Built in the early 15th century with 980 buildings, the Forbidden City in central Beijing served as the home of Chinese Emperors and became the political center of the last two dynasties that ruled Imperial China for almost half a millennium.
Sadly it was our last day in Beijing when I visited the palace because it was closed during the first days we were there, hence I didn’t have time to explore everything because we had an early flight back to Manila.
I actually went to the palace alone because my entire family stayed in the mall to escape the harsh winter winds of March. I thought, I'm not gonna be able to visit China anytime soon after the trip so why would I let the weather stop me from visiting one of its most historic landmarks?
I’ve always wondered why it was called the “Forbidden City” so I did my research. Apparently its full name is “The Purple Forbidden City”, which literally translates to “Zijin Cheng”. “Zi”, refers to the purple Northern Star in Chinese astrology and realm of the Celestial Emperor, a major god in Chinese mythology. “Jin” means “forbidden” in Chinese and it was forbidden to enter and leave the palace without the emperor’s permission, and “Cheng” is Chinese for “city”. Zijin Cheng = The Purple Forbidden City.
Why not red though? Haha jk.
 |
| A temple on top of a rock |
 |
| A ceiling of one of the temples. |
Post a Comment