Palace Museum
The Palace Museum, once known as the Forbidden City, was the imperial palace of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1616-1911) dynasties. Situated at the center of the Central Axis of Beijing, it covers roughly 720,000 square meters with a build- up area of around 150,000 square meters. This magnificent complex boasts over 70 courtyards of varying sizes and more than 9,000 rooms, making it one of the world's largest and most impeccably preserved wooden-structured palace complex.
The Palace Museum consists of two main parts: the outer court and the inner court. The outer court includes the Hall of Supreme Harmony (taihe dian), Hall of Central Harmony (zhonghe dian), and Hall of Preserving Harmony (baohe dian). They were the venues for the emperor's court and grand audi- ences. The inner court centers around three halls, namely, the Palace of Heavenly Purity (qianqing gong), Hall of Union (ji- aotai dian), and Palace of Earthly Tranquility (kunning gong). They were used as the emperor and empress's private quarters during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Palace Museum is surrounded by 10-metre-high walls and a 52-metre-wide moat, with turret towers on each of the four corners. The elaborate and symmetrical arrangement of the palace's details, coupled with the golden tiles adorning its rooftops and the rusty red clay of its walls, imbue the structure with an air of solemn majesty.
The Palace Museum is not only a masterpiece of ancient Chinese architecture, but also a globally acclaimed museumofancient culture and art. It houses over 1.86 million artefacts, encompassing painting, calligraphy, ceramics, bronze, jade, embroidery, oracle bone scripts, ancient architecture, books and classics, historical archives, and more. A showcase of Chinese civilization during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the museum is an invaluable cultural treasure for all of humanity.
The Palace Museum represents an example illustrating China's cultural concepts of "great enlightenment derived from harmony between heaven and man" and "integration of rites and music". In addition to showcasing national cohesiveness, the museum also highlights what came out of the exchanges between Chinese and foreign cultures after Western learning was introduced to China. It demonstrates the inclusiveness of Chinese civilization, which has contributed to what the Chinese nation has achieved.
北京故宫
北京故宫是明清两代的皇家宫殿，原称“紫禁城”，位于北京中轴线的中心，占地面积约72万平方米，建筑面积约15万平方米，有大小院落70多座，房屋约9000余间，是世界上现存规模最大、保存最完整的木结构宫殿建筑群之一。
故宫内建筑分为外朝和内廷两部分，外朝的中心为太和殿、中和殿、保和殿，是明清朝廷举行大典礼的地方；内廷的中心是乾清宫、交泰殿、坤宁宫，是明清皇帝和皇后居住的正宫。故宫四面围有高10米的城墙，四角配以角楼，城外有宽52米的护城河。故宫黄瓦红墙，庄严宏伟，在细节和整体上讲究对称平衡。
今天的故宫不仅是中国古代建筑技艺的杰出代表，也是享誉世界的古代文化艺术博物馆。据统计，故宫博物院现有藏品达186万多件，涵盖绘画、书法、陶瓷、铜器、玉器、织绣、甲骨文、古建筑、图书典籍、历史档案等众多门类， 兼具历史、艺术、建筑、宫廷文化等多重博物馆特色，是明清时期中华文明的集中展现，也是全人类的珍贵文化遗产。
故宫将“天人之际”“礼乐复合”的中华优秀思想文化发扬光大，既体现出强烈的民族融合色彩，亦有“西学东渐”以来中外文化交融的特质，是中华文明“有容乃大”智慧的生动例证，是中华民族当之无愧的“大成之城”。
