Imperial Garden | garden, Beijing, China (2024)

FAQs

What are the imperial gardens in Beijing? ›

The Imperial Garden is a relaxing and serene setting located within the Forbidden City's walls. Back in the day, only the Emperor and his court were allowed to relax in this garden. There's a magnificent pavilion located within the garden as well as a variety of sacred rocks.

The garden was designed as a place of relaxation for the emperor, with a fanciful arrangement of trees, fish ponds, flower beds, and sculpture.

Destroyed during the Second Opium War of the 1850s, it was reconstructed by Emperor Guangxu for use by Empress Dowager Cixi and renamed the Summer Palace. Although damaged again during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 it was restored and has been a public park since 1924.

Forbidden City, imperial palace complex at the heart of Beijing (Peking), China. Commissioned in 1406 by the Yongle emperor of the Ming dynasty, it was first officially occupied by the court in 1420. It was so named because access to the area was barred to most of the subjects of the realm.

Rectangular in shape and covering about 12,000 square meters, it features twenty or so structures, all in different styles, and each of them blending smoothly and marvelously in with the trees, rock gardens, flowerbeds and sculptural elements, such as the bronze incense burners.

Part of the inner palace area, the Imperial Palace East Gardens offer seasonal flowers and original moats, walls, entrance gates and guardhouses built by the Tokugawa shoguns. These wonders are free to enter, making a visit here one of the best bargains around.

Construction of the garden

The building of the modern gardens began in 1961. The garden is over 210,000 square metres. The garden was completed in 1968, and was opened on October 1 that year.

The main gateways into the Imperial Garden are an indication of outstanding Chinese architecture, culture, mythology and the philosophy of feng shui. Spaces also featured in the Chinese Gardens are: The Yingbi Wall, The Lingbi Stone and The Circular Mound.

Yuanmingyuan had already been looted by foreign armies earlier in the month. But European powers wanted to further punish the Qing emperor, and so decided, in mid-October 1860, to set fire to the fabled "Garden of Eternal Brightness."

What is the hidden palace in Beijing? ›

Many exquisite artworks – sculptures, porcelain, jade, silk robes, elaborate textiles, gold objects and more – were looted and, according to UNESCO, are now located in 47 museums around the world.

The Forbidden City, located in Beijing and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, is home to a whopping 9999 rooms. This specific number isn't a coincidence, but rather a representation of Chinese numerology where the number 9 signifies good luck and eternity.

Almost all roofs in the Forbidden City were covered with yellow glazed tiles. In 1987, the Forbidden City was named a World Heritage Site. It's still one of the largest collections of ancient wooden structures in the world. Today, the Forbidden City is home to the Palace Museum.

The Last Emperor was based on Puyi's autobiography, From Emperor to Citizen (published in English in 1964–65). It was the first feature film permitted to be filmed inside the Forbidden City.

Tiananmen Square, open square in the centre of Beijing, China, one of the largest public squares in the world. Tiananmen Square was originally designed and built in 1651. It was enlarged to four times its original size and cemented over in 1958.

Home to the emperor of Japan, the Imperial Palace is built upon the site of Edo Castle, home to the Shogun before 1868. Protected by wide moats and thick walls and surrounded by meticulously kept gardens, the grounds offer a peaceful green contrast to the steel and glass of downtown Tokyo's modern office buildings.

There are four gardens in the Forbidden City, which are: the Jianfu Palace Garden which is located north-west of the Six Western Palaces of the Inner Court; the Garden of Benevolent Peace which is situated south of the Palace of Benevolent Peace; the Imperial Garden and the Garden of the Palace of Peace and Longevity.

History of Chinese Gardens

Early records describe these spaces as natural grounds used by nobles for relaxation and hunting. By the Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE), however, these early gardens became museum-like collections of rare and exotic plants and animals.