Forbidden City is 960m from south to north and 750m wide from east to west, occupying an area of 720,000 sq m. Take an overall view of the Imperial Palace, and focus on the outer surrounding structures, one can find such buildings as the Moat, the four Corner Towers, and the four gates.

Moat around Forbidden City

The Moat around Corner Tower

 Moat of the Forbidden City

Established in 1420, the eighteenth year of the reign of Emperor Yongle (1403-1424) of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Moat is 3800 m long and 52 m wide. The moat was built for security purposes, so both sides of it have steep embankments, making it impossible to cross without some means of bridging it. The moat water comes from the northwest and goes to the southeast. The moat enjoys a history of 580 years. In 1999, the moat was harnessed, the embankment renewed, the moat bed paved with quadrels and the watercourse firmer.

 Corner Towers of the Forbidden City

Corner Tower of Forbidden City

Corner towers on the four coigns of lofty walls of the Forbidden City were established in 1420, rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). As one part of the Forbidden City, they served as the defense facility just as the lofty walls, the gate towers and the moat. The corner towers rest on the base with Buddist-style building surrounded with stone columns. There goes a tale about the construction of the Corner Tower. Zhudi, Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty, ordered the chief project commander to build four fine corner towers, each with 9 girders, 18 posts and 72 ridges. The chief project commander gathered all the formans and carpenters together and gave them three months to fulfill the mission. This was really a bitter pill to swallow as nobody had ever seen such complicated yet delicate corner tower.  Deep in worry, a carpenter met an old man selling grasshoppers and bought a grasshopper cage for relief. To his surprise, the delicate grasshopper cage with layer upon layer had just 9 girders, 18 posts and 72 ridges. Thereafter the design of the corner tower was brought out. It is said that the old man was the father of the builders, Luban. This is definitely nothing but a tale. However, the four corner towers of the Forbidden City inherited the flexibility of the traditional wood structure construction and the skillful combination of the function and decoration indicated the superb and excellent craftsmanship of ancient Chinese craftsman.

 Four Gates of the Forbidden City

Meridian Gate

 Meridian Gate: the only entrance of the Forbidden City located in the south.
 Gate of Divine Prowess: northern gate and the only exit of the Forbidden City.
 Eastern Flowery Gate
Built in year 1420, the Eastern Flowery Gate (Eastern Prosperity Gate, Donghuamen) is the east gate of the Forbidden City, echoing to the Western Flowery Gate (Xihuamen). The Eastern and Western Flowery Gate share the same structure, rectangle in shape. With red platform, the gate rests on white marble base with Buddist-style building, in which pierced three vaulted gateways, outside square and inside round. On the platform stands the tower with yellow-glazed tile and double-eaved roof surrounded by white marble columns. The tower is 5 bays wide and 3 bays deep with lobbies around. The stele under the east eave with words "Donghuamen" was originally in three languages, Manchu, Mongolia as well as Chinese, later just two, Manchu and Chinese and after the 1919 Revolution only copper Chinese.

Since 1758, the 23rd year of the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795), the tower was used to store the cotton paddled military clothes which were worn while parading and aired every other year.

In the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, only cabinet officials were allowed to pass through this gate, while in the middle years of Qianlong's reign, the aged first-degree and second-degree ministers had such privilege. The coffins of the Qing emperors, empresses, the imperial regents also went through this gate, hence the name "Guimen (the ghost gate)". The Eastern Flowery Gate has 8 doornails rather than 9 of the other three doors, which is supposed to be related to the ghost thing.

Gate of Divine Prowess (Shenwumen)

 Western Flowery Gate
Built also in 1420, the Western Flowery Gate (Western Prosperity Gate, Xihuamen) is the west gate of the Forbidden City, echoing to the Eastern Flowery Gate (Donghuamen). As mentioned above, the Eastern and Western Flowery Gate share the same structure.

The Western Flowery Gate is close to the Meridian Gate rather than in the center of the west city wall of the Forbidden City, as it conforms to the general layout of the Imperial Palace. The Forbidden City is divided into two parts: the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The Hall of Martial Valor (Wuyingdian), the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and the Hall of Literary Glory (Wenhuadian) form the horizontal axis of the Outer Court with the Eastern and Western Flowery Gate at two ends of the axis. Such layout benefited the Outer Court activities and allayed the disturbance to the Inner Court living. Extend the axis further to the east and west and there appear the Dong'anmen and Xi'an men. It's obvious that the Eastern and Western Flowery Gate were important junctions between the Imperial Palace and the capital city.

Outside the Western Flowery Gate is the Imperial West Park. The Qing emperor and empress would often pass through this gate for the visit to the Imperial West Park or parks in the western suburbs of Beijing city. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, exactly in year 1900, Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu (1875-1908) fled from this gate when the Eight Allied Army attacked the city.

 Related Link: Virtual Guide of Forbidden City