Long Corridor (Chang Lang)

The Long Corridor was originally built in the 15th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (1750) and then rebuilt in the 12th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign (1886) because the Anglo-French Allied Forces burned it down in 1860. It starts from Inviting the Moon Gate in the east and ends at Shizhang Pavilion in the west, covering a distance of 728 meters with its 273 sections. Of all the corridors in Chinese classical gardens, the Long Corridor is the longest. On the beams are more than 8,000 colorful paintings depicting stories from Chinese classical novels, folk tales, landscapes as well as flora and fauna. Four pavilions, "Mesmerizing Scenery", "Harmonizing with the Lake", "Autumn Water" and "Clear and Carefree", with octahedral structures and double eaves, were built intermittently along the corridor. Taking the Hall that Dispels the Clouds as the center, the Long Corridor stretches symmetrically to the east and the west along the foot of the hill and the water bank, linking all the structures scattered along the Longevity Hill side into a whole.

the Summer Palace Archway of Modesty

Built in 1750,the Archway of Modesty, is a structure with four pillars .Each side of its stone lintel is inscribed with two Chinese characters in the handwriting of Emperor Qianlong –“Han Xu”on one side ,and “Yan Xiu”on the other ,which describe the picturesque beauty of this imperial garden.

Jiao Tai Dian

Jiao Tai Dian was bulit in 1420 and rebuilt in the Qing emperor Jia Qing's reign. On the lunar new year's days and the empresse's birthdays, the empress would come here to receive congratulations.It became the place for storing seals in 1748 when the emperor QianLong decided to keep here 25 royal seals symbolizing the imperial power.

Palace of Heavenly Purity

Constructed in 1420 and reconstructed ,the palace was the place where the emperor lived and handled state affairs during the Ming dynasty and the Qing emperor kangxi's reign.It became the place for holding great ceremonies and granting audiences to all sorts of officials as well as foreign envoys after the Qing emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne and moved his residence to Yang Xin Dian(hall of mental cultivation).

Bao He Dian

Built in 1420, Bao He Dian was formerly called Jin Shen Dian（hall of practising moral culture）and given the present name by the Qing emperor Shunzhi. On the lunar new year's eve,a banquet would be given here by the emperor to princes,dukes and ministers of minority nationalities. Starting from the late period of emperor Qianlong's reign,the hall became the site of the palace examination--the highest level exam of the state in the feudal imperial examination system.It held once every three years and those who passed the exam would get the degree of "Jin Shi". And the first three top were called "Zhuang yuan"(the number one), "Bang yan"(the number two)and "Tan hua "(the number three).

Zhong He Dian

Zhong He Dian was built in 1420 and rebuilt in 1627 after three big fires.It was original named Hua Gai Dian(hall of canopy),and renamed the present one in 1645.Before presiding over grand ceremonies in the hall of supreme harmony, the emperor first came to rest here and receive respects from his officials.On the occasions of offering sacrifices to Xian Nong Tan(altar of agriculture),Di Tan(altar of the earth),She Ji Tan(altar of land and grain) and Tai Miao(imperial ancestral temple),the emperor also came here to examine the sacrificial writings.

Hall of Supreme Harmony

The hall of supreme harmony, popularly called jin luan dian(hall of imperial throne).It was built in 1420 and formerly named Feng Tian Dian (hall of offering heaven),changed the name for Huang Ji Dian (hall of great supremacy) and began to be called the present name. The palace now was rebuilt in 4th year in the reign of Qing emperor Kangxi (1695).It is 35.05 meters high and covers 2,377 square meters.It is the highest building in the palace with double-eaved roof and rooms.There are 55 rooms and 72 posts.Six of the posts are gold post carved with dragons. Here the Ming and Qing emperors held grand ceremonies to mark accessions, birthdays, the lunar new year, the winter solstice ,banquets, declaring wars as well as the publication of the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinati.

National Palace Museum in Beijing, China

The Palace Museum, historically and artistically one of the most comprehensive Chinese museums, was established on the foundation of the palace that was the ritual center of two dynasties, the Ming and the Qing, and their collections of treasures. Designated by the State Council as one of China's foremost protected monuments in 1961, the Palace Museum was also made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
Situated at the heart of Beijing, the Palace Museum is approached through Tiananmen Gate. Immediately to the north of the Palace Museum is Prospect Hill (also called Coal Hill), while on the east and west are Wangfujing and Zhongnanhai neighborhoods. It is a location endowed with cosmic significance by ancient China's astronomers. Correlating the emperor's abode, which they considered the pivot of the terrestrial world, with the Pole Star (Ziweiyuan), which they believed to be at the center of the heavens, they called the palace The Purple Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was built from 1406 to 1420 by the third Ming emperor Yongle who, upon usurping the throne, determined to move his capital north from Nanjing to Beijing. In 1911 the Qing dynasty fell to the republican revolutionaries. The last emperor, Puyi, continued to live in the palace after his abdication until he was expelled in 1924. Twenty-four emperors lived and ruled from this palace during this 500-year span.

The Forbidden City is surrounded by 10-metre high walls and a 52-metre wide moat. Measuring 961 meters from north to south and 753 meters from east to west, it covers an area of 720,000 square meters. Each of the four sides is pierced by a gate, the Meridian Gate (Wu men) on the south and the Gate of Spiritual Valor (Shenwu men) on the north being used as the entrance and exit by tourists today. Once inside, visitors will see a succession of halls and palaces spreading out on either side of an invisible central axis. It is a magnificent sight, the buildings' glowing yellow roofs against vermilion walls, not to mention their painted ridges and carved beams, all contributing to the sumptuous effect.
Known as the Outer Court, the southern portion of the Forbidden City centers on the halls of Supreme Harmony, Central Harmony, and Preserving Harmony. These are flanked by the halls of Literary Glory and Military Eminence. It was here that the emperor held court and conducted his grand audiences
Mirroring this arrangement is the Inner Court at the northern end of the Forbidden City, with the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility straddling the central axis, surrounded by the Six Palaces of the East and West and the Imperial Garden to the north. Other major buildings include the halls for Worshipping Ancestors and of Imperial Splendor on the east, and the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Pavilion of the Rain of Flowers and the Palace of Benevolent Tranquility on the west. These contain not only the residences of the emperor and his empress, consorts and concubines but also the venues for religious rites and administrative activities.
In total, the buildings of the two courts account for an area of some 163,000 square meters. These were laid out precisely in accordance with a code of architectural hierarchy, which designated specific features to reflect the paramount authority and status of the emperor. No ordinary mortal would have been allowed or even dared to come within close proximity of these buildings.

The number of visitors to the Palace Museum has risen along with the growth of tourism, in the last decade reaching six to eight million a year. General interest has been further stimulated by the Palace Museum's range of publications touching on both the architecture of its buildings and its vast cultural holdings. Published works include Famous Historical Paintings in the Palace Museum Collection, Selected Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, National Treasures, Palaces of the Forbidden City, Daily Life in the Forbidden City, A Collection of National Treasures, and The Complete Palace Museum Collection (in 60 volumes, of which 18 have been published so far). There are also two periodicals, The Palace Museum and The Forbidden City.