What is the Forbidden City: the definition and the history behind the name
Why is it called the Forbidden City?
Because no one entered or left without the emperor’s permission. For nearly 500 years, it was a forbidden place. The only people inside were the emperor, his household, his concubines, thousands of eunuchs and servants, and the officials he summoned for government business. If you were born a servant inside, you might die without ever passing through the gates.
A visitor arriving from abroad had almost no chance of seeing it. The prohibition was absolute.
What was the palace actually used for?
It was the seat of imperial power. The emperor lived there, conducted government from there, and performed state rituals there. Every major decision about the empire was made in those halls. The layout was deliberate: the outer halls were for ceremony and public business; the inner sections were for the emperor’s private life and that of his family.
The palace also housed a massive bureaucracy. Thousands of people worked there: advisors, scribes, astrologers, physicians, guards, and administrators. It was a government building and a household all in one, and it had to function completely within its own walls.
When did the public get to visit?
Not until 1925. The last emperor, Puyi, was forced to leave the palace in 1924 after the revolution of 1911 had already ended the imperial system. Once he was gone and the palace was no longer a living seat of power, the new Chinese government opened it as a museum. That made sense: the palace had become a historical artifact, not a functioning centre of government.
Today it is the Palace Museum, and about 80,000 people can book to enter on any given day.
Is it called the Palace Museum or the Forbidden City?
Both names refer to the same place. The buildings are called the Forbidden City in English. The institution that runs them is the Palace Museum (in Chinese, Gugong, 故宫). The official ticket site is the Palace Museum website. But a visitor searching for "Forbidden City tickets" and one searching for "Palace Museum tickets" are searching for the same thing. The names are interchangeable in English.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Forbidden City the same as the Palace Museum?
Yes. The Forbidden City refers to the buildings and the complex; the Palace Museum is the government institution that operates it. In English, people use the names interchangeably. In Chinese, the site is called Gugong (故宫).
Can I visit the emperor’s private chambers?
You can visit the buildings where the emperor and his household lived, but the palace is a museum now, not a residence. What you see are restored rooms with period furnishings and historical artifacts. The private quarters are included in the main route or accessible as part of tours that cover the inner court.
How much of the palace can I actually see in one visit?
The main route covers about 30 percent of the palace buildings. The rest are archives, research collections, or closed to the public. In three hours, you cover the central axis. In half a day, you can add the side palaces and galleries.