PRESENTATION

THE UNTOLD STORY OF

THE FORBIDDEN CITY

PREPARED BY : NADYA SHAMINI A/P SELVAKUMAR

ID NUMBER:01BBA-201404-00037

IC NUMBER:930310-14-5178
 HISTORY
In 1406, the construction of the Forbidden City began (also known as the
Forbidden Purple City or in Chinese Ggng the Emperors palace).

The complex was commissioned by the third Ming emperor, Yongle, and built
by the architect Chen Gui.

According to tradition, at times more than 100,000 artisans and a total of up

to a million workers were involved in the construction.
This incredibly large number of workers allowed the building to be
completed in only 14 years.

The Forbidden City was the home of twenty-four emperors during 491 years,
from 1420 to 1911.

After the abdication of the last emperor in 1911, he and his family lived at
the Fasting Palace inside the complex up to 1924. Then they had to leave
the Forbidden City and the site was opened to the public.
Opened to the Public as a Palace Museum

After ruling the country for about three centuries, the Qing Dynasty was
overthrown by revolutionaries in 1911. Emperor Puyi abdicated, and the
Forbidden City ceased to serve as the countrys political center.
However, he was allowed to live in the Forbidden City until 1924. In 1925, the
Forbidden City was transformed into the Palace Museum and opened to the
public. Thus, the mystery of the imperial city was unveiled gradually, and
became known to the ordinary people.
DIMENSIONS
PLAN OF FORBIDDEN CITY
 There are unique and intricately structured towers on each of the four corners of the outer wall. These
provide good views over both the palace and the city outside, and partly function as watchtowers.
Each of the four towers has 9 roof beams, 18 pillars and 72 ridgepoles. You can rarely see such
structures elsewhere.

The watch towers are ingeniously built using the magic number "9". Each of the three numbers are
either 9 or multiples of 9, And the total of the three numbers is 9+18+72=99, which is a heavenly
number only the Forbidden City is worthy of.
 The Great Wall of China had a vital link to the Forbidden City. The Great Wall was
constructed with watchtowers all along its structure. It was from these watchtowers
that smoke signals could be sent as a way of communicating with the Forbidden City.
THE FORBIDDEN CITY CAN BE DIVIDED INTO TWO
PARTS.
Red bricks and yellow tiles
set the tone of the Go across the Golden Stream Bridge you will arrive
Forbidden City, presenting at the outer court
the supremacy of Chinese
royal family
 EMPRESS

Producing a male heir to the throne was an important consideration for the
emperors. All the emperors took many wives and concubines, partly to
entertain themselves in the citys closed world and partly to ensure the
continuation of the hereditary line.
An emperor would take a series of wives, the most important receiving the
title of empress. The empress would be in charge of all the other women
below her.
 CONCUBINES

Concubines had few official duties and much time

Once selected, concubines entered a good life, for leisure. There would be frequent theatre
though it was marked by competition and performance, sometimes just for the women and at
emphasis on rank. other times with the emperor. They also enjoyed
music, singing and poetry.
Concubines lives here
 EUNCHES

Since the Han Dynasty, eunuchs ran the

day to day affairs of the Imperial court. As
their duties brought them in close contact
with the emperor,
VIDEO
 THE END

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