Half-Day Tour of the Palace Museum (Beijing)

Architectural Features

• Grand Scale: Covering an area of approximately 720,000 square meters with a construction area of about 150,000 square meters, the Palace Museum houses over 70 palaces and 9,371 rooms. It is one of the largest and best-preserved ancient wooden-structured architectural complexes in the world.
• Rigorous Layout: The buildings are symmetrically distributed along the central axis. The Outer Court, centered on the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central Harmony, and Hall of Preserving Harmony, was used for grand ceremonies. The Inner Court, centered on the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Union, and Palace of Earthly Tranquility, served as the residence of emperors and empresses. Flanking the three rear palaces are the Six Eastern Palaces and Six Western Palaces, which were the residences of imperial concubines.
• Exquisite Architecture: The city wall stands 10 meters high, with intricately structured watchtowers at its four corners. A 52-meter-wide moat surrounds the outer area. Most palace roofs are covered with glazed tiles, and the colorful paintings between the beams and brackets are brilliant. The carvings on the plinths and railings are exquisite, all demonstrating the superb standards of ancient Chinese architectural art.