Forbidden City - Imperial Palace, Beijing

24 emperors ruled China from within the Forbidden City during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911AD). The Forbidden City is so named as commoners were barred from entering the palace grounds.

The Throne Hall or the Hall of Supreme Harmony is China's tallest ancient palace building and is where during the reign of the Ming and Qing emperors, all important national ceremonies took place. After being the center of the Chinese world for nearly 500 years, the Forbidden City is now one of the largest and best preserved palace complexes in the world. The Palace Museum has been opened to the public since the 1950s and around a million rare and valuable objects are housed there. Visitors should plan on spending at least 1/2 a day here.

The Imperial Palace also know as The Forbiden City
The Imperial Palace, also known as the Forbidden City or 'Gugong', was the imperial residence and center of the kingdom during the reign of 24 emperors. 14 in the Ming and 10 in the Qing dynasty resided and ruled from this palace for 491 years until Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing dynasty and of China. It is now the largest and best preserved ancient architecture in China.
Located in the center of Beijing, the Imperial Palace covers an area of 72 hectares. Rectangular in shape, it runs 960 meter long from north to south. And 750 meter wide extended from east to west. There is a 10-meter high wall, encircled by a 52-meter wide moat.

The palace boasts more than nine thousand rooms, with layout following strict feudal code. The palace is divided into two main sections:- the Front Palace and the Inner palace. In the center of the Front Palace stand the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Complete Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. The Inner Palace includes the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Prosperity, the Hall of Earthly Peace and the Imperial Garden.

The once forbidden city to commoners is a popular tourists attraction today. The imperial palace in china today remain as the most complete and well preserved collection of ancient buildings.