The Forbidden City
A Virtual Tour
based on material from Beijing: Glimpse of History
Foreign Language Press, Beijing

A Tang Dynasty poet wrote a line about the royal palace of his time, which says "Without seeing the magnificence of the royal palace, one can never sense the dignity of the emperor."

Magnificent and awe-inspiring, that is how every visitor would describe the Forbidden City, which served as the seat of imperial power during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911).