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Hello, Dear steemit friends, I am 
A friend asked me why I haven't introduced the most symbolic building—the Place Museum yet? Of course, as the wonderful part of this trip, now I will take my dear friends to have a look at this mysterious Forbidden City!
First, I'd like to share with you the brief-introduction. The Palace Museum is also called the Forbidden City, the imperial of the Ming(1368-1644) and Qing(1644-1911) dynasties, is the representative of the Chinese classical architecture. It contains over 70 palaces and around 9000 houses, is the largest and best-preserved imperial palace complex extant in China.
有朋友问我，此次北京之行，为何迟迟不介绍京城最象征性的建筑物，故宫。我回答，故宫当然要作为压轴啦，今天我就带朋友们概览一下这座神秘的紫禁城！首先还是为大家普及一下故宫。故宫旧时称紫禁城，是明清两代的皇家宫殿，是中国古典建筑的代表，宫内包含七十多座宫殿、九千余房屋，是目前保存最完整最大的古代建筑之一。
今天我将以中轴线的顺序来为大家大介绍故宫，所谓中轴线就是从午门到神武门之间的那条线，贯穿整个故宫，包括几个重要的门和大殿以及御花园。(如上图）
Meridian Gate(Wu Men) 午门
We went into the Meridian Gate through the Tian'anmen Gate Tower. The Meridian Gate is the main gate of the Forbidden City,which has four entrances(Merdian Gate, Shenwu Gate, DongHua Gate and XiHua Gate). Standing in front of the Meridian Gate, I can think of the emperor in the film and TV play went out of this gate with the protection of the military. It's so cool! The entrance in the middle of the gate is only for the emperor. When the emperor got married, the express can also enter through this. In addition, the champion, the 2nd place and the 3rd one in imperial examination at that time can also go from here.
我们是从天安门城楼进入到午门。午门是紫禁城的正门，紫禁城有四个门（午门，神武门，东华门和西华门）。站在午门面前，我能联想到影视剧中帝王在众军的保护下浩浩荡荡地从此门出来，很有感觉！正中间的门洞是只为皇帝进出，大婚时皇后也是由此进入，另外当年的状元、榜眼、探花出宫时也可以从此处走。
要进入故宫，我们需要经过天安门城楼。
This is the Meridian Gate.
这就是午门。
Supreme Harmony Gate( TaiHe Gate) 太和门
It is the portal of the Outer Court, where the emperor held grand ceremonies. HongShing, Xuande, Zhengtong emperor ascended the throne here.
太和门是外朝的门户，外朝主要指的是皇帝举行盛大典礼的场所。洪熙、宣德、正统皇帝登基就在此门。
Hall of Supreme Harmony(TaiHe Dian) 太和殿
Among the numerous palaces, this palace has left a deep impression on me. It can be considered splendid and magnificent. The ten little beasts on each corner of its roof stand for the royal power. The more the beasts the palace has, the more power it represents. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is commonly known as the Hall of Golden Bells(Jinluan Dian), one of the biggest palaces of the Forbidden City, was the site of grand ceremonies in the Ming Ming and Qing dynasties, including the emperor's enthronement, imperial weddings, the announcement of the Palace Examination results and the launching of major military expeditions.
在数个宫殿中让我印象最深刻的就是此殿，只能用金碧辉煌来形容它的外观，屋顶四角有十只小兽是权力的象征,小兽越多，权力越大。太和殿就是我们所听闻的“金銮殿”，也是紫禁城内最大的宫殿，是明清两代举行重大庆典的场所，包括皇帝登基、大婚、宣布进士名次、命将出征等大型活动。
This is the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
这就是太和殿。
The sundial(Rigui) was used in pre-modern China to tell the time by measuring the shadow cast by the sun.
中国古代测日影定时刻的计时器—日晷。
This is the drainage hole of the Forbidden City, still carved with the shape of the heads of dragons.
这是故宫的排水孔，依然雕刻着龙头的形状。
Hall of Preserving Harmony(Baohe Dian) 保和殿
The Ming dynasty emperors, before going to the court, often changed their clothes in this hall. The Shunzhi and Kangxi emperors lived here and the wedding ceremony of the Shunzhi Emperor was also held in this hall. In the 54th year of the Qianlong Emperor's regin, this hall became the site for Palace Examinations.
