The Forbidden City (紫禁城) is the imperial palace complex in the center of the Imperial City in Beijing, China. It was the residence of 24 Ming and Qing dynasty Emperors, and the center of political power in China for over 500 years from 1420 to 1924. The Forbidden City is the most famous palace in all of Chinese history, and is the largest preserved royal palace complex in the world.

The Forbidden City is a rectangle, measuring 961 m from north to south and 753 m from east to west. It consists of 980 buildings with 8886 bays of rooms. The Forbidden City was designed to be the centre of the ancient, walled city of Beijing. It is enclosed in a larger, walled area called the Imperial City. The Forbidden City remains important in the civic scheme of Beijing. The central north–south axis remains the central axis of Beijing. This axis extends to the south through Tiananmen Gate to Tiananmen Square and on to Yongdingmen Gate.

Below is a selection of photos taken during a visit to the Forbidden City on December 10, 2010. Click on a small photo for a larger view, then select the next one with the cursor keys or the arrows on either side of the photo.