The Forbidden City, located in the center of the central north-south axis in Beijing, is surrounded by 10-metre high walls and a 52-metre wide moat. Measuring 961 meters from north to south and 753 meters from east to west, it covers an area of 720,000 square meters. The Forbidden City has four gates, the Meridian Gate (Wu Men) in the south and the Gate of Spiritual Valor (Shenwu Men) in the north being used as the entrance and exit by tourists today.
The entire compound is composed of two parts: the southern section “Outer Court,” where the three great ceremonial halls—Taihedian (Hall of Supreme Harmony), Zhonghedian (Hall of Central Harmony), and Baohedian (Hall of Preserving Harmony) and many smaller structures are located and the emperors held court and conducted grand audiences, and the northern section “Inner Court,” containing the residential quarters of the Qing emperors, their consorts, concubines, and children, as well as innumerable servants.
Entering from the Meridian Gate, one encounters a large square, pierced by the meandering Inner Golden Water River, which is crossed by five bridges. Beyond the square stands the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Behind that is the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square. A three-tiered white marble terrace rises from this square. Three halls stand on top of this terrace, the focus of the palace complex. From the south, these are the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest, and rises some 30 meters above the level of the surrounding square. It is the ceremonial centre of imperial power, and the largest surviving wooden structure in China. In the Ming Dynasty, the Emperor held court here to discuss affairs of state. During the Qing Dynasty, as Emperors held court far more frequently, a less ceremonious location was used instead, and the Hall of Supreme Harmony was only used for ceremonial purposes, such as coronations, investitures, and imperial weddings.
The Hall of Central Harmony is a smaller, square hall, used by the Emperor to prepare and rest before and during ceremonies. Behind it, the Hall of Preserving Harmony, was used for rehearsing ceremonies, and was also the site of the final stage of the Imperial examination. All three halls feature imperial thrones, the largest and most elaborate one being that in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
At the centre of the Inner Court is another set of three halls. From the south, these are the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Union, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. Smaller than the Outer Court halls, the three halls of the Inner Court were the official residences of the Emperor and the Empress. The Emperor, representing Yang and the Heavens, would occupy the Palace of Heavenly Purity. The Empress, representing Yin and the Earth, would occupy the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. In between them was the Hall of Union, where the Yin and Yang mixed to produce harmony.
The buildings of the two courts were laid out precisely in accordance with a code of architectural hierarchy, which designated specific features to reflect the paramount authority and status of the emperor. No ordinary mortal would have been allowed or even dared to come within close proximity of these buildings.
The Imperial Garden is in the north of the Inner Court. Though it is called a garden, all the structures, roads, ponds and even flower beds and plants are regular and symmetrical, with only some local changes, differing, vastly from the free pattern which is especially emphasized in Chinese gardens.
Getting through a small square to the north of the Imperial Garden, one finds Shenwu Men where there is a high tower. Passing the gate through the city moat leads one to Jingshan, the end of Forbidden City. Jingshan is high in the middle and low on both sides, in line with the encircling hill, on the ridge of which are five pavilions.
The Forbidden City is the best model in the design of a complex of buildings in ancient Chinese architectural art. It enjoys a high reputation throughout the world. Referring to it in his famous work, The Science and Civilization of China, Joseph Needham, a well-known British scholar, said: We discover a series of separate spaces which are linked to each other...they are contrary to palaces during the Renaissance age, for example, for example, in Versailles, where the visual point is completely concentrated in a single structure, and the palace is separate from the city. In contrast, China's concept is very profound and complicated, because in a composition of the picture there are hundreds of structures, and a palace itself is only a part of a greater organic body of the entire city together with its city walls and streets.
The Chinese concept is also extremely delicate and changeable involving blended interests. He said the whole form of China's great architecture has become an organic pattern that no culture can surpass.