Forbidden City Corner Towers

　　The Forbidden City corner towers are multi-angled structures formed by a combination of four protruding rectangular planes. The roofs have three tiers—the upper tier features an intricately intersecting hip-and-gable roof, made up of a double-sloped suspended hip roof and a four-sloped grand hip roof. Because this type of roof has nine main ridges, it is called a "nine-ridged hall." The middle tier adopts a "hooked connection" design, where four surrounding hip-and-gable pavilions encircle the central roof, resembling stars surrounding the moon. The lower tier features a semi-sloped waist eave that encompasses the five roofs above, forming a composite whole. Due to the harmonious proportions, elegant eaves, and exquisite, delicate design of the corner towers, they have become an iconic symbol of the Forbidden City—amazing, awe-inspiring, and deeply admired.

　　Within the Forbidden City, there are four main gates: the Meridian Gate to the south, as well as the Donghua Gate, Xihua Gate, and the Shenwu Gate to the north. The entire palace complex is rectangular, covering an area of 720,000 square meters, with over 70 palaces of various sizes and more than 9,000 rooms. It is surrounded by city walls over 10 meters high and a moat more than 50 meters wide. At each of the four corners of the wall stands an exquisitely crafted corner tower. These beautiful and colorful towers, built during the Ming Dynasty, have a history of over 560 years. The floor plan of the corner towers consists of two interlocking "T" shapes in a cranked layout, with white marble column bases surrounding the structure. The double-eaved roof forms a multi-angled, staggered design, with the upper eave composed of a four-corner pyramidal roof and a hip-and-gable roof. The four sides feature open mountain-style ridges, with the central ridge crossing in an X-shape, topped with a bronze gilded finial. The corner towers exhibit a harmonious design ratio and ingenious construction, with complex and intricate structures of varying sizes, all uniquely crafted. They fully showcase the wisdom and skill of the laboring people of our country.

　　Source: Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development