FORBIDDEN CITY STOCK FOOTAGE

As part of our collection of China stock footage, China in a Box offers a selection of Forbidden City Stock Footage. We have many HD stock footage clips of the Forbidden City available for immediate download on a royalty free basis at a competitive price.

The Forbidden City is at the very center of Beijing and is one of the city’s major tourist attractions as well as one of China’s most recognisable landmarks and symbols of Ancient China.

To see a selection of Forbidden City Stock Footage clips, click here.

The Forbidden City	Lion statue in Forbidden City	Chinese emperor costumes	Tiananmen Gate

History of The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City, or Zijin Cheng, was an imperial palace built in 1406 during the Ming Dynasty and was the home of the Chinese Emperor for over 500 years until the abdication of Puyi, the last Emperor, brought about the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1912.

The palace was at the center of the Imperial City and remains today the center of modern day Beijing. Its buildings are prime examples of Chinese architecture and are among the best preserved remnants of Ancient China.

Today the Forbidden City is known as Gugong, which means “former palace” and is the site of the Palace Museum. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Click here to see our full collection of Forbidden City Stock Footage.

Layout of the Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is the world’s largest surviving palace complex with 980 buildings and over 8,700 rooms. It is divided into two areas: the Outer Court, or Front Court, was used for ceremonial purposes and the Inner Court, or Back Palace, which was the residence of the Emperor and his family.  Through the center of the Forbidden City runs a stone and marble walkway, the Imperial Way, which only the Emperor was able to walk on and which indicates the central axis of the Forbidden City.

The buildings of the outer court include:

• The Gate of Supreme Harmony, Taihemen, flanked by bronze lions, which leads to the main courtyard of the Hall of Supreme Harmony

• The Hall of Supreme Harmony, Taihedian, which is the largest hall and used only for ceremonial purposes by the emperor

• The Hall of Central Harmony, Zhonghedian

• The Hall of Preserving Harmony, Baohedian

Hall of Supreme Harmony	Inside Forbidden City	Chinese Emperor Throne	Forbidden City Rooftops

Separating the Outer and Inner Courts of the Forbidden City is the Gate of Heavenly Purity, Qiangqingmen.

The buildings of the inner court include:

• The Palace of Heavenly Purity, Qianqinggong, which was the Emperor’s residence during the Ming Dynasty

• The Palace of Earthly Tranquillity, Kunninggong, which was the residence of the Empress during the Ming Dynasty

• The Hall of Union, Jiaotaidian, where ceremonial items and seals were stored

• The Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yangxindian, which was the Emperor’s residence during the Qing Dynasty

• The Palace of Tranquil Longevity, Ningshougong

Meridian Gate	Forbidden City courtyard	Palace of Heavenly Purity	Forbidden City gate

There are four entrance gates into the Forbidden City:

• The Meridian Gate, Wumen, in the south

• The Gate of Divine Might, Shenwumen, in the north

• The East Glorious Gate, Donghuamen

• The West Glorious Gate, Xihuamen

Click here to see our collection of Forbidden City Stock Footage.

For more information on the contents of our China stock footage library, click on the following links:

• Overview of library contents
• China stock footage
• Ancient China
• Great Wall of China
• Beijing

Forbidden City Shot Reels

A selection of shot reels which include Forbidden City footage clips:

Inside Forbidden City	Forbidden City Walls	Forbidden City Pollution	Tiananmen Gate

Forbidden City rooftops	Soldiers, Tiananmen Gate	Forbidden City walls, night	Olympic Crowds