Situatedin the center of Beijing, on the north side of Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City is the largest group of classicalpalace buildings in the world and is a must-see for anyone visiting the capital city. It was the royal palace for both the Ming and Qingdynasties which saw some 24 emperors rule from this seat for a solid 500 years (from 1420 – 1911). The Qing Dynastywas defeated in the 1911 Revolution, and fourteen years later the Forbidden City wasopened to the public for the first time in history. The palace issurrounded by a deep moat and a massive wall. The palace museum contains over9,000 rooms of various sizes, and the grounds extend over 72 hectares (178acres), forming the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The Outer Court is whereemperors discussed state affairs and held audiences and ceremonies, and theInner Court is where routine affairs were handled. The emperor’s concubines andattendants would live and entertain one another in this part of the palace. TheForbidden Palace is China’s largest museum, containing several thousand worksof art attracting visitors from all corners of the world.