The Forbidden City (now called the Palace Museum) was a huge complex that we reached via big gates leading off the square. We only managed to see a small portion of the city because of it's size and the walking distance between all the various buildings.
It is the largest palatial complex in the world. It served as the seat of Imperial power during the Ming andn Quing dynasties (1368-1911).
We did get to see how the leader of the day ran the city, the quarters for the government of the day, the living quarters of the Emperor and Empress and the Conquebine's.
I thought I might rather like coming back as an Empress or a Conquebine until I found out that they only left the city at the Emperor's request & only in his company. The emperor had 100 conquebine's who lived in a complex in the city & they would wait in readiness for his call in the complex or a small garden guarded by eunochs.
It was facinating to think of how they lived in those days behind walled cities like this & ruled by one man's whim. The buildings were very colourful & they were not frightened of using bright combinations of colour both on the buildings and the furnishings.
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