Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is a palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples including the 22 ha (54-acre) Zhongshan Park, the sacrificial Imperial Ancestral Temple, the 69 ha (171-acre) Beihai Park, and