The Forbidden City was built from 1406 to 1420 for the Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty, who moved China's capital from Nanjing to Beijing. More than a million workers labored for 14 years. Emperors lived here until Puyi abdicated in 1912, and the Palace Museum was founded in 1925.
The palace covers 178 acres (72 hectares) inside walls 26 feet (7.9 m) high and a moat 171 feet (52 m) wide. A central axis runs from south to north, with the ceremonial Outer Court in the south and the emperor's residences, the Inner Court, in the north. The Hall of Supreme Harmony rises about 98 feet (30 m) above the surrounding square and is the largest surviving wooden structure in China. Nearly all roofs are covered in yellow glazed tile, the emperor's color.
About 980 buildings survive. UNESCO listed the palace in 1987, and it has averaged 14 million visitors a year since 2012.
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