Forbidden City Tour with a Sinologist

Meet for your 2-hour Forbidden City tour at Industrial & Commercial Bank at the departure time you chose. During this walking tour with a trained sinologist, hear a basic overview of the site, while getting time to strategically dig deeper into a few themes of its imperial history.

Your tour begins at the Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tiananmen Tower) in Tiananmen Square. At the gate discuss themes of the area, and have the opportunity ask questions, too. Plus dive into history you may not already know. 

From there, dive into the Forbidden City. Much of your time will focus on the sequence of courtyards and pavilions, each carefully located and designed to connote imperial power. You'll also visit the Inner Palaces, where the Ming Emperors resided, and Hall of Mental Cultivation, where the last several generations of Manchu rulers lived, worked, and held court. 

By the time you exit out the backdoor of the Palace, you'll emerge with a strong understanding of how imperial rule worked historically in China and the role of the Forbidden City in solidifying that rule.