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Where in the world

China

Forbidden City

Imperial China · China

Field notes

civilizations: Imperial China
types: Palace
built: 1,406 CE — 1,420 CE
occupied: 1,420 CE — 1,912 CE
country: China

The site

The imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties at the heart of Beijing, home to twenty-four emperors between 1420 and 1912. Behind a moat and a ten-metre wall spread almost a thousand timber halls on a strict north-south axis, their yellow-glazed roofs reserved for the sovereign. Ordinary subjects were forbidden to enter — hence its name — and its rooms are said to number close to 9,000. It is the largest surviving palace complex in the world, and since 1925 has housed the Palace Museum.

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