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 Where is Beijing, and where is the Forbidden City?
Beijing is in the northern part of China, about 100 miles from the coast. (See the map.) Although China, at different points in its history, had various capital cities (and sometimes more than one capital city at a time) Beijing, since the 12th century, was the chief of these capital cities, and was the location of the Forbidden City. The Forbidden city lies at the heart of Beijing, at the intersection of the city’s north-south and east-west axes.
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Why was the Forbidden City forbidden, and to whom?
One of the explanations for this name is that only those on official imperial business could enter the palace complex. However, although entrance was forbidden to the common people, many did have access to it. In addition to the court officials who worked in the palace offices, during Qianlong’s reign a regular staff of tens of thousands worked there, including eunuchs, maids, cooks, laborers, and artisans. Such a large staff was needed to attend to the daily needs of the palace. A 178-acre complex comprising over 9,000 rooms, the Forbidden City once held the residences of the imperial family, government offices, ceremonial halls, storehouses, treasuries, and the facilities needed to support the imperial household, such as workshops, stables, kitchens, and gardens. Today the Forbidden City stands as the Palace Museum.
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What is a eunuch?
In the Imperial Chinese court, eunuchs were male servants who had voluntarily been castrated. Castration was partly a way of ensuring the purity of the royal bloodlines, as eunuchs were the only males normally permitted in the residential areas of the palace compound at night. Eunuchs served a wide range of roles, from menial servants and errand-boys to advisory positions to the emperor that held great power and authority.
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