明朝时作为皇帝上朝前更衣休息的地方，也就是更衣室。清朝时顺治和康熙皇帝在此居住，顺治皇帝还曾在此举行大婚，乾隆五十四年将此定为殿试考场。
Hall of Central Hatmony( Zhonghe Dian) 中和殿
It is located bewteen the former two palaces, which was commonly used as a place for the emperor's rest. Also, the emperor would review the addresses.
位于以上两个宫殿中间，一般作为皇帝休憩的地方，皇帝也在此检阅奏文等。
Gate of Heavenly Purity( Qianqing Men) 乾清门
Walking through the Hall of Preserving Harmony, you can get here. It belongs to the Inner Court. That is to say, the emperor lived with his empress and concubines in this palace. It is the main entrance of the Inner Court.
保和殿再往后走，便是内廷的范围，也就是皇家居住、生活、玩乐的地方，乾清门就是内廷的大门。
Palace of Heavenly Purity( Qianqing gong)乾清宫
This place was where the emperor dealt with routine government affairs. Until the Emperor Yongzheng, he moved to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. But, this palace was also considered as one of the places for emperor to deal with affairs.
此宫是皇帝治理朝政和居住的地方，直到雍正皇帝才将寝宫移至养心殿，但乾清宫也作为处理朝廷政务的地方之一。
PS: That day, I didn't go past the two palaces, so I'm sorry that the photos can not be offered. If you are interested, you can search the Internet.
备注：那天时间有限，没去这两个宫殿。所以不能给大家提供照片，如果有感兴趣的朋友，可以在网上查看。
Hall of Union and Peace(Jiaotai Dian)交泰殿
It was the place for the empress to receive the presents offered by princes, dukes and high-ranking officials.
交泰殿是皇后在重大节庆接受朝贺的场所。
Palace of Earthly Tranquillity(Kunning gong) 坤宁宫
We can often see the part of the Palace of Earthly Tranquillity in the films and TV plays. I always think this place has something mysterious. It was served as the residence of the empress in the Ming Dynasty.
在电影电视剧中也看过不少关于坤宁宫的片段，总觉得这里有一种神秘色彩。它是明代皇后的寝宫。
When visiting the Forbidden City, the other photos are taken. Now, I'd like to share with you.
以下是我在观摩故宫时拍下的其他照片，分享给大家！
宫殿一角
Nine Dragon Screen
九龙壁
The four of us are resting near the Shenwu Gate.
我们在神武门附近小憩。
The mineral water in the palace has its special pack.
故宫里的矿泉水，有着特殊包装。
What the Forbidden City attracts me is not only its magnificence but also the glorious history of the Ming and Qing dynasties in China for centuries. The Forbidden City represents the prosperity and power of ancient China. Chinese descendants come here and review the wonderful history, which is amazing.
As the weather is so hot, we only stay in the Forbidden City for half day. In fact, it takes a whole day to walk through all the places. Next time, I will arrange other time to pay a visit comprehensively. Today, what I have shared is just part of the Forbidden City. If you are interested in this, come and visit the Forbidden City, which is worth it.
故宫吸引我的地方不只是它的雄伟壮观，更因为中国明清两朝数百年的历史都在此辉煌过，紫禁城代表着古代中国的昌盛与强大。后人们来到这里，回顾历史的精彩，是一种很奇妙的感受。 由于天气炎热，我们只在故宫观摩了半天时间。实际上故宫需要一整天才能全部走完，下次我会选择其他时间来故宫，好好地观赏一下这里。我所分享的只是故宫的一部分，如果大家对此感兴趣，去看一看故宫，很值得的。
Here is my other related post about the Forbidden City, you can click here(My Travel— The Treasures in the Forbidden City (Original) /北京之行 故宫(紫禁城)里的珍宝—珍宝馆主要展品介绍).
这是关于故宫的另外一篇帖子，有兴趣的话可以看看。