The Forbidden City Situated at the heart of Beijing, which is housed in the former palace of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Twenty-four emperors lived and ruled from this palace during this 500-year span. The Forbidden City was also made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

The rectangular 'city' covers an area of 720,000 square meters and contains 8,700 rooms. It is surrounded by 10-metre high walls and a 52-metre wide moat. The walls are pierced by four large gates, Wumen (Meridian Gate) on the south was used as the main entrance for most tourists.

Today, the Forbidden City is one of the world's foremost museums of Chinese art. Collections comprise millions of art treasures spanning five thousand years of Chinese history, which represent the peak of artistic and inventive genius exhibited by the countless artisans who worked exclusively for the imperial court.