Forbidden City

The Forbidden City, now known as the Palace Museum, is a large historical palace and an art museum in the historical center of Beijing, China.  The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is very important to the history and architecture of China. The Forbidden City was the palace of the Emperor of China from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. For almost 500 years, it was as the home of emperors and their houses, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.  

Name
The name "Forbidden City" is a translation of the Chinese name Zijin Cheng (). The name Zijin Cheng was used for the first time in 1576. Another English name for Zijin Cheng is "Forbidden Palace". The word Zi means "purple" in Chinese. It means the North Star. This is because in ancient China it was called the Ziwei Star. In Chinese astrology the North Star was the home of the Celestial Emperor. Because the Forbidden City was the home of the emperor on Earth, the Chinese thought that it was Earth's equivalent of the Ziwei Star. Jin means "Forbidden" in Chinese. This was because no one was allowed to go in or out of the palace without the emperor's permission. Cheng means city.

The Chinese don't call the Forbidden Palace Zijin Cheng anymore. They call it Gùgōng (故宫) now. This means the "Former Palace". The museum that is in the Forbidden City is called the "Palace Museum" ().

History
After Zhu Di became the Yongle Emperor, the capital of China was moved from Nanjing to Beijing. In 1406 construction began on the Forbidden City. The construction of the palace went on for over 14 years and more than a million workers had to work on building it. (1406-1420)

References

 Other websites 

 Official site
Highlights of the Forbidden City

Category:Buildings and structures in Beijing
Category:Palaces in China
Category:Art museums
Category:World Heritage Sites in China