The Forbidden City was built by Emperor Yongle in the 15th century as the Imperial household, with a total of 800 buildings and 9,999 rooms. The complex was eventually opened to the public in 1949, having served as the Emperor's home for 505 years - used by 14 Ming and 10 Qing emperors.
The 'city', called "Gu Gong" in Chinese, is rectangular (961 metres x 753 metres) and is enclosed within its own protective nine-metre walls and 52-metre wide moat. Guards in watchtowers protected the city further with bows and arrows.
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