The most amazing and safest building in China: the Forbidden City

As one of the world’s most important economic powers and one of the world’s most populous countries, China has a long-rooted history. Indeed, there are many precious cultural treasures hosted by this ancient geography. The Forbidden City is one of those precious buildings. The Forbidden City, whose construction began in 1406, is essentially a palace built for the Chinese emperor at that time. However, it is called the Forbidden City because of its protected structure, gigantic dimensions, and being a place to live in itself.

The building, which was used as a residence by 24 different Chinese emperors for 600 years, still exists in all its glory in the center of the capital, Beijing, today. Here’s what you need to know about the Forbidden City, one of the most remarkable structures of ancient Chinese civilization.

The construction of the Forbidden City began in 1406 AD and was completed in 1420 AD.

Some rumors indicate that more than a million workers worked in the construction of this magnificent structure.

Built during the Ming Dynasty, the Forbidden City in Beijing has been used as the residence of 24 different Chinese emperors for 600 years.

The Forbidden City is a huge residential complex built on an area of 720,000 square meters in the capital, Beijing.

This is the main reason why the palace is called “The City”. The building, which was designed as a huge living space in the imperial era, still holds the title of the largest imperial palace in the world today.

So much so that there are 980 different buildings and 9,999 rooms in this huge living space! In addition to dozens of beautiful gardens in the complex, which was built on an area of 720 thousand square meters.

The palace complex was built keeping in mind the important traditions of ancient Chinese culture.

For example, cosmic balance, which occupies an important place in Confucian philosophy, caused the imperial palace to be placed in the center of the complex. Thus, the Chinese emperor residing in the Forbidden City was also at the center of the universe…

In addition, according to the ancient belief in China, since facing south was a sign of superiority, all the rooms where the emperor lived were built to face south.

The reason the palace complex is called the city is because of its impressive size. On the other hand, there is a reason why they are “forbidden”.

The Forbidden City was built with many security measures in mind, which would allow the Chinese emperors to lead a life free from any danger. Indeed, it was impossible and forbidden for an unauthorized person to enter the compound!

The Forbidden City was surrounded by water channels ranging from 30 to 50 meters wide.

On the other hand, the floor of the building was equipped with stone blocks to prevent enemies from penetrating into the palace. However, in the courtyard where the imperial palace is located, there is not a single tree “so that the enemies do not hide”! Security was also the reason why there were thousands of rooms in the Forbidden City.

The grass lords who live in the Forbidden City sleep in a different room every night. Of course, no one, except for a few close guards, knew which room was the Emperor’s resting room. Thanks to all the security measures, for 600 years, no emperor has been assassinated or attacked in the Forbidden City…

There are various animal figures in almost all the buildings in the Forbidden City.

However, the most prominent figure in the palace is the Dragon. So much so that it is not known exactly how many different dragon figures are in the palace. Because dragon motifs are embroidered on many buildings, from wall paintings to tiles, from stone carvings to marble decorations.

Puyi, the last emperor of China, also resided in the Forbidden City

However, with the end of the imperial era, he was expelled from the Forbidden City in 1924. The palace complex was converted into a museum in 1925, shortly after the last emperor left the Forbidden City.

It is home to more than a million artifacts from the Chinese civilization.

It is noteworthy that the artifacts displayed in the complex constitute one-sixth of the historical artifacts in all of China. The Forbidden City, which is a valuable cultural heritage with its splendor, history and interesting architectural features, also draws attention to other historical monuments that it hosts. The building is located in the center of the capital, Beijing, and is visited by more than 10 million domestic and foreign tourists every year.

Many cats live in the Forbidden City

Historically, the royal women who lived in the palace were known to keep cats here. For this reason, there is a belief that the cats living in the Forbidden City today are of a “royal line”. Royal or not, the Forbidden City is home to a large number of cats today.

Some believe that the Forbidden City is haunted!

Yes, the largest imperial palace in the world was an extremely secure building built with strict security measures, only for the Emperor! As with many royal enclaves, the Forbidden City has been the scene of dozens of tragic deaths and bloody executions!

That is why many people, including foreign tourists, believe that the Forbidden City is haunted! So much so that the number of people who claim to have heard crying voices in the palace or encounter strange women walking around in white clothes is very high.