Forbidden City

The imposing set of buildings designed to be the ceremonial centre of the palace. Visitors enter through Meridian Gate (A), the imposing main gate with unique protruding side wings, followed by the Gate of Supreme Harmony (F), where the Emperor sometimes held court. There are then three grand halls set on a multi-tiered marble platform, including the Hall of Supreme Harmony (G), which was the ceremonial throne room used for the grandest of state occasions. To preserve the fine paving stones, it is no longer possible to enter the halls, but you can admire the interiors from the front door.

Somewhat ironically, this set of buildings (H) built to celebrate military valour now houses the Palace Museum's paintings and calligraphy gallery. Works from the Palace Museum's extensive collection are rotated through the gallery and changed every few months. To reach the Hall of Military Eminence, go through the gate on the left after the Meridian Gate but before going through the Gate of Supreme Harmony.

This mini-palace (J) was variously used as the Crown Prince's court and an imperial Confucian lecture hall. It now houses the Palace Museum's porcelain and ceramics gallery. The gallery's exhibits trace through the development of Chinese porcelain, and includes items from the large imperial collection held by the Palace Museum. To reach the Hall of Literary Glory, go through the gate on the right after the Meridian Gate but before going through the Gate of Supreme Harmony.

Form the Outer Court, the central section of the Inner Palace is accessed through the Gate of Heavenly Purity. The Inner Palace, like the Outer Court, is centred on three main buildings. The grandest, the Palace of Heavenly Purity (L) was designed to house the Emperor's bed chamber, but later became a throne room where the Emperor held court with his ministers. The Palace of Earthly Tranquillity was designed to be the Empress' bed chamber, but later became a Shamanist shrine. The Emperor and Empress' marital suite, where they spent their wedding night, is in this building. To the west of this main complex, the much smaller Hall of Mental Cultivation (N) was in later years the Emperor's actual bedchamber and office. You can even see where the Empress Dowager Cixi ruled China from behind a curtain for 47 years. The remainder of the Inner Palace is made up of a series of small courtyards, the homes of the Emperor's concubines and household. Look out for the "Crystal Palace", a cast iron and glass building of which sadly only the skeleton remains. The Palace Museum's Bronzeware Gallery is also in the Inner Palace. Other permanent and temporary exhibitions are also housed around the Inner Palace.

A palace in itself with its own "Outer Court", "Inner Palace" and "Imperial Garden", this complex (O) was designed for the Qianlong Emperor to enjoy his retirement after abdication - but he was too busy giving his son instructions on government to ever use it. Look for the glaze-tiled Nine Dragon Screen in front of the main entrance. These buildings now house the Palace Museum's Treasures Gallery (珍宝馆), which includes works in precious metals and precious or semi-precious stones. A separate admission charge applies. The Stone Drum Gallery, which houses a set of ancient drum-shaped stone carvings, and the Theatre Gallery, housed in a traditional Chinese-style outdoor theatre, are also in this complex. The mini-Imperial Garden, while smaller than the main garden, is more finely decorated with some small but elaborate garden buildings.

Built as a shrine for making offerings to ancestors, this set of buildings on the eastern side of the Inner Palace now houses the Palace Museum's clocks display, the major portion of which are elaborate European-style mechanical clocks - including a calligraphy-writing automaton! Demonstrations are held at 11:00 and 14:00, where some of the fanciest clocks in the collections are put on show. Separate admission charge applies.

The Palace's main garden is among the smallest of Beijing's imperial gardens, but the emperors have managed to pack a lot of pavilions, ponds, trees and ornamental rocks into the space. It would be a nice place to relax after your tour of the Forbidden City, if it weren't packed with thousands of tourists with exactly the same idea. The Imperial Garden leads in the north to the Gate of Divine Might, the north gate and exit of the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City's imposing walls and tranquil moat can only be admired from outside the complex. As you leave the Forbidden City, the corner towers (E) are well worth seeing for their elaborate roof structure, modelled on mythical "ideal" pavilions in Chinese art.