Forbidden City

The imperial palace complex in Beijing that served as the principal residence and court of Ming and Qing emperors and the seat of their government.

Hall of Supreme Harmony: The Forbidden City's largest ceremonial hall, used for major state occasions and imperial enthronements. Its throne platform marked the complex's principal ceremonial center.
Yongle Emperor: The third Ming emperor, who ruled from 1402 to 1424 and established Beijing as the dynasty's capital. He ordered the palace complex built after making Beijing the imperial capital.
Imperial examination: A system of civil-service examinations used in imperial China to select government officials. Successful candidates were received at palace ceremonies that linked scholarship to imperial service.
Tiananmen: A monumental gate on Beijing's central axis, south of the Forbidden City. It became the public-facing threshold to the former imperial precinct.
Summer Palace: A vast imperial garden and palace complex in northwest Beijing. Unlike the Forbidden City, it served chiefly as a retreat and garden residence.
Gate of Heavenly Purity: A major gate separating the Outer Court from the Inner Court of the Forbidden City. It divided public state ceremonies from the emperor's residential domain.
Ming dynasty: A Chinese dynasty that ruled from 1368 to 1644. The Forbidden City was built as the Ming court's principal palace.
Chinese imperial court: The emperor's household and governing apparatus in imperial China. The complex concentrated court administration, ritual, and residence within its walls.
Beijing Central Axis: A north–south alignment of major ceremonial and civic sites through central Beijing. The palace anchors its northern imperial section and organizes the surrounding city.
Old Summer Palace: A former imperial garden complex northwest of Beijing, largely destroyed in 1860. Its landscape-centered design contrasted with the Forbidden City's dense ceremonial courts.

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