Imperial Palace Gugong Forbidden City. Forbidden City - history, legends, what to see. What to see on the territory of the Forbidden City

The Forbidden City (Gugong) is the world's largest imperial palace, an architectural masterpiece and a grandiose plan that has become a reality. Its construction took 14 years and was completed by 1420. - about a million workers and 100,000 artisans were involved in it.

Built in the center of Beijing, the palace was home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties, but it was always closed to ordinary people; those who violated this ban faced inevitable death. Today, even after many years, after Pu-yi, the last emperor of China, abdicated the throne in 1912, some of the buildings are still closed to visitors.

Emperor Ming lived a luxurious life, but in 1644 new taxation took its toll on the population and they literally starved. An uprising broke out and then broke into the city. The Emperor is said to have been drunk when the rebels burst in.

He killed all the women in his harem in order to protect them from desecration, and he himself hanged himself, opening the way for the Qing dynasty with his death.

According to legend, it is known that the Qing family was cursed by the emperor: “The Qing house will fall by the hand of a woman.” However, from 1644, the Qing dynasty began to settle in the Forbidden City. In 1853, the girl Cixi, at the age of 17, was brought to the city as a concubine.

Over time, she turned out to be the most influential woman in the history of the Chinese Empire and, as many believe, led to the fall of the Qing Dynasty and all of Imperial China. Breaking tradition, Cixi became the empress dowager. She ruled the country until her nephew Pu-Yi, at the age of 2, succeeded her.

In 1911, the Qing dynasty was overthrown. After the reign of 24 emperors (14 from the Ming dynasty and 10 from the Qing dynasty), the city lost its title as the political center of China, and Pu-Yi suffered the fate of the last emperor and owner of the Forbidden City. On February 12, 1912, five-year-old Pu-Yi officially abdicated the throne, but was allowed to remain in the palace.

Gugun Palace or Forbidden City is a palace complex in the center of Beijing.

History of the Forbidden City

Beijing rightfully holds the title of owner of the largest palace complex on the planet. The world famous collection of various palaces is located in the Forbidden City. Twenty-four Chinese rulers chose it as their residence. Astronomers used special calculations to select the location for the construction of structures. They believed that the palaces were located in the very center of the planet. Legend has it that a Chinese monk dreamed about the design of the Forbidden City. He told the emperor about the dream, who began construction of the complex.

The palaces are built of brick and wood. The interior is decorated with marble and the floor is tiled. Since earthquakes and other natural disasters are not uncommon in this area, the buildings are all one-story, the roofs are supported by stable columns. The windows and doors of the palaces are located on the south side. This indicates that visitors from the north were not welcome here.

The city received such a fancy name for a reason. Ordinary people could not enter its territory without special permission. Emperors and their families lived here. Those brave souls who tried to look inside suffered a terrible death. One day, local residents broke into the palace and drove the emperor to suicide. Numerous warriors could not stop them. The people protested against high taxes and exorbitant poverty.

Local guides will also tell you about the curse of this place. The Qing Dynasty was cursed. According to legend, the fall of the city was to be carried out by a woman. And so it happened. The emperor's wife took over control of the country, later transferring all power to her successor. He renounced power in 1912.

Description of the Purple Forbidden City

All buildings in the Forbidden City are hidden behind a massive wall. A ditch for water was dug around the wall. Several bridges carry tourists inside. One of them - the most pompous, served only for the imperial family, the other - for the military and officials. And people walked on the smallest one if there was a need.

Just like many centuries ago, gazebos and pavilions decorated the palace grounds. Now tourists like to spend time here. You can hide from the sun in them or simply retire.

In the center, a huge pavilion attracts attention. Its height is almost 40 meters. Previously, it held the title of the tallest building in Beijing. No one could build houses or other objects higher, since the pavilion symbolized the majesty of the Celestial Empire.

