ROYAL PALACES

Forbidden City / Palace Museum

故宫博物院（紫禁城）

Beijing

Residence / former residence

Built for the Ming court and subsequently used by Qing emperors, the Forbidden City combines ceremonial halls with the imperial household’s residential quarters. Its Palace Museum displays court collections within a historic palace complex.

Period: 1406–1420; 1925

History and owners

Construction began under the Yongle emperor in 1406, and the palace was completed in 1420. The Ming and Qing courts used it as a place of government, ceremony and family life. Successive repairs and alterations mean that the surviving complex represents several centuries of building, not one untouched construction campaign. Following the departure of the last emperor, Puyi, the Palace Museum opened in 1925. The change from restricted court to public museum transformed the use of its courtyards and collections.

Architecture, interiors and collections

The Outer Court’s three principal halls express the ceremonial order of the state. Beyond the Gate of Heavenly Purity, residential palaces and smaller courts introduce the imperial household. The Qianlong emperor’s Ningshou Palace precinct was planned for retirement before his abdication. Architecture, historic room arrangements and movable museum collections should be read separately: an exhibition inside a palace does not mean every object originally belonged to that room.

Planning your visit

Use the Palace Museum’s own visitor notices and booking links. The supplied research describes timed, identity-based admission, but this release does not independently confirm the current booking window, accepted identity documents or every open interior. Check temporary closures before choosing a route.

Official website

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Sources and further reading

Original source titles are retained. Listing a reference does not mean that all its claims or current access arrangements have been independently verified.

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