Also known as the Imperial Palace Museum or Gugong, the Forbidden City was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties carried out their administration and lived. It lies at the center of Beijing's meridian line. The Palace Museum contains the world's largest group of intact palace structures made largely of timber.

Construction of the palace began in 1406, the fourth year of the reign of Ming Emperor Yongle, and it was completed 14 years later. In the years that followed, 24 emperors have ascended the throne and the last emperor, Fu Yi, was driven from the palace in 1924. The year after the palace was converted into a museum and opened to the public.

Covering a rectangular area of 720,000 square meters the museum stretches 960 meters from north to south and 750 meters from east to west. There are 9,999 and a half halls, towers, buildings and pavilions and a total combined floor space of 150,000 square meters. The dark red outer wall is 3,400 meters long .

The forbidden city is encircled in a 52-meter-wide, 6-meter-deep moat and a 10-meter-high, 3,400-meter-long city wall which has one gate on each side. There are four unique and delicate structured corner towers overlooking the city inside and outside on the four corners.

The Forbidden City is divided into two parts: the northern half, or the Outer Court where emperors executed their supreme power over the nation and the southern half, or the Inner Court where they lived with their royal family. Until 1924 when the last emperor in China was driven out of the Inner Court, 14 emperors of the Ming dynasty and 10 emperors of the Qing dynasty had reigned here. About 500 years being the imperial palace, it houses numerous rare treasures and curiosities. It is now listed by the UN as World Cultural Heritage in 1987 and is the hottest tourist magnets.

The structures in the palace were all built on the meridian line. The main buildings in the Outer Palace are three halls - the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Complete Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. All of them were built on an eight-meter-high platform and they occupy a total area of 85,000 square meters. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest of three, with a floor space of 2,377 square meters. It is 35 meters high, 63 meters long and 33.33 meters wide. The hall is the largest timber structure in the country. At the center there is a golden lacquerware throne set between two golden pillars both decorated with dragons and it was the symbol of feudal and imperial power.

Enthroning ceremonies, birthday parties, festival celebrations, ceremonies for sending forces on punitive expeditions and other important activities were held in the hall. To the north is the Hall of Complete Harmony where the emperor rested before attending important ceremonies and met people who came to pay their respects there. The Hall of Preserving Harmony at the northern end was the place where banquets were held and candidates sat the final imperial examinations.

North of the Hall of Preserving Harmony is the Inner Palace where the emperor carried out his daily work and the empress, concubines, princes and princesses lived, played and paid their respects to God. The main buildings in the Inner Palace, the Hall of Union and Peace and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. There are 12 palace courtyards on either side. There are also three gardens - Longevity Garden, kindness and Tranquility Garden and the Imperial Garden. They were the playgrounds of the imperial family.

Nowadays, it is open to tourists home and abroad as a palace museum where people can see the great traditional palace architecture, enjoy the treasures kept in the palace, and learn of the legends and anecdotes about the imperial family and the court. Splendid paintings on the royal architectures, grand and deluxe halls, and surprisingly magnificent treasures will certainly satisfy "modern civilians".

Included in the UNESCO world cultural heritage list in 1987.