The Forbidden City, or the Palace Museum(Chinese: 故宫; pinyin: Gùgōng), is the largest and most well preserved imperial residence, mass group of palaces in China today. Located in the center of Beijing, The Forbidden City was built between 1406 and 1420, and served as the imperial palace for the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is 3,150 feet long from north to south and 2,460 feet wide from east to west. It has 9,900 rooms and halls containing many precious relics.

The word "forbidden" is quite literal, as the imperial palace was heavily guarded and off-limits to ordinary people. As the residence for emperors and their families, most of the walls of the imperial palace were painted red and roofs were covered with yellow glazed tiles. The red and yellow combination forms a strong color contrast, representing the absolute authority, supremacy, and richness of feudal emperors.
The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

The Forbidden City is a "must" to visit for every tourist coming to Beijing.