Serving as the Imperial Palace, the Forbidden City was home to every emperor from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Not only was it the home of the royals, but it was the political center of the Chinese government for over 500 years. To this day, a large portrait of Mai Zedong greats tourists at the entrance into the Forbidden City.
Since the mid 1920s, the complex has been under the charge of the Palace Museum. No longer home to royals, the museum is still home to the largest collection of ancient wooden structures along with an extensive collection of Chinese artifacts. These attractions have made the once Forbidden City the most visited museum in the world.
As you enter through the main gates, you immediately begin to understand why “city” was included in its name. It really is a city within a city.
