ThePalaceMuseum,knownastheForbiddenCity,wastheimperialpalacesoftheMingandQingdynasties.Intheearly15thcentury,large-scaleconstructioninvolved100thousandartisansandonemillioncivilians.
ThePalaceMuseumislocatedinthecentreofBeijing,coveringanareaof72hectares.Itisrectangularinshape,960meterslongfromnorthtosouthand750meterswidefromeasttowest.ThepalaceisthelargestpieceofancientChinesearchitecturestillstanding.SomeofthebuildingsweredamagedbylightningandrebuiltintheMingandQingdynasties.Thepalacehadbeenexpandedseveraltimes,buttheoriginallayoutwaspreserved.
AftertheFoundingofPeople'sRepublicofChinain1949,somecostlyrenovationsweredoneandthePalaceMuseumwaslistedasoneofthemostimportanthistoricalmonumentsunderspecialpreservationbytheChinesegovernment.