The Forbidden City
2 min readThe Forbidden City was built during the Ming Dynasty，starting from the reign of the Yongle Emperor in 1406，and was completed in 1420.The palace covers an area of720，000 m2，consisting of 8，704 rooms.Ordinary people were forbidden to enter into the palace except getting special permission of the emperor.Therefore it got its name.The Forbidden City falls into two parts:the Outer Court and the Inner Court.
The Outer Court includes the southern sections，and was used for ceremonial purposes.The Inner Court includes the northern sections，and was the residence of the Emperor and his family，and was used for day-to-day affairs of state.The Outer Court consists of three main halls:the Hall of Supreme Harmony；the Hall of Middl Harmony；and the Hall of Preserving Harmony.The Inner Palace has the rear three main buildings:the Palace of Heavenly Purity，the Palace of Union and Peace and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.
Location
No.4 Jingshan Qian Jie，Dongcheng District，Beijing（to the north of Tian’anmen Square）
Admission Fee
Peak season（Apr.1 to Oct.31）：￥60（extra fee to the Clock and Watch Hall and the Treasures Hall is 10 Yuan for each）
off season（Nov.1 to Mar.31）：￥40（Children below the height of 1.2
meters:Free；women on the International Women’s Day:Half the price）
Opening hour
0ct.16 to Apr.15：8：30a.m.~4：30 p.m.，the ticket office closes at 3：00 p.m.
Apr.16 to Oct.15：8：30 a.m.～5：00 p.m.the ticket office closes at 4：00 p.m.
Transportation
Take Subway Line 1 to Tian’an men West or Tian’an men East.
Take tourist bus No.1 or No.5 to Qian Men Station.
Take bus 11，17，20，48，52，53，859 and 922.
