China

Forbidden City Between 1406 and 1420, over two hundred and fifty acres of palaces and government buildings were built in Beijing. These palaces became known as the Forbidden City because the general population was not allowed inside the gates. The Forbidden City was exclusively for use by the Imperial family, the emperor's military personnel and his staff. For 500 years, it served as home to the Emperor and the seat of government. In 1949, the Forbidden City was opened to the public as a Chinese National Museum.

Forbidden City The Forbidden City was built by over 100,000 men, and took nearly 14 years to complete. It is made up of 75 separate buildings, which contain 9,999.5 rooms. It is surrounded by 11 foot thick walls that stand 32 feet tall. If that is not enough for protection, it is surrounded by a 164 foot wide moat, and there are watchtowers at the four corners of the city.

Forbidden Gardens During his reign, Emperor Qin ordered construction of a magnificent tomb where he would be buried upon death. To protect his body, Qin had four pits constructed, each of which would contain an army of soldiers. When the tomb was accidentally discovered in 1974, historians found that only three of the four pits had been filled with terra-cotta soldiers. The fourth pit was empty. Historians believe the Emperor either died or a military disruption occurred which ended production.

Forbidden Gardens These are some of the replica terra-cotta soldiers in Katy’s Forbidden Gardens, just like the ones found in China.

The Great Wall of China During Emperor Qin’s dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC), he also began construction of the Great Wall of China. Other emperors added to the wall over the next 2,000 years. It is the only man- made object that can be seen from outer space!

The Great Wall of China

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