Forbidden City IV

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace for almost 500 years, from the Ming Dynasty in the 15th Century to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, and served as the political centre of Chinese government, as well as the Emperor's seat. The Forbidden City is the world's largest surviving palace complex and the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. Built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings and covers an area of 72 hectares. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987.