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Forbidden City

Civic, Commercial and Institutional Buildings

The Forbidden City is the imperial palace complex at the center of Beijing, China, constructed between 1406 and 1420 as the residence of the Emperor of China and the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government. It served as the winter residence of 24 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors, from the Yongle Emperor until the end of the Qing dynasty in 1924, over a span of more than 500 years. Administered since 1925 by the Palace Museum, whose collection was built on the imperial holdings of the Ming and Qing dynasties, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 and is the largest preserved royal palace complex still standing in the world.

Facts
Year Created
1420 1
Location
Beijing, China 1
Architectural Style
Traditional Chinese imperial palatial architecture 1
Primary Material
Traditional Chinese timber construction 1
Building Type
Imperial palace complex 1
Commissioned By
Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty 1
Construction
from 1406 1
Floor Area (sqm)
720,000 1
UNESCO Inscription Year
1987 1
Current Use
Museum (the Palace Museum) 1
Visitor Access
Open to the public as a museum; averaged more than 14 million visitors annually since 2012 1
Classification
Genre
Architecture 1
Connections

In Form

Chinese imperial palace complex.

In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Forbidden City (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • third paragraph, size and room count
    The complex claims to consist of 9,999 rooms in total, although experts have shown in recent years that the number amounts to 8,886, covering 72 ha (720,000 m2; 180 acres).
  • Genre reference
    The Forbidden City is the imperial palace complex at the center of Beijing, China, constructed between 1406 and 1420 as the residence of the Emperor of China and the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.
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