China's Empire heart---The Forbidden City

When I was sixteen years old,I went to Beijing with my classmates and teachers as a graduation trip.We spent a whole week in Beijing and visited a lot of tourist attractions.There is one place I can not forget forever,that is Forbidden City.Its spetecular buildings and creative design shock me and show me how develped and grateful  old China is.

The Forbidden City

Today the Forbidden City (or Palace Museum), a World Heritage site since 1987, still abounds with the sense of grandeur and wealth and an aura of pomp and majesty that has been passed down through the ages. This secret city was closed off from the world for about 500 years but now the 720 square kilometers of courtyards, pavilions, great halls, flourishing gardens and nearly 10,000 rooms combine to form one of the best-preserved historical sites in China. Built by tens of thousands of people, it took over 14 years and 32 million bricks to complete.

                                              

the northwest corner tower 

  

Owing its origins to the 24 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors who worked and lived here, few of the original buildings remain. The last emperor Puyi (known in the West for the movie the Last Emperor) moved out of this complex in 1925. Not too long ago, only one-third of this palace complex was open to the public. The latest renovations, started in 2002, have made it possible to display almost half of the palace, as prepared for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The entire complex sits on a north-south axis, or meridian line, with halls and houses symmetrically arranged on the side. It consists of three parts: the outer court where the emperor received high officials and administered state affairs; the inner court where the emperor, empress and concubines lived; and the private Imperial Garden for the imperial family to entertain and relax.

The view of the Forbidden City from Jingshan Park

http://english.visitbeijing.com.cn/play/sight/n214621257.shtml