Attractions of the Forbidden City

List of objects deep into the palace complex from Tiananmen Square:

Tiananmen Gate (Gate of Heavenly Peace)
Former Altar of Earth and Cereals (now Sun Yat-sen Park), left
Former Taimiao Imperial Ancestors Temple (now the Palace of Workers' Culture), on the right
Duanmen Gate (Gate of Honor, or Gate of Right Conduct).
Wumen Gate, behind which the Forbidden City begins

Scheme of the Gugun palace complex

Wumen Gate 午門, "Noon Gate".
Shenumen Gate 神武门, "Gate of Military Valor".
Xihuamen Gate 西华门, "West Gate".
Donghuamen Gate 东华门, "Eastern Gate".
Watchtowers 角落 jiaolou.
Taihemen Gate 太和门 “Gate of Supreme Harmony.”
Taihedian Pavilion 太和殿 “Hall/Palace of Supreme Harmony.”
Zhonghedian Pavilion 中和殿 “Hall/Palace of Middle (or Complete) Harmony.”
Baohedian Pavilion 保和殿 “Hall/Palace of Preserving Harmony.”
Wingdian Outhouse 武英殿 "Warlord's Outhouse".
Outbuilding Wenhuadian 文华殿 “Chinese Hall/Palace”.
Qining Garden 慈宁花园 “Garden of Kindness and Tranquility.”
Nansanso 南三所 “Three Southern Abodes.”
Qianqinggong Palace 乾清宫 “Hall of Heavenly Purity.”
Jiao Taidian Palace 交泰殿 “Hall of Unification and Peace.”
Kunningong Palace 坤宁宫 “Hall of Earthly Tranquility.”
Yuhuayuan Garden 御花园 "Imperial Garden".
Yangxindian Pavilion 养心殿 “Hall of Nurturing the Heart.”
Ninshougong Palace 宁寿宫 “Palace of Calm Longevity.”

Visit to the Forbidden City

Excursions to the Forbidden City are very popular. An audio guide in any language can be purchased at the entrance. Guests can take photos of whatever they like, but only from the outside. You should not do this indoors; you may get a fine for it.

You can get to the complex by bus or metro. Visitors will be delighted by the Imperial Garden located on the territory. Numerous miniature shops offer a wide selection of various national products.
The Forbidden City in Beijing is a must-see when traveling to China. When traveling to this country, be sure to plan a trip to the Forbidden City.

Entrance fee is 40-60 yuan (depending on the season).

- This is the ancient residence of Chinese emperors, today turned into a huge museum. Nowadays the city is simply called Gugun or Former Palace. This is the largest palace complex in the world.

It is located slightly north of Tiananmen Square and is considered the main cultural and historical attraction of all. Tourists from all over the world come here every year.

The main palace of the Forbidden City became the residence of the emperor from the moment of its construction, i.e. from the beginning of the 15th century. At that time, the Ming Dynasty reigned. And it ceased to be in 1912, when the last emperor of the Qing dynasty was overthrown.

The palace took about 15 years to build. The best architects, builders, masons, artists and millions of simple unknown builders took part in its construction. Construction was carried out from precious trees and expensive materials.

The emperor lived with his family and servants in the Forbidden City. No one else was allowed here under penalty of death. The palace complex is surrounded by thick walls and a wide moat filled with water.

In total, during the entire period of the empire, 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties lived in this city. All significant ceremonies were held here; it was the political center of the Great Ming Empire and the Qing Empire.

In 1912, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Pu Yi, was overthrown but was allowed to continue living in the Inner Palace. And a museum was organized in the Outer Palace. A few years later, Pu Yi was expelled from his palace.

In the 30s of the last century, when Japan attacked China and captured Beijing, the palace’s jewelry had to be hastily removed. A significant part of them was captured by the Japanese, but out of respect for the former emperor they were preserved.

The Cultural Revolution caused the most damage to this site. In the 50-60s of the 20th century, some artifacts were destroyed here. However, the vandalism was stopped and army battalions were deployed near Gugun to protect the cultural heritage.

Over the entire period of its existence before becoming a museum in 1925, the Forbidden City underwent many changes. He was constantly upset and strengthened, huge amounts of money were invested in him.

The entire complex of palaces is an example of Chinese traditional palace architecture. At the end of the 80s of the last century, it was the first in China to be included in the famous UNESCO list as the largest ancient wooden structure.

