regarding it as safekeeping, especially with the events of the Cultural Revolution on the mainland.
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