Forbidden City

The Forbidden City or Forbidden Palace ({{zh-cpl|c=紫禁城|p=zǐ jìn chéng|l=Purple Forbidden City}}), located at the exact center of the ancient City of Beijing, was the imperial palace during the mid-Ming and the Qing dynasties. Known now as the Palace Museum ({{zh-cp|c=故宫博物院|p=Gùgōng Bówùyùan}}), its extensive grounds cover 720,000 square meters, 800 buildings and 9,999 rooms. (It should not be confused with the National Palace Museum in Taiwan.) As such, it is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the World, and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 as the "Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties". The imperial palace grounds are located directly to the north of Tiananmen Square and are accessible from the square via Tiananmen Gate. It is surrounded by a large area called the Imperial City.

Related Topics:
Beijing - Ming - Qing dynasties - National Palace Museum - Taiwan - UNESCO - World Heritage Site - 1987 - Tiananmen Square - Tiananmen Gate

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Although no longer occupied by royalty, the Forbidden City remains a symbol of Chinese sovereignty and the image of its entrance gate appears on the seal of the People's Republic of China. The Palace Museum is now one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. Recently, the site has been under much renovation which has limited visitors to the main courtyards and a few gardens.

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