Forbidden City today

The Forbidden City is the center of ancient Beijing, which is called the Imperial City. Gugun itself is divided into several parts, surrounded by a wall 3.4 km long and almost 8 m high and a ditch, the width of which is more than 50 m.

On three sides there are magnificent imperial gardens and famous parks. To the south of Gugun there is a Sanctuary where all the emperors of China, without exception, worshiped the spirit of the nation and their ancestors.

Also to the south is the Gate of Heavenly Peace with a portrait of the father of the people - Mao Zedong. This gate is the link between ancient Gugong and modern Tiananmen Square.

The entire design of this beautiful architectural masterpiece is filled with symbols of Chinese religion and philosophy, and also emphasizes the greatness of imperial power and its direct connection with heaven. The layout follows ancient traditions.

This palace complex is a real wonder of the world, which is described in books and films. In 1918, he was featured in one of the first Chinese feature films, a biopic about the last emperor Pu Yi, a TV series about Marco Polo, etc.

Modernity

Currently, the Forbidden City is visited by at least 7 million tourists a year, especially in the summer. This is the most famous Chinese landmark. Xi Jinping recently hosted Donald Trump at the Inner Palace.

One of the most mysterious, vast and famous palace complexes in the world is called “Gugong”, which translated from Chinese means “palace of former rulers”. Better known as " Forbidden City" It was built at the beginning of the 15th century under Emperor Zhu Di (Ming Dynasty), who made Beijing the capital of the Chinese Empire. Gugun, this “city within a city,” was closed to mere mortals for 500 years, as it served as the home of the “celestials” - the emperors.

From here, 24 generations of rulers led the Celestial Empire - from 1421 to 1912. Gugong is the first of China's architectural masterpieces to be classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Debunking the myths about the Forbidden City in Beijing

The full historical name of the modern Gugong museum complex, which occupies a total area of 720,000 square meters, is the Purple Forbidden City, as it is fenced off from the rest of Beijing by high 10-meter high bright red walls with a total length of 3,400 meters and 52-meter wide ditches filled with “golden gold”. » with water. And any resident of the country who dared to enter the territory of the palace complex would face the death penalty.

Due to the centuries-old veil of secrecy that reliably surrounded Gugun, many legends have been created about the imperial palace. It is believed that the design of the Forbidden City of China was dreamed of by a hermit monk, who created all the main building designs. He showed them to Prince Zhu Di and thereby gave the future wen huangdi (“cultural emperor”) the great dream of building a house for the Sons of Heaven.

The third emperor of the Ming dynasty wanted to build a complex consisting of 10,000 rooms, but the Jade Lord Yu Di himself came to him and forbade Zhu Di to build a palace using the sacred number “wan”. Only the Lord of Heaven could afford this. Then it was decided to make 9999.5 rooms. Whether they were actually built is unknown, since the Forbidden City of Gugun burned many times and was rebuilt several times. Now it has 8,707 rooms.

It’s curious, but if you spend the night in each room in Forbidden City only once, then it would take a person 27 years to sleep in each room. Such a number of rooms also had a practical meaning: no one, except the trusted eunuch, knew which room the emperor would sleep in that day, which reliably protected him from hired killers.

It took almost 16 years to build the future home of the “earthly gods.” According to legend, 1 million people were involved in the construction, 200 million tiles, 100 million bricks and marble were used. In 1421 the last apartments were finished. Construction was carried out in accordance with the strict requirements of Feng Shui: the entrance to the palace and all the main buildings are oriented to the south, and from the north the complex is surrounded by mountains that protect it from cold winds and evil spirits. Each part of the palace corresponded to a specific season so that the emperor could live in constant harmony with nature.

In general, all of Gugun is complex and ingenious system of signs and symbols. For example, together with the city gates located on the south-north line, the complex forms a single hieroglyph zhong (“middle”) - this is one of the main categories of Chinese philosophy and culture.

