The Forbidden City is the best preserved imperial palace in China and the largesrt ancient palatial structure in the world. It also named Palace Museum, is the most magnificent and splendid palace complex in China and one of the five world-famous palaces with the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in England, the White House in the U.S. and the Kremlin in Russia.
The Forbidden City covers an area of about 72 hectares with a total floor space of approximately 150, 000 square meters. It consists of 90 palaces and courtyards, 980 buildings and 8,704 rooms. To represent the supreme power of the emperor given from God, and the place where he lived being the center of the world, all the gates, palace and other structures of the Forbidden City were arranged about the south-north central axis of Beijing. It also listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987 and today, the Forbidden City is one of the world's most famous tourist attractions and lately becoming ever more popular with film crews who pay a hefty price to film Chinese period pieces.
The price to get into the Forbidden City is pretty high, around 60 RMB but you will easily while away a couple of hours here. For an additional 20 RMB or so, you can purchase an audio tour in one of many languages. This tour is world-class. The English version is done by Roger Moore (of James Bond fame). Together with some sound effects he expertly guides you through the complex
Getting there?
Getting to the Forbidden City couldn't be easier. It is located at the rear of Tiananmen Square. You can go to theTiananmen East (116) or Tiananmen West (117) Line 1 subway and walk behind Mao's picture. You are not recommended go by taxi to the Forbidden City unless you live a long way away as the taxis cannot easily park near the south entrance. Instead you can go by subway or walk from Wangfujing Street.
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