The
Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial
palace from the
Ming Dynasty to the end of the
Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the
Palace Museum. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of
emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.
Built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms and covers 720,000 m2 (7,800,000 sq ft). The palace complex exemplifies traditional
Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a
World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by
UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.
The
Gate of Supreme Harmony (Tàihémén) is the second major gate at the southern side of the
Forbidden City.The gate was originally built during the
Ming Dynasty, when it was called Fengtianmen. Following the
Qing conquest of China, the gate was given its present Chinese and Manchu name.