The true story of the Forbidden City with a hint of fiction

Over five centuries, the owners of Gugong changed 24 times: 14 times representatives of the Ming dynasty ascended the throne and 10 times emperors from the Qing dynasty. During this time, strangers entered the palace territory only a few times. So, in 1644, Zhu Yujian, the last Ming Emperor, imposed such exorbitant taxes on the entire country that it forced the population to revolt. The rebels broke into the Forbidden City and plundered it. But how much the abode of the “earthly gods” suffered then is unknown. But it was thanks to this uprising that the Qing dynasty came to the throne.

Zhu Yujian killed his concubines and daughters, and then hanged himself so that, according to ancient beliefs, he could ascend to heaven riding a dragon. But this was far from the last blood that stained the marble of the imperial palace. During the Qing reign, the general line of power was to completely isolate China from the rest of the world, which led to increased intra-palace intrigues.

It is known that At least 3,000 eunuchs lived in the Forbidden City in China and several thousand concubines. Eunuchs weaved intrigues, concubines were spies, and over several centuries the history of Gugun was replenished with many scandalous stories in which truth cannot be distinguished from fiction. Like the Vatican in Rome, the palace lived its own life, and, of course, the brightest page in the book called “the era of Zinn” was the almost 50-year reign of Cixi. Having made a career from a concubine to an empress, having ruined many lives in her lifetime, this woman became an integral and most secret part of the Forbidden City. Moreover, it was thanks to her, or rather, Cixi’s passion for photography, that the world first saw photographs of the interior of the palace.

The death of the empress (1908) almost coincided with the end of the Qing dynasty. After 3 years, the last ruler, the young Pu-Yi, signed an abdication of the throne. He lived in the palace until 1924, and during his reign the last major fire occurred, destroying many caches and warehouses in the Forbidden City. A number of historians believe that the palace was set on fire by eunuchs who wanted to hide the scale of the theft from the imperial treasuries. This theory is also supported by the fact that in the entire huge complex there is not a single chimney: the heat for the buildings was provided by underground pipes, and in general the entire heating system was designed in such a way that it practically excluded the possibility of spontaneous combustion.

The Birth of a Museum, or the Transformation of the Forbidden City into an Open Temple of Art

The first museum was opened in the Forbidden City in 1914 and was located in the Hall of Military Glory. In 1925, an inventory of the palace property was carried out, which included 1.17 million items. Later, the collection of the Gugun Museum was significantly expanded. In 1933, due to the invasion of China by the Japanese army, a significant number of exhibits were evacuated to the provinces of Guizhou and Sichuan, but the Beijing part of the collection was also preserved. In 1948, nearly 3,000 boxes of imperial treasures arrived in Taiwan, and in 1965, the National Museum opened in Taipei, displaying nearly 700,000 bronze sculptures, paintings, pottery, porcelain, jewelry, books, historical documents, ancient coins, and more. exhibits from Gugun. The Forbidden City Museum in Beijing opened in 1949.

Currently, a significant part of the Forbidden City is closed for major renovations, and Gugun will appear in all its splendor only in 2020. But even the part that is accessible to tourists attracts about 7 million people to the chambers of the emperors every year: at the height of the season there are 70,000-75,000 tourists a day.

The main attractions of Gugun

The main entrance to the mysterious Forbidden City of China is the Gate of Heavenly Peace, located on the south side. A wide road begins immediately behind them, on the left side of it is the luxurious imperial garden, and on the right is the Taiji cypress forest. The road will lead us to the Gate of Right Conduct.

The Forbidden City itself begins behind the Midday Gate. There are always a lot of people on the huge square: some are relaxing, others are just preparing for the trip. Having crossed the bridge over the Golden Water, the tourist sees in front of him the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Passing them, another, truly gigantic square, where military formations were held in previous centuries, spreads out before the amazed gaze. After walking a couple more kilometers you can reach the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

In general, the entire imperial the complex is divided into Outer and Inner Palaces. In the premises of the Outer Palace, the ruler conducted all ceremonies: the main hall was considered to be the Hall of Supreme Harmony, as well as the halls of Preservation of Harmony, where the throne of the emperor was installed, and Complete Harmony. The families of emperors, eunuchs, servants and concubines lived in the Inner Palace. Here are such world-famous halls (thanks to hundreds of photos taken by tourists) as the halls of the Unification of the World, Heavenly Purity and Earthly Tranquility. How to find it - see a special article.

