BEIJING 2008
City AttractionsForbidden
City This
is the Palace Museum, also known as the Purple Forbidden City. It is the largest
and most well preserved imperial residence in China today. Under Ming Emperor
Yongle, construction began in 1406. It took 14 years to build the Forbidden City.
The first ruler who actually lived here was Ming Emperor Zhudi. For five centuries
thereafter, it continued to be the residence of 23 successive emperors until 1911
when Qing Emperor Puyi was forced to abdicate the throne. In 1987, the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization recognized the Forbidden
City as a world cultural legacy.
It is believed that
the Palace Museum, or Zi Jin Cheng (Purple Forbidden City), got its name from
astronomy and folklore. The ancient astronomers divided the constellations into
groups and centered them around the Ziwei Yuan (North Star).
The
constellation containing the North Star was called the Constellation of Heavenly
God and the star itself was called the purple palace. Because the emperor was
supposedly the son of the heavenly gods, his central and dominant position would
be further highlighted by the use of the word purple in the name of his residence.
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