Which Chinese capital city is home to the Forbidden City?

Beijing is the Chinese capital city that is home to the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City is a vast imperial palace complex at the center of Beijing’s historic Imperial City. Construction began in 1406 under the Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty and was largely completed in 1420. Its location reflects Beijing’s role as the Ming capital after the court moved north from Nanjing.

For more than five centuries, the complex served as the residence and ceremonial center of China’s Ming and Qing emperors. Twenty-four emperors lived there, and access was once tightly restricted to the imperial household, officials, servants, and approved visitors. The name refers to the prohibition against ordinary people entering the palace precincts.

The palace became the Palace Museum in 1925 and is now one of Beijing’s defining cultural landmarks. It is also part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized in 1987. The traditional claim that it contains 9,999 rooms is famous, but modern surveys count 8,886 bays or room spaces.