Outside the Forbidden City

The Forbidden City (Chinese: 故宫; pinyin: Gùgōng) is a palace complex in central Beijing, China. It houses the Palace Museum, and was the former Chinese imperial palace and state residence of the Emperor of China from the Ming dynasty (since the Yongle Emperor) to the end of the Qing dynasty, between 1420 and 1924.

The Beijing Subway is the rapid transit system of Beijing Municipality that consists of 23 lines including 19 rapid transit lines, two airport rail links, one maglev line and one light rail line, and 405 stations. The rail network extends 699.3 km (434.5 mi) across 12 urban and suburban districts of Beijing and into one district of Langfang in neighboring Hebei province.

Jingshan Park is an imperial park covering 23 hectares (57 acres) immediately north of the Forbidden City in the Imperial City area of Beijing, China. The focal point is the artificial hill Jingshan, literally "Prospect Hill". Formerly a private imperial garden attached to the grounds of the Forbidden City, the grounds were opened to the public in 1928.

The Imperial Ancestral Temple, or Taimiao (simplified Chinese: 太庙; traditional Chinese: 太廟; pinyin: Tàimiào) of Beijing, is a historic site in the Imperial City, just outside the Forbidden City, where during both the Ming and Qing Dynasties, sacrificial ceremonies were held on the most important festival occasions in honor of the imperial family's ancestors.

The Beijing Jazz Festival (Chinese: 北京爵士音乐节; pinyin: Běijīng Juéshì Yīnyuè Jié) is China's first and largest jazz festival. It was founded in 1993 by Udo Hoffmann, a German national living in China. The festival is hosted by the Beijing Midi School of Music and Beijing Midi Productions.The festival was held in Beijing from 1993 to 1999, with a seven-year hiatus.

The Beijing Shejitan (北京社稷壇), also known as the Altar of Earth and Harvests or Altar of Land and Grain is a Confucian altar, located in the Zhongshan Park in Beijing. Built in 1421, it was used to perform the national soil and grain ceremonies. The Shejitan is also located in the opposite geometric location to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Forbidden City Concert Hall (Chinese: 中山公园音乐堂; literally: "Zhongshan Park Music Hall") is a 1,419-seat multi-purpose venue in Beijing. The name of the venue came from the fact that it is located within the grounds of the Beijing Zhongshan Park, a vast former imperial altar Shejitan and now a public park located to the southwest of the Forbidden City and in the Imperial City.

The Gate of Blending Harmony (Chinese: 协和门), or the Gate of Xiehe, Xiehemen, is a gate sits on the central road of the outer court of the Forbidden City, outside of the Gate of Supreme Harmony. On the eastern and opposite of the road to the Gate of Glorious Harmony. It was first built in the 18th year of Yongle and named the Gate of Left Obedience.

The Gate of Glorious Harmony (Chinese: 熙和门), or the Gate of Xihe, Xihemen is a gate sits on the central road of the outer court of the Forbidden Palace. It is on the outer side of the Gate of Supreme Harmony, and eastern to the Gate of Blending Harmony It was first built on the 18th year of Yongle (1420) and was named Gate of Right Obedience.

The Meridian Gate or Wumen (simplified Chinese: 午门; traditional Chinese: 午門; pinyin: Wǔmén; Manchu: ᠵᡠᠯᡝᡵᡤᡳᡩᡠᠯᡳᠮᠪᠠᡳᡩᡠᡴᠠ; Möllendorff: julergi dulimbai duka) is the southern and largest gate of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. Unlike the other gates of the Forbidden City, the Meridian Gate has two protruding arms on either side, derived from ancient que towers traditionally used to decorate the main entrances of palaces, temples and tombs.