For those that are interested in travel, culture and architecture, one of the most beautiful structures are found in Asia. China has long been a fairly closed society and a complete mystery to the West. In recent decades travel between East and West has grown substantially showcasing many of China’s beautiful landmarks- one of them is the infamous Forbidden City. The Forbidden City sounds ominous and for many years it was a complete enigma, however with the awakening of China, the Forbidden City has opened its gates to the world and tourists from all over have descended onto this incredible architectural achievement. If you are interested in the Forbidden City, the Smithsonian Magazine offers an interesting article on this incredible masterpiece.
The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City is actually a palace and grounds located in the heart of Beijing. It was the seat of the Ming Dynasty and home to 24 emperors over 5 centuries. This incredible palace receives its name due to the fact that no one could enter the city or leave the city without consent from the emperor. Because only aristocrats and servants were allowed within the confines of the city, it has always stirred mystery and intrigue. Today the Forbidden City is a museum and opened for all to see. As China hosted the 2008 summer Olympics millions have flocked to China hoping to see many of the landmarks including this palace which is one of the most popular attraction in all of Asia.
The Forbidden City is Enormous
The Forbidden City is perhaps the world’s largest palace. In fact, it is stated that the palace offers an incredible 9,999 rooms. The palace resides on a phenomenal 74 hectares of land. It is surrounded by walls that are 30 feet high and in addition to these tall walls is a moat. Construction of the Forbidden City started in 1407 and ended in 1420. The palace continued to be the home of Chinese Emperors until 1924. It is said that it took a labor force of 1,000,000 Chinese to build this great palace and included upwards of 100K artisans. Inside the Forbidden City there are incredible pieces of artwork and paintings- many of them priceless.
Read More About the Forbidden City
For those interested in the Forbidden City, please visit the Smithsonian Magazine’s website to read the wonderful article on this architectural masterpiece. You can visit our main website at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com
Cleopatra, Forbidden City, Black Holes, Diane Arbus
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