Beijing | Palace Museum - Meridian Gate

🚪The entrance to the Palace Museum, only for entry, not exit . [Event] 🎉"The Great Way: Confucian Culture Exhibition" - Free, October 1, 2024 to January 5, 2025 . [Tip] 💡If there is an exhibition, be sure to go upstairs, mainly to overlook the Forbidden City. After all, besides Jingshan Park, there is no other high place to have this opportunity. . [Architecture] 🏠The main gate of the Forbidden City, built in 1420, is in the shape of a "concave" character. The Meridian Gate has five gates, with three gates in the middle and one side gate on each side, commonly known as "three bright and five dark". The middle gate is usually reserved for the emperor. When the emperor gets married, the empress enters the palace through the middle gate. 🌸The top three candidates selected through the palace examination leave the palace through the middle gate after the results are announced. The east gate is for civil and military officials, and the west gate is for royal family members. The two side gates are only opened for large celebrations. 🔫In the event of a major war, when the army returns in triumph, a "prisoner ceremony" is held here to present prisoners of war to the emperor. The Ming Dynasty emperor's punishment of ministers, "delayed punishment", was also carried out here.