Meridian Gate
Larger than fifty Buckingham Palaces, China’s Forbidden City once housed China’s Imperial Family and select servants. This private city-within a city was walled off, surrounded by a moat, and boasting roofs in the yellow color only the Emperor had permission to use. The Forbidden City served as the center of the highest, most elite governmental and religious functions of China for more than five hundred years. Guarding the entrance to the highest governmental spaces is the Meridian Gate. This gate has three entrance points. Only the Emperor could use the central entrance, although there were a very few exceptions. His wife could use it to enter the Forbidden City on her wedding day, and the students with the top three scores in imperial exams were allowed to exit the Forbidden City using the central corridor. Everyone else, from the royal family to the public officials, used the smaller gates at the side.
