Beijing The Palace Museum Half-Day Tour with English Guide [Including Treasure Gallery, Morning or Afternoon Option]

The Palace Museum in Beijing, established on October 10, 1925, is a grand comprehensive museum built upon the foundation of the Ming and Qing imperial palaces and their collections. It integrates ancient architectural complexes, imperial collections, and cultural artifacts from various dynasties. Covering an area of over 1 million square meters with approximately 9,000 preserved ancient buildings, it stands as one of China's largest and most well-preserved ancient palace complexes. It is also one of China's most significant museums of ancient art and culture.

The Palace Museum served as the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1912) in China. According to ancient Chinese astrological theory, the Purple Forbidden Enclosure (Polaris) is located at the celestial center, believed to be the residence of the Heavenly Emperor. Corresponding to this celestial arrangement, the palace was thus named the Forbidden City. After ascending the throne, Zhu Di, the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, decided to move the capital to Beijing. In 1406 (the fourth year of the Yongle reign), construction began on the Beijing imperial palace and city walls, modeled after the Nanjing Palace Museum. Emperor Yongle first dispatched officials across the country to procure precious timber and stone materials, which were then transported to Beijing. These materials included nanmu wood from Sichuan, imperial pathway stones from Fangshan, golden bricks from Suzhou, and tribute bricks from Linqing. The construction was completed in 1420 (the 18th year of the Yongle reign).