The Forbidden City lies in the centre of Beijing, the capital of China. It was the home of the emperors of China and was known as the Forbidden City because ordinary people were not permitted to enter its walls. Building work started on this vast palace in 1404, on the orders of the Ming Yongle Emperor. Within its walls were the palace buildings where the emperors lived until 1912. The last emperor of China, Puyi, a boy of six, abdicated in 1912 but lived on in the palace until 1924.

The Forbidden City was the home of the emperor, his family and his servants. The emperor would stand at the Meridian Gate, flanked by elephants, and inspect his armies. Across the canal is another gate opening into a huge courtyard with the main palace buildings beyond it. The greatest is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, set on a marble platform. No other building in Beijing was allowed to be higher. This is where the emperor sat on his golden throne.