At a Glance

The Palace Museum occupies Beijing's entire Forbidden City — a 720,000 m² compound built in 1420 that housed 24 Ming and Qing emperors. It opened as a public museum on 10 October 1925 with 1.86 million artifacts. UNESCO listed since 1987.

From Emperor's Home to Public Museum

After Puyi's expulsion in 1924, the site became public. Some of the collection was evacuated during WWII and later moved to Taipei, creating the two sister Palace Museums.

Highlights

• Taihe Dian — the emperor's 64 m throne hall.
• Qianqing and Kunning residential palaces.
• Treasure Hall — imperial jewels and European clocks.
• Calligraphy, painting and porcelain galleries.
• 800 m south–north ceremonial axis.

Visiting Tips

Tiananmen West metro. ¥40–60 plus ¥10 for Treasure Hall. Passport booking required. 4–8 hours. Closed Mondays.