The
Forbidden City has been home to a total of 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasty between 1421 and 1912.
So he decided to move his new court to
a more friendly Beijing but at the time he deemed that city lacking the proper accomodations for his grand standing.
So
from 1402 till 1420 a million forced laborer built him a splendid 72 ha large place with huge courtyards and hundreds of buildings,
all surrounded by a wide and deep moat and high walls to keep the commoners out..
Emperors have been spending
fortunes in repairing, improving and changing the Forbidden City's looks ever since.
There are two sections, the
Inner Court is located to the north and contains the living quarters and private buildings for th emperor and his staff.
The
Outer Court was used for official ceremonies and interactions with the common citizens.
The Forbidden City is open
to the public, but most of its inventory is on display in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, thanks to general Chiang
Kai-shek who took the loot with him when he fled to Taiwan.
