Why do tourists have to leave the Forbidden City at 5pm?

The Forbidden City, also known as the Imperial Palace, is a palace complex in Beijing, China. This is where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties lived. Currently, this place is under the management of the Palace Museum and has become a famous tourist attraction in China.

Since 2012, the Forbidden City has received an average of 14 million visitors per year and more than 19 million visitors alone in 2019. It can be said that this is one of the most visited museums in the world.

However, the Forbidden City has a strict rule that requires visitors to leave before 5pm. After this time, the Forbidden City will be closed. This place also never closes late or stays open all night. What is the reason?

There are four theories about the Forbidden City asking visitors to leave before 4pm.

First, the Forbidden City has too much yin. There is an anecdote that says that the Forbidden City was the site of many crimes, as a result of the court battles, many concubines, palace maids and eunuchs were killed. Many people even claim that in the evening in the Forbidden City, there is often a strange music emanating from the palace.

Second, the Forbidden City has no guards. Another story that has been passed around orally about the Forbidden City is that it will close after 5pm, making it impossible for anyone to enter or leave the country. People have trained many dogs to guard here from evening to morning.

Third, regarding the incident that happened 64 years ago. On August 16, 8, when the Forbidden City guard was patrolling as usual, he suddenly noticed something unusual. At the treasure display area, they found the window was broken, some of the artifacts inside disappeared. After inventorying, they found that the precious book of one of Kangxi's empresses. There are also betrothal items, and the letter from the Qianlong emperor is also wingless.

The police investigated and caught the culprit through the fingerprints he left at the scene. This person testified that, after visiting the Forbidden City, when he went to the antiques gallery, he suddenly had the intention to steal things. The man was then taken into custody.

Fourth, the deterioration of the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City has a total area of ​​720.000 m2 with more than 70 large and small palaces. There are 9.999 rooms in this palace system. Some places have deteriorated and have not been repaired, so visitors entering without a guide can put them in danger. Therefore, to protect cultural relics and tourists, the Forbidden City has a regulation that closes at 5pm every day.

National Status(Source: Sohu)