The Forbidden City is located across from Tian'an Men Square behind 30 foot (10m) high walls, and within the 160 foot (50m) wide moat.

Entrance to the City was denied to ordinary people until only 80 years ago.

Constructed between 1404 - 1421 for the Ming Emperor Yongle, 24 emperors lived here until the last emperor, Puyi, in 1924.

The layout unfolds along a north-south axis which was conceived of as the beginning and ending at the center of the world.

Today much is under reconstruction and there is still no way to see the entire City in a day.