Imperial Palace

Located in the center of Beijing, the Imperial Palace, otherwise known as the Purple Forbidden City, was the royal palace for the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is the largest, the most intact and well-protected palace complex in China and in the world as well. During the past 500 years since its completion in 1420, it had been used by the two feudal dynasties of Ming and Qing with 24 emperors to rule over the country from here. The revolution of 1911 led by Dr Sun Yat-sen put an end to the feudal rule of the Qing in China. The Forbidden City was opened to visitors in 1925. After 1949, the Imperial Palace has undergone renovations part by part, thereby presenting a completely new feature. Covering an area of 720,000 square meters (about 250 acres) it has a floor space totaling around 155,000 square meters with more than 890 palace buildings containing over 9,000 rooms of various sizes. Housed in the palace museum are many historical and cultural relics as well as precious works of art. It is the largest museum of culture and art in China.

More