From Paris - China Cultural Center

https://www.ccc-paris.org/zh/%E5%8F%91%E7%8E%B0%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD/%E5%8C%97%E4%BA%AC%E6%95%85%E5%AE%AB/#:~:text=%E5%8C%97%E4%BA%AC%E6%95%85%E5%AE%AB%E6%98%AF%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E6%98%8E,%E7%BB%93%E6%9E%84%E5%8F%A4%E5%BB%BA%E7%AD%91%E4%B9%8B%E4%B8%80%E3%80%82

## Source text: Intro of Forbidden City

北京故宫是中国明清两代的皇家宫殿，旧称为紫禁城，位于北京中轴线的中心，是中国古代宫廷建筑之精华。北京故宫以三大殿为中心，占地面积72万平方米，建筑面积约15万平方米，有大小宫殿七十多座，房屋九千余间。是世界上现存规模最大、保存最为完整的木质结构古建筑之一。

北京故宫于明成祖永乐四年（1406年）开始建设，以南京故宫为蓝本营建，到永乐十八年（1420年）建成。它是一座长方形城池，南北长961米，东西宽753米，四面围有高10米的城墙，城外有宽52米的护城河。紫禁城内的建筑分为外朝和内廷两部分。外朝的中心为太和殿、中和殿、保和殿，统称三大殿，是国家举行大典礼的地方。内廷的中心是乾清宫、交泰殿、坤宁宫，统称后三宫，是皇帝和皇后居住的正宫。

北京故宫被誉为世界五大宫之首（北京故宫、法国凡尔赛宫、英国白金汉宫、美国白宫、俄罗斯克里姆林宫），是国家AAAAA级旅游景区，1961年被列为第一批全国重点文物保护单位，1987年被列为世界文化遗产。

建筑分布

整体布局

故宫位于北京城中心。布局依据《周礼·考工记》中所载：“左祖、右社、面朝、后市”的原则，建筑在北京城南北长八公里的中轴线上，南北取直，左右对称。如今故宫左前面的劳动人民文化宫，明清是皇帝祭祀祖宗的太庙；右前面的中山公园是皇帝祭祀土神和谷神的社稷坛；前面有朝臣办事的处所；后面有人们进行交易的市场。北京故宫的北面是万岁山，南面是金水河，恰好符合古人“负阴抱阳，冲气为和”的建宫原则，万岁山是专门为营造皇城风水而筑城的一座人工山，完成于明初，位于元代寝宫延春阁旧址，用开挖护城河和南湖的淤泥堆积而成。此山的堆筑，一方面满足了皇城要“负阴”的原则，另一方面又镇住了前朝的风水，故万岁山又有“镇山”之称。北京四九城的布局是二龙出水护着紫禁城。依照中国古代星象学说，紫微星（即北极星）位于中天，乃天帝所居，天人对应，是以皇帝的居所又称紫禁城。

故宫宫城周围环绕着高12米，长3400米的宫墙，形式为一长方形城池，墙外有52米宽的护城河环绕，形成一个森严壁垒的城堡。故宫有4个门，正门名午门，东门名东华门，西门名西华门，北门名神武门。面对北门神武门，有用土、石筑成的景山。在整体布局上，景山可说是故宫建筑群的屏障。

故宫南北长约960米，东西宽约750米，面积72万多平方米，现存房屋8000多间。它周围有高10米的城墙，墙外有宽52米的护城河。四面各有一座门，南为午门、北为神武门、东为东华门、西为西华门。紫禁城内由外朝、内廷两大部分组成。外朝以太和殿、中和殿、保和殿为中心，东有文华殿，西有武英殿为两翼，是朝廷举行大典的地方。外朝的后面是内廷，有乾清宫、交泰殿、坤宁宫、御花园以及东、西六宫等，是皇帝处理日常政务和皇帝、后妃们居住的地方。此外，东侧还有宁寿宫区域，是清朝乾隆皇帝为做太上皇退位养老之所。

外朝分布

外朝是皇帝处理政事的地方，主要有三大殿：太和殿、中和殿、保和殿。其中太和殿最为高大、辉煌，它宽60.1米，深33.33米，高35.05米。皇帝登基、大婚、册封、命将、出征等都要在这里举行盛大仪式，其时数千人“三呼万岁”，数百种礼器钟鼓齐鸣，极尽皇家气派。太和殿后的中和殿是皇帝出席重大典礼前休息和接受朝拜的地方，最北面的保和殿则是皇帝赐宴和殿试的场所。

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## English Translation by Llama-3-8B:
Translation:

Here is the rewritten translation:

<TRANSLATION>
The Forbidden City, also referred to as the Purple Forbidden City, was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties, located at the center of Beijing's central axis, which is the essence of ancient Chinese palace architecture. The Forbidden City is centered around three main halls, approximately 72 million square meters in total, with a building area of around 15 million square meters, featuring more than 70 palaces and over 9,000 rooms. It is one of the largest and most well-preserved wooden structures known to date.

