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In Chinese it is the Wu Men. This is the traditional entrance to the palaces. From the balcony the emperor would review his armies and perform ceremonies marking the start of the new lunar year.

Five marble bridges, symbolizing the five cardinal virtues of Confucianism, span the Golden Water, which flows from west to east in a course designed to resemble the jade belt worn by the court officials.

The fourth and final great gate gives access into the Outer Court, the heart of the Forbidden City. The gate is guarded by two large bronze lions, classic imperial symbols of power and dignity. The lion on the right is the male; the one on the left with a cub under its foot is the female.

Raised on a triple tier of marble terraces, this largest of halls houses a sandalwood throne, used in the coronations of 24 emperors.

The most spectacular aspect of this hall is the great carved ramp on the north side, sculpted with dragons and clouds, and made from a single piece of marble weighing more than 200 tons.

The only building in the whole palace not to have been burnt down at least once, and thus the oldest hall of all. It is the boundary between the Outer Court (official) and Inner Court (private).

The Inner Court is more intimate than the formal Outer Court, because this is where the emperor, empress, and the many concubines actually lived.

The emperor Qianlong wrote that, “Every ruler, when he has finished his public duties, must have a garden in which he can stroll, and relax his heart.” This formal garden, the oldest in the Forbidden City, has two beautiful pavilions.

Much of the western flank of the complex is off limits, but some of the halls neighboring the Inner Court are visitable, including the Palace of Eternal Spring, where trompe-l’oeil paintings at the ends of passageways make them appear infinitely extended.

East of the Inner Court are smaller halls where the emperor’s harem lived. Also here is the well down which the Empress Cixi had her nephew’s favorite concubine thrown.