1406
The Yongle Emperor, Zhu Di, becomes the third emperor of the Ming dynasty after overthrowing his nephew. He begins plans to build an imperial palace in his new capital, Beijing
The Forbidden City’s unique architecture
chapter 1
The origins of Beijing’s Forbidden City
Published: May 29, 2018
Republished:October 10, 2025
Marco
Hernandez
Ten of the 14 years spent building the Forbidden City (1406-1420) were dedicated to planning the
Yongle Emperor’s new home in painstaking detail. Among the many aspects which architects had to take into
account were location, the orientation of the buildings, and how to source, prepare and transport the raw
materials
SHAPES AND SYMBOLISM
The Forbidden City complex was the beating heart of Beijing. The rectangular walled palace was encircled
by two square ring roads which defined, and protected, the ancient city. As Beijing expanded over the years,
square ring roads radiated outwards from the Forbidden City. Even today, the seventh ring road - which links
Hebei with Tianjin to form the megacity known as Jingjinji - retains the original square shape, with the
palace at the centre
Traditionally, circles represent perfection because of the Chinese belief that no human could make a flawless circle by hand. In contrast, the straight lines of squares and rectangles are associated with law and order, according to Chinese convention. Cities and official complexes were subsequently planned as rectangles. Housing the head of state at the centre of a walled complex made it easier to protect him and, no doubt, provided his family with a sense of security and well-being
The orientation of the Forbidden City is centred along a north-south axis which is about one degree shy of the geographical north. Remarkably, this feat was achieved 150 years before Gerardus Mercator, a German-Flemish cartographer, introduced the first map to accurately project ratios of latitude and longitude. It remains the central axis of Beijing to this day
CHINESE PRAGMATIC MYSTICISM
Chinese culture sets great store by the mystical and spiritual, but frequently blurs the lines between
metaphor and function. Feng shui is a case in point, as it seeks to balance and harmonise people and buildings
with the surrounding environment
Hierarchy
Those among the higher social echelons were housed in the far northern end of the complex, with the
area to the south reserved for wives, sons and concubines. Servants were housed closer to the southern
sector to receive visitors
Facing south
The Hall of Supreme Harmony was at the heart of the complex, with the courts designed to
symmetrically orbit the hall. All doors faced south so that visiting diplomats could be ushered straight
to the Hall of Supreme Harmony
Sculpting mountains
A total of 29,000 cubic metres (1 million square feet) of mud was excavated for the moat and used
to build a protective hill. According to Feng shui principles, this hill - Jingshan Hill, also known as
Prospect Hill - restored the balance between water and earth
Wind protection
The artificial hill behind the city reduced wind currents from the north and served as protection
from attack
THE RISE OF THE PALACE
The Forbidden City is a rectangle with a total area of about 720,000 square metres (3.1 million square
feet). The complex took just four years to build. A total of 100,000 artisans and one million labourers made
this feat possible. Here are some key historical events
1420
Construction of the new palace is completed. It will serve as the home of emperors for almost 500 years
1421
Three of the main halls in the outer court are burned down in a fire. Restoring the buildings takes 19 years
1557
A fire burns down the three main halls in the outer court along with some small buildings and the Meridian Gate. The restoration takes four years
1597
The six main halls of the palace are burnt down in a fire. The complete restoration takes 13 years
1644
Li Zicheng, a Chinese rebel leader, captures the Imperial Palace. Li then flees from combined Ming and Manchu forces, setting fire to parts of the Forbidden City as he retreats. Restoration takes 14 years to complete
1925
The Forbidden City is transformed into the Palace Museum. Just a few years later the curiosities and treasures are removed from the Palace Museum as China’s civil war and the war against Japan threatens their safety
1949
After the war, the artefacts are moved back to Nanjing and Beijing, and the Palace Museum is reopened to the public. Restoration is placed on hold during the uncertainties of events such as the Cultural Revolution
2002
A massive restoration of the Palace Museum is launched, and expected to last until 2021
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1406
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1420
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1421
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1557
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1597
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1644
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1925
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1949
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2002
Selecting material
The material used to construct the Forbidden City came from all over China. Timber came from forests in faraway south-west China, and stones from lakes were transported to Beijing to create rock gardens. There are incredible stories of how all these pieces made their way to the palace, but one of the most astonishing concerns the huge engraved stones found in the main entrances to the temples
CARVED STONES
Carved stones of various sizes decorate the main entrances to the halls in the Forbidden City. Most of
those stones were transported from a quarry 70 kilometres away during winter
Working in average winter temperatures of -3.7 degrees Celsius (25°F), labourers create an icy surface by sloshing water in front of the sled so that the quarried sandstone can be slid over rough ground
By using sleds, 40 to 50 men could transport huge stones the 70-kilometre distance from the quarry to the palace in as little as 30 days. In summer, the same stone would have taken around 1,500 men at least 40 days using wheeled transportation
GOLDEN TILES
Another special material was prepared in Suzhou, in the lower valley of the Yangtze River: millions of
golden tiles. It is estimated some 100 million tiles were used throughout the Forbidden City, with the
courtyards alone devouring 20 million paving tiles
The floors of buildings frequented by the emperor were of the highest quality. Making these floor tiles was an expensive and demanding process. During the Ming dynasty, a single brick cost the equivalent of 750 kilograms (1,650 pounds) of rice, or three months of a Qin dynasty magistrate’s salary
1.
The clay is collected and processed before being stored for a year
2.
Once ready, the clay is submerged in a container full of water. Later, the sediment collected from the water is filtered and dried in the sun
3.
Humectants are used to make the clay moist again, which is then processed into a thick paste
4.
Wooden moulds shape the tiles which are then levelled with a string attached to a stick
5.
The tiles are dried in a cold, shaded place for eight months
6.
The tiles are pre-baked for a month to remove moisture
7.
The tiles are then baked and set to rest for three days before going back in the kiln. This process is repeated for 130 days. The temperature is increased each time until the tiles become strong enough
8.
Finally the kiln is filled with water to reduce the temperature and drained of it four to five days later
9.
Each tile is cleaned and polished with oil before being inspected for quality
10.
Each tile is inscribed with the year of manufacture, measurement, production site and producer. Court officials choose only the best tiles; the rest are destroyed
The slow kilning process results in a highly durable material, but surprisingly, given the name, the tile does not resemble gold. “Golden tile” actually refers to the cost of the time invested in the manufacturing process
FURTHER READING
This is the first chapter exploring the Palace Museum’s architecture
We would like to invite readers to navigate between the chapters as they are published. Other visual narratives will investigate daily life in the palace and follow the odyssey undergone by the royal collection. We hope you enjoy immersing yourself in the project much as we did making it for you
The Palace Museum
By the South China Morning Post graphics team
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I
PARTThe Forbidden City’s unique architecture
By Marco Hernandez
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II
PARTLife inside the Forbidden City
By Marcelo Duhalde
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III
PARTThe collection, the odyssey of the objects
By Adolfo Arranz
