Ruins of the Ming Dynasty Imperial Palace

明故宫遗址

The palace was built by the first Ming Emperor in 1366 and stretched 2.5 km in length. It was completely destroyed in the Qing Dynasty and what remains barely hints at its size. In the tree shaded southern half are the small section of wall holding the huge arches of the Meridian Gate, five stone 'Outer Dragon' bridges and an array of megaliths, some baring fragments of carvings. The site was effectively a prototype of Beijing's Forbidden City as the layout was copied by the Emperors grandson when he moved the capital northwards in 1421.

• free
• history

Address

ZhongshanDong Lu

Getting there

directly above Minggugong subway station on line 2

Price

Free