Also installed here is one of the most popular “miracles” of China - a carved marble slab 16.75 meters long and weighing 250 tons. The design on it was carved in 1761: relief images of mountains, foamy seas and cirrus clouds, and dancing dragons holding a huge pearl ball in their mouths invariably delight tourists from all over the world.

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The Forbidden City in Beijing is the largest palace complex in the world, with an area of 720 thousand square meters. In plan, it is a slightly elongated square (the length of the northern and southern walls is 753 meters, the western and eastern walls are 961 meters), almost correctly oriented to the cardinal points.

Getting to know Beijing:

The square in front of the Taihedian Hall (Hall of Supreme Harmony), the Taihemen Gate, behind them is the Wumen Gate

The full name of the palace is Purple Forbidden City, 紫禁城, Zijincheng. Currently it is called 故宫 - "Former Palace".

The Forbidden City was built from 1406 to 1420, during the reign of the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Zhu Di (朱棣, 1360-1424, on the throne since 1403; the motto of the reign was Yong-le 永乐, “Eternal Happiness”). It was Zhu Di who turned Beijing into the capital. All buildings are made of wood. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Forbidden City was burned and rebuilt several times.

According to legend, there are 9999.5 rooms in the Forbidden City. It is said that the emperor wished to have 10,000 rooms (“ten thousand”, 万 Van,- a significant number in Chinese culture). However, the angry Jade Lord appeared to him and declared that he had only ten thousand rooms in his palace in Heaven, so the earthly emperor, even (天子 tianzi, title of Chinese emperors), it is not proper to have as many rooms. Therefore, they made a little less - 9999 and another half of the room. In reality there are 8707 rooms.

The Forbidden City was built in strict accordance with the rules of Chinese geomancy - Feng Shui. The emperor was not only the ruler of a great country, but was also endowed with sacred status and priestly functions, mediating between Heaven and Earth, so every detail in Gugun has a certain meaning. The word "Purple" in the name refers to the North Star (Chinese: 北极星 beijixing), which was considered the abode of the Jade Lord. Just as all the stars in the sky make their course around the fixed Polar Star, so the emperor in the Forbidden City remains inactive and rules the Celestial Empire.

Entrance to the Forbidden City was limited to mere mortals. Foreigners were practically not allowed here. Therefore, naturally, the most fantastic legends were formed about what was behind the high walls of the palace.

Over a million workers and about 100 thousand different craftsmen took part in the construction of the Forbidden City. The rulers of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) spent less time in Gugun than their predecessors, living most of the year in or in. In total, 24 emperors ruled from behind the walls of the Forbidden City for almost 500 years - 14 emperors of the Ming dynasty and 10 emperors of the Qing dynasty. After his abdication in 1912, the last Chinese Emperor Pu Yi (溥仪, 1906-1967, Chinese Emperor 1908-1912, retained the title until 1924) lived here until 1924.

Gugong in Beijing and Gugong in Taipei

The first museum in the Forbidden City appeared back in 1914 - in the Hall of Military Glory (武英殿, Wuyingdian). In 1924, the entire territory passed into the hands of the Republic of China (1911-1949). On October 10, 1925, a museum was created here, which was called 故宫博物院 Gugong bowyuan— Museum “Former Imperial Palace”. According to an inventory carried out in the same year, there were about 1.17 million storage units. In subsequent years, Gugun's collection expanded significantly.

How to get to Gugun

Gugong is located in the very center of Beijing. On the map it looks like a huge square.

Metro: Tiananmen Xi Zhang Station 天安门西站 ( Tian'anmen West Station), "Tiananmen dong zhang" 天安门东站 ( Tian'anmen East Station), line 1.

Buses: 1路, 2路, 10路, 52路, 52路区间, 52路区间2, 59路, 82路, 90路, 99路, etc.