Forbidden City: Forbidden No More

The Forbidden City is a 720 thousand square-meter palace complex that spans two dynasties since its completion in 1421 under the reign of Emperor Yong Le. Also known as the Purple City, the complex was built on Confucian principles along with the ancient Chinese belief that the son of God (emperor) lives in the center of the world. The five elements (gold, wood, water, fire and earth) of the Ying Yang theory indicated that with the palace being located on earth, yellow was made the official emperial color hence yellow glazed tiles were prominent in palace interiors. Only the emperor had the right to use garments and utensils in yellow. Anyone caught using articles in this color were guilty of treason. On the other hand, red was dominant in palace architecture particularly the wood pillars, walls, windows and doors to represent the color of fire for prosperity and happiness. When Emperor Yong Le transfered the emperial capital from Nanjing to Beijing for security reasons, 14 Ming Dynasty and10 Qing Dynasty emperors lived in the Forbidden City since then.