Forbidden City: Home of Chinese Emperors

The Forbidden City (zǐjinchéng) was the Chinese Imperial Palace of 24 Emperors from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Common people were not allowed to enter the Forbidden City freely as they risked the chance of being killed.

Also known as the Imperial Palace (Gùgōng), it is the largest and best-preserved collection of ancient buildings in China. Covering an area of 720,000 square meters, there are 980 remaining buildings and 8,704 rooms contained within a 10-meter city wall and a 52-meter moat. 

Located at the heart of Beijing, the Forbidden City is referred to as the Palace Museum. The Forbidden City was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1987 by UNESCO. 

Its design exerted great influence on East Asia and even modern architecture. Many movies were shot by using this site, such as “the Forbidden City” and “The Last Emperor”. 

It is hailed as one of the five most famous palaces in the world, the others being the Palace of Versailles in France, the Buckingham Palace in Great Britain, the White House in the United States and the Kremlin in Russia. 
(Source: China Culture Tour)

This video was compiled by NCN’s Samuel Sukhnandan, who is participating in the China International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC) 2022 programme in Beijing.