1 km from one gate to the other and a width of 800 metres. The Forbidden city has a moat around the entire complex, which is 52 metres wide.I toured with two other people, a youngish Chinese woman, and a man who had a strange accent. He was from Australia, but actually his own country was Jordan.
http://www.chinavista.com/beijing/gugong/map.html
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the mid-Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China and now houses the Palace Museum. 
For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household, and the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City
Inside the complex there is a place that is called the Temple of Earthly Tranquility.
For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household, and the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City
Inside the complex there is a place that is called the Temple of Earthly Tranquility.
The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court was where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. The northern section, or the Inner Court was where he lived with his royal family. Until 1924 when the last emperor of China was driven from the Inner Court, fourteen emperors of the Ming dynasty and ten emperors of the Qing dynasty had reigned here. http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/forbidden.htm
Since yellow is the symbol of the royal family, it is the dominant color in the Forbidden City. Roofs are built with yellow glazed tiles; decorations in the palace are painted yellow; even the bricks on the ground are made yellow by a special process. However, there is one exception. Wenyuange, the royal library, has a black roof. The reason is that it was believed black represented water then and could extinguish fire.
It is to the north of Tiananmen Square. Rectangular in shape, it is the world's largest palace complex and covers 74 hectares. Surrounded by a six meter deep moat and a ten meter high wall are 9,999 buildings. The wall has a gate on each side.
