T HE F ORBIDDEN C ITY by: Ana Griebling

1. W HICH DYNASTY WAS THE F ORBIDDEN C ITY BUILT IN ? The Forbidden City was built during the Ming dynasty between 1406 and 1420 by all the Ming emperors little by little until they built a complex but beautiful building in the middle of the city of Beijing. The Forbidden City had about 9000 rooms and 980 buildings that included hundreds of temples, and imperial residences. 24 of the Ming emperors lived in the Forbidden City. During the official ceremonies the crowd of government people and military officials lined up according to rank. The emperor was carried out on a seat called the palanquin. The Forbidden City stood for about 500 years.

2. W HY WAS IT CALLED THE “F ORBIDDEN C ITY ”? It was called the Forbidden City because only the emperor and his family were allowed to go inside. Occasionally his court and servants were allowed to enter. Common people could not go in, if they did they risked being killed slowly and painfully in front of all the people in the city. Some even were beheaded. Some children volunteered to be a eunuch so they could come inside. It was considered a great honor.

3. W HAT WAS THE F ORBIDDEN C ITY A SYMBOL OF ? The Forbidden City was a symbol of China’s glory. That would make sense considering it had 9000 rooms and 980 buildings. It even took about 15 years to build. The Forbidden City was also called the Great Within because of its vastness and mysteries. It clearly showed the power and importance of the emperor. Also one of the main reasons that the Forbidden City was built for was to impress both the Chinese people and their enemies to the north.

4. H OW IS THE F ORBIDDEN C ITY IMPORTANT TODAY ? It is important today because now it’s a museum that consists of valuable pottery, paintings, jades, silks, jewels, furniture and other objects, so scientists can look and study the artifacts and learn more about them. Also people can go and find out what the life of the Ming emperors was like. The Forbidden City also provides a glimpse into the Ming dynasty and China’s past and history.

5. W HAT WAS THE F ORBIDDEN C ITY ’ S MAIN BUILDINGS BUILT OF ? The Forbidden City’s main buildings were built of wood and had gold tiles on the roof that was only used for the emperor’s buildings. The Hall of Supreme Harmony was the largest building, celebrations for important holidays, like the emperor’s birthday and the New Year were held there. The walls of the Forbidden City were dark red, and stood 35 feet high. It had a moat that was 171 feet wide. A place called the Inner Court held the living quarters for the imperial family. The Imperial garden was the largest garden in the Forbidden City.

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