The Forbidden City (Gùgōng), located at the centre of Beijing, was the main palace of Imperial China for five centuries, until the early 20th century. It today houses the Palace Museum, one of China's largest national museums, with an extensive collection based on the former imperial collection. This is truly the spot to appreciate the might and grandeur of the Imperial Chinese court during the height of its power in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Constructed between 1406 and 1420 during the reign of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Forbidden City was home to 24 emperors and their families and acted as the ceremonial and political center of ancient Chinese government throughout 500 years. After the Last Emperor of China left the palace, it later became a museum open to the public in 1925. Since then, the Forbidden City is no longer ‘forbidden’, and now ordinary people are able to take a virtual trip in time to see the secrets and luxury of imperial life.

Literally and metaphorical at the heart of Beijing, the vast expanse of Tiananmen Square covers over 100 acres making it one of the largest public squares in the world. It was here, in 1949, that Chairman Mao Zedong declared the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially symbolic with the Forbidden City, the symbol of imperial China, close by.