Also known as the Imperial Palace Museum or Gugong, the Forbidden City was the
place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties carried out their
administration and lived. Now it is open to the public as a palace museum where
people can see the great traditional palace architecture, enjoy the treasures
kept in the palace, and learn of the legends and anecdotes about the imperial
family and the court. Altogether 24 emperors lived here over a span of 491 years
in two dynasties, ending with the last emperor in 1925. A film about Puyi, The
Last Emperor, is well-known in the West. It is quite an experience to see halls
and courtyards where those scenes were played out, both on film and in real
life.
