Imperial Palaces and Tombs in China

When was the Forbidden City built?

Emperor Yongle ordered a new palace in Beijing in 1406, and a decree announced its completion in November 1420. UNESCO dates the construction to 1406 to 1420. The Palace Museum opened inside it on 10 October 1925.

How many emperors lived in the Forbidden City?

Fourteen Ming and ten Qing emperors, 24 in all, according to the Palace Museum. The museum counts 491 years of rule from 1420 to 1911, while UNESCO counts 505 years from 1406. The two figures start from different dates.

Does the Forbidden City have 9,999.5 rooms?

The figure of 9,999.5 rooms is a folk saying, not a count. UNESCO describes the palace as containing nearly 10,000 rooms.

How large is the Forbidden City?

The walled palace measures 961 metres from north to south and 753 metres from east to west, which comes to about 72 hectares, with a moat 52 metres wide outside the wall. Another Palace Museum page gives 1.12 million square metres and does not say what that figure includes.

Is the Mukden Palace older than the Forbidden City?

No. Nurhaci began the Shenyang palace in 1625, two centuries after the Forbidden City was completed in 1420. After the Qing took Beijing in 1644, Shenyang served as a secondary palace.

Was Cixi at the Old Summer Palace when it burned?

No. In September 1860 the Xianfeng emperor left for the Chengde Mountain Resort with the empress, the consort later known as Cixi and their young son, according to the Palace Museum. Anglo-French troops set fire to the gardens from 18 October. The Guangxu court later rebuilt the Summer Palace for Cixi.

When was the Summer Palace rebuilt?

UNESCO says the Summer Palace was largely destroyed in the war of 1860 and restored on its original foundations in 1886. The Beijing city government gives 1888 for the main restoration and the new name.

Which Ming tomb has been excavated?

Dingling, the tomb of the Wanli emperor, was excavated from May 1956 to July 1958. It is the one excavated tomb among the thirteen Ming Tombs near Beijing.

Why are there Eastern and Western Qing Tombs?

The Yongzheng emperor planned his tomb in the east at the outset, but surveyors judged the ground unsuitable, so he chose a site in Yi County, and work on Tailing began there in 1730. Later emperors lie in the east or the west, loosely following an alternating rule that the Daoguang and Tongzhi emperors broke. Five emperors lie in the east and four in the west.

How are Puyi, the Forbidden City and Changchun connected?

Puyi left the Forbidden City on 5 November 1924, and the Palace Museum opened there on 10 October 1925. In March 1932 he became chief executive of Manchukuo and on 1 March 1934 took the throne in Changchun, where his palace is now a museum.

Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang

Listed 1987, 2004. Sites on this page that belong to it:

• Forbidden City (Palace Museum)1987 · 439-001 The Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing
• The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty in Shenyang2004 · 439-002 The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty in Shenyang

Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa

Listed 1994, 2001. Sites on this page that belong to it:

• Potala Palace1994 · 707-001 Potala Palace
• Norbulingka2001 · 707-003 Norbulingka

Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde

Listed 1994. Sites on this page that belong to it:

• Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde1994 · 703

Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing

Listed 1998. Sites on this page that belong to it:

• Summer Palace1998 · 880

Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing

Listed 1998. Sites on this page that belong to it:

• Temple of Heaven1998 · 881

Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Listed 2000, 2003, 2004. Sites on this page that belong to it:

• Eastern Qing Tombs2000 · 1004-002 Eastern Qing Tombs
• Western Qing Tombs2000 · 1004-003 Western Qing Tombs
• Xianling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty2000 · 1004-001 Xianling Tomb
• Ming Tombs2003 · 1004-004 Ming Tombs
• Xiaoling Tomb2003 · 1004-005 Xiaoling Tomb including area from Treasure Mound to Shenlieshan Stele, including Plum Blossom Hill, and Big Golden Gate
• Fuling Tomb of the Qing Dynasty2004 · 1004-013 Fuling Tomb of the Qing Dynasty
• Yongling Tomb of the Qing Dynasty2004 · 1004-012 Yongling Tomb of the Qing Dynasty
• Zhaoling Tomb of the Qing Dynasty2004 · 1004-014 Zhaoling Tomb of the Qing Dynasty

Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom

Listed 2004. Sites on this page that belong to it:

• Guonei City2004 · 1135-002 Guonei City
• Koguryo Royal and Noble Tombs, Ji'an2004 · 1135-004 Ranmou Tomb and Huanwen Tomb;1135-005 Changchuan Tomb No. 1, 2, 4(遗产含 40 座墓)
• Wandu Mountain City2004 · 1135-003 Wandu Mountain City
• Wunu Mountain City2004 · 1135-001 Wunu Mountain City

Yin Xu

Listed 2006. Sites on this page that belong to it:

• Palace and Royal Ancestral Shrines Area (Yin Xu)2006 · 1114-001 Palace and Royal Ancestral Shrines Area
• Royal Tombs Area (Yin Xu)2006 · 1114-002 Royal Tombs Area

Site of Xanadu

Listed 2012. Sites on this page that belong to it:

• Site of Xanadu2012 · 1389

Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor

Listed 2014. Sites on this page that belong to it:

• Site of Daming Palace in Chang'an City of Tang Dynasty2014 · 1442-003 Site of Daming Palace in Chang'an City of Tang Dynasty
• Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han to Northern Wei Dynasty2014 · 1442-002 Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han to Northern Wei Dynasty
• Site of Weiyang Palace in Chang'an City of the Western Han Dynasty2014 · 1442-001 Site of Weiyang Palace in Chang'an City of the Western Han Dynasty

Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital

Listed 2024. Sites on this page that belong to it:

• Altar of Land and Grain2024 · 1714(组成部分 Altar of Land and Grain)
• Forbidden City (Palace Museum)2024 · 1714
• Imperial Ancestral Temple2024 · 1714
• Jingshan Hill2024 · 1714(组成部分 Jingshan Hill)
• Temple of Heaven2024 · 1714

Xixia Imperial Tombs

Listed 2025. Sites on this page that belong to it:

• Xixia Imperial Tombs2025 · 1736

National priority protected sites

68 of the sites stand on the State Council's list of key cultural heritage sites, which has had eight batches since 1961. Some listings cover several tombs or palaces under one name, so several sites can share one batch listing.

• Batch 1, 196126 sites
• Batch 2, 19828 sites
• Batch 3, 198814 sites
• Batch 4, 19968 sites
• Batch 5, 20013 sites
• Batch 6, 20066 sites
• Batch 7, 20133 sites