The Forbidden City China

The Last Emperor Kept Living Here Until 1924

Most visitors think the Forbidden City stopped being imperial when the Qing dynasty fell in 1912. It did not. Puyi abdicated as emperor at age six, but under the Articles of Favorable Treatment, he continued living in the Inner Court with his household, retinue, and imperial title until a coup forced him out in 1924. The outer world by then had already fought the First World War. This is one of the odder facts about a building that contains thousands of them.

The Palace Museum (Gugong) is the largest palace complex on earth: 980 buildings, approximately 8,700 rooms, across 72 hectares in central Beijing. Fourteen years and roughly a million workers to build, completed in 1420. It served 24 emperors across the Ming and Qing dynasties and opened as a museum in 1925, the year after Puyi left.

In December 2025, the Hall of Mental Cultivation reopened after nearly a decade of comprehensive restoration. First built in 1537, this was the actual working quarters of the Qing emperors from the 18th century onward – more private than the ceremonial halls, more telling about how the emperors actually lived. Over 1,000 exhibits are now on display, including a digital experience recreating imperial new year ceremonies.

How the Complex Is Organised

The Forbidden City divides along a north-south central axis. You enter from Tiananmen Gate to the south and exit through the Gate of Divine Prowess to the north, where Jingshan Park gives the best elevated view back over the rooflines. The southern half is the Outer Court (ceremonial halls). The northern half is the Inner Court (private imperial residence).

Most visitors walk straight up the central axis and miss almost everything interesting. The side pavilions, the Western Palaces, the Clock Exhibition Hall, and the Treasure Gallery are all off the main path and considerably less crowded than the three great ceremonial halls.

What to See

The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest wooden building in China at 35 metres high, used for enthronements and major court ceremonies. The Dragon Throne is here. The ceiling above it carries a wooden coiled dragon considered one of the finest wood carvings in the complex. Standing in the courtyard and imagining the space filled with prostrated officials is not difficult. The scale is designed to intimidate and it does.

The Clock Exhibition Hall in the northeastern section houses around 90 timepieces, many from British and French makers gifted to the Qing court in the 18th century. Several are fully operational and demonstrated on a schedule – tiny automated figures who write Chinese characters in ink when the mechanism runs are extraordinary objects that most visitors never find. This section deserves at least 45 minutes.

The Treasure Gallery in the northwestern section holds imperial ceremonial objects across several connected halls. Less visited than the main sequence and more revealing of how the court actually functioned.

Practical Details

Tickets are 60 yuan (April through October) and 40 yuan (November through March). The Clock Exhibition Hall and Treasure Gallery charge separate small fees. Book exclusively through the Palace Museum’s official website or WeChat ticketing service. The daily visitor cap is 80,000 and the site sells out during Beijing public holidays.

Opening hours are 08:30 to 17:00 in summer; 08:30 to 16:30 in winter. Allow a minimum of 3 hours for a basic visit; 5 hours to include the side pavilions. The Palace is closed on Mondays.

Around the Complex

Jingshan Park directly north gives elevated views over the complex rooflines at golden hour. The Drum Tower and Bell Tower are 2 kilometres north. The hutongs west of the Forbidden City – quieter lanes branching off Nanluogu Xiang – give the clearest sense of what Beijing looked like before the 20th century cleared much of it away.