Forbidden City

The Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, is located at the center of Beijing's Central Axis. It served as the imperial palace for 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Construction began in the 4th year of the Yongle reign (1406) and was completed in 1420. Covering 720,000 sq m with a floor area of approximately 150,000 sq m, it contains over 70 palaces and 9,000+ rooms, making it the world's largest and best-preserved ancient wooden architectural complex. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The palace is divided into the Outer Court (centered on the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central Harmony, and Hall of Preserving Harmony, where grand ceremonies were held) and the Inner Court (centered on the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Union, and Palace of Earthly Tranquility, where the emperor and his consorts lived). The Palace Museum was officially established in 1925 and now houses over 1.86 million artifacts, making it China's largest museum of ancient culture and art.