They built it during the 15th century, from the years 1406–1420.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
China had this massive structure of 980 buildings that spans over 180 acres constructed in just 14 years!
It’s a perfect example of Chinese palace architecture and was a massively influential piece of architecture in Eastern Asia.
It became a world heritage site in 1987.
The Forbidden City is the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the whole world.
Photo: Pixabay
According to Chinese mythology, the North Star was the home of the Celestial Emperor.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
In Chinese, a more literal translation of its name is: “Purple Forbidden City.”
Where does the purple come from? Purple actually refers to the North Star.
According to Chinese mythology, the North Star was the home of the Celestial Emperor.
The “forbidden” comes from the fact that no one could come and go without the Emperor’s permission.
It took over one million workers to build the Forbidden City.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
For over 200 years the Ming Dynasty ruled from the Forbidden City.
Photo: Flickr
After the Ming Dynasty ended, the Qing dynasty moved in. The Forbidden City has been the home to 24 emperors in total.
The Forbidden City stopped being the heart of Chinese politics in 1912
Photo: Wikipedia
when the last Emperor of China, Puyi, gave up his throne.
The palace became a museum in 1925
Photo: Pixy
The palace became a museum in 1925 and still serves that purpose to this day, despite the fact that the museum had to survive some hardships.
The Japanese invasion during WWII forced the Chinese to evacuate the palace collection in an attempt to protect it.
At the end of WWII, they were able to return many of the artifacts and exhibits to the palace museum at the end of the war.
American businesses have popped up in the Forbidden City, which didn’t really thrill the Chinese.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Starbucks opened a location on the grounds in 2000, which sparked controversy—enough that they ended up closing it in 2007.
Donald Trump was the first United States President to have a state dinner in the Forbidden City
Photo: Getty Images
Donald Trump was the first United States President to have a state dinner in the Forbidden City since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.
The Forbidden City stretches from 3,153 feet north to south, and 2,470 feet from east to west,
Photo: Flickr
making one large rectangle. This historic landmark takes up a lot of space.