Construction of the Forbidden City began during the reign of Emperor Yongle in the Ming dynasty, commencing in 1406 and completed by 1420, with Nanjing Palace as its model. The palace is a rectangular city, approximately 961 meters north-south and 753 meters east-west, enclosed by walls 10 meters high and a moat 52 meters wide. The palace is divided mainly into two parts: the outer court, which includes three main halls known as the Three Great Halls, where grand ceremonies were held; and the inner court, comprising four main palaces: the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Palace of Union, the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, and the Palace of Eternal Peace, which served as the residence of the emperor and empress.

The Forbidden City is renowned as one of the five most famous palaces in the world (the other four being the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in England, the White House in the United States, and the Kremlin Palace in Russia), designated as a AAAA-level tourist attraction by the Chinese government and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.<TRANSLATION>
The Forbidden City measures approximately 960 meters from north to south and 750 meters from east to west, spanning an area of around 72 million square meters with over 8,000 rooms. It is surrounded by palace walls that are 10 meters high, with a moat outside that is 52 meters wide. Each side has one gate: the (Meridian Gate) in the south, the (Shenwu Gate) in the north, the (Donghuamen Gate) in the east, and the (Xihuamen Gate) in the west. The Forbidden City is divided into two parts: the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The Outer Court is centered around the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Preserving Harmony, and the Hall of Tranquil Longevity, with the Wenhua Hall to the east and the Wu Ying Hall to the west, where important state occasions are conducted. Behind the Outer Court lies the Inner Court, which includes the Qianqing Palace, the Jiaotai Palace, the Kunning Palace, the Imperial Garden, and the six eastern and western palaces, where the emperor handles daily affairs and resides with his empress.

The Outer Court is where the emperor conducts official business, mainly consisting of three main halls: the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Preserving Harmony, and the Hall of Tranquil Longevity. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest and most magnificent, measuring 60.1 meters wide, 33.33 meters deep, and 35.05 meters high. The emperor's most important events are held here in grand ceremonies, attended by thousands, with cries of "Long live the emperor!" and a cacophony of ceremonial music. The Hall of Preserving Harmony serves as a reception area for important guests, while the (Hall of Tranquil Longevity) is where the emperor holds banquets and conducts trials.

Additionally, there is a (Ningshou Palace) on the east side, which was built by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty as a retirement palace for himself after he abdicated as an emperor.

## English Translation by Gemma-2-9B:

The Forbidden City is the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties, formerly known as the Purple Forbidden City, located in the center of Beijing's central axis, and represents the pinnacle of ancient Chinese palace architecture. The Forbidden City is centered on the three main halls, covering an area of 720,000 square meters, with a construction area of about 150,000 square meters, with more than seventy large and small palaces, and over nine thousand houses. It is one of the largest and most complete existing wooden structure ancient buildings in the world.

The Forbidden City began construction in the fourth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1406), using the Nanjing Forbidden City as a blueprint, and was completed in the eighteenth year of Yongle (1420). It is a rectangular city, 961 meters long from north to south and 753 meters wide from east to west, surrounded by a 10-meter-high wall on all sides, with a 52-meter-wide moat outside the wall. The buildings inside the Forbidden City are divided into two parts: the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The center of the Outer Court is the Taihe Hall, the Zhonghe Hall, and the Baohe Hall, collectively known as the Three Halls, which is the place where the state holds grand ceremonies. The center of the Inner Court is the Qianqing Palace, the Jiaotaidian, and the Kunning Palace, collectively known as the Three Palaces in the Back, which is the main palace where the emperor and empress live.

The Forbidden City is known as the first of the world's five palaces (the Forbidden City, the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom, the White House in the United States, and the Kremlin in Russia), a national 5A-rated tourist attraction, listed as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units in 1961, and listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987.

<end_of_turn>The Forbidden City is about 960 meters long from north to south, and about 750 meters wide from east to west, covering an area of over 720,000 square meters. It has over 8,000 existing rooms. It is surrounded by a 10-meter-high wall, and outside the wall is a 52-meter-wide moat. There is a gate on each side: the Meridian Gate in the south, the Shenwu Gate in the north, the Donghua Gate in the east, and the Xihuamen in the west. The Forbidden City is divided into two main parts: the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The Outer Court is where the emperor handled government affairs, primarily comprising the three main halls: the Taihe Palace, the Zhonghe Palace, and the Baohe Palace. Of these, the Taihe Palace is the most magnificent and grand, measuring 60.1 meters wide, 33.33 meters deep, and 35.05 meters high. Grand ceremonies such as the emperor's enthronement, wedding, investiture, appointment of generals, and expeditions were all held here. Thousands of people would shout 'Three Cheers for Ten Thousand Years', and hundreds of ceremonial bells and drums would sound together, showcasing the emperor's ultimate power. The Zhonghe Palace behind the Taihe Palace is where the emperor rested and received homage before attending important ceremonies. The Baohe Palace at the northernmost end was where the emperor held banquet and palace examinations. Behind the Outer Court is the Inner Court, which houses the Qianyuan Palace, the Jiaotaidian, the Kunning Palace, the Imperial Garden, and the East and West Six Palaces, where the emperor handled daily government affairs and where the emperor and his concubines resided. In addition, there is the Ning Shou Palace area to the east, which was built by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty as a place for him to retire and live in his later years after abdicating.