9781422283592

ARCHITECTURE Beijing’s Forbidden City is one of the architectural masterpieces of the world. Many other amazing structures are scattered among the busy streets of the capital, as well as in the surrounding countryside.

The Forbidden City The Forbidden City, once the private domain of the emperors, was built from 1406 to 1421. Its 800 buildings cover about 250 acres (101 hectares) and are enclosed by a moat and a high wall. The Outer Court contains the Halls of Supreme Harmony, Middle Harmony, and Preserving Harmony, where the emperors carried out public duties. The Inner Court contains the Palace of Heavenly

Purity, where the emperors lived, the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, and the Hall of Union.

This statue outside the Mao Zedong Mausoleum shows young people marching onwards to serve Communism. ⌂

This entrance is part of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, which contained the bedroom of the Ming emperors. ⌂

Tiananmen Square Tiananmen (The Gate of Heavenly Peace) is south of the Forbidden City and leads into Tiananmen Square, the largest square in the world. Standing here is the Monument to the People’s Heroes, dedicated to the soldiers who died fighting for the Communist revolution. Also here are The Great Hall of the People and the Mao Zedong Mausoleum.

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Major World Cities

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