The Forbidden City 100 -Great Show to Learn About Chinese Culture

Watch The Forbidden City 100 to Know More About China

The Forbidden City 100: What You Need to Know

The Forbidden City 100 is called《故 (gù) 宫 (gōng) 100 (yībǎi) 》in Chinese. It is a documentary about the history and culture surrounding the Forbidden City accompanied with video footage of the Forbidden City.

When making the program, the creators didn’t want to affect the normal visiting times for the public so most of the shooting was done at 4 am and after 6 pm.

The show allows viewers to see many areas of the Forbidden City which are not open to the public, such as royal private spaces and religious places.

It also shows, for the first time, the full extent of some traditional palace craftsmanship, as well as details that are essential but often overlooked in the life of the palace such as fire prevention and cold storage.

It was released in 2012 and co-produced by The Palace Museum and CCTV.

The Forbidden City 100: The Forbidden City

In the past The Forbidden City used to be called 紫禁城 zǐjìnchéng in Chinese.

This literally means “purple forbidden city”. This is because in ancient China ‘purple’ refers to the North Star which was seen as the heavenly abode of the Celestial Emperor.

Nowadays it is more commonly known as 故宫 gùgōng which literally means “former palace”.

It is also known as The Palace Museum 故宫博物院 gùgōng bówùyuàn, which is a museum located in the Forbidden City, it is a must visit if you come to China.

The Forbidden City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of an incredible 55 in China!

The museum is an institution for collecting, researching, displaying and preserving physical objects for the purpose of cultural education.

It is a precious cultural relic that is a symbol of the rule of the monarch. It was built only for the emperor’s viewing and enjoyment, but has now become accessible to the entire nation.

  • Warning: Don’t try to visit the Palace Museum on a Monday, it is closed.

Here is a link for The Panoramic Forbidden City, make sure you take a look!

The Forbidden City 100: Why Should I Watch

It is a great opportunity to see ancient buildings, courtyards and the palace cultural relics collection.

It is also a chance to know more about how the ancient emperors and empresses of China lived.

The voice over commentary is also very interesting and enjoyable, while also being good Chinese listening practice.

How do you like the voice? Comment below and let’s chat it out!

It’s a great way for you to get familiar with the Forbidden City.

There is so much to learn about royal culture, with the emperor, imperial power and the imperial palace being at its core.

The Forbidden City 100: Watch Online

The Forbidden City 100
The Forbidden City 100

You may have guessed it from the name…

…but there are 100 episodes of The Forbidden City 100.

The episodes are quickfire and snappy.

In fact, each episode lasts just 6 minutes.

For all 100 videos you can go to CCTV 纪录‘s official channel on YouTube and watch the episodes with Chinese subtitles.

Alternatively, there are also 20 episodes with English on YouTube.

The Forbidden City 100 : Chinese Words to Understand

  • 绘画 huìhuà – Painting
  • 书法 shūfǎ – Calligraphy
  • 瓷器 cíqì – Porcelain
  • 铜器 tóng qì – Bronze
  • 玉器 yùqì – Jade
  • 钟表 zhōngbiǎo – Timepiece
  • 甲骨文 jiǎgǔwén – Oracle
  • 诗作 shīzuò – Poetry

See some vocab cards for some emperor related vocab below:

The Forbidden City 100 : FAQ’s

How many episodes of The Forbidden City 100?

There are 100 episodes, each lasting 6 minutes.

Who was the first emperor of the Qing dynasty to live in the Forbidden City?

The first emperor of the Qing dynasty to live in the Forbidden City was Emperor Shunzhi (顺治 shùnzhì), he was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty.

Who is Qianlong 乾隆 qiánlóng?

Qianlong 乾隆 qiánlóng was the sixth emperor of the Qing dynasty and was in charge of the country’s highest power for the longest time in Chinese history (63 years), and the emperor with the longest life (89 years old).

What’s the type of show is The Forbidden City 100?

The Forbidden City 100 is a documentary TV show which is called 纪录片jìlùpiān in Chinese.

Edited by Katie Coy

Share your experience with us if you had visited The Palace Museum or which part you liked best after watching the show!

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    […] sure that everyone will have heard of the Forbidden City which was the former palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. However, you may not have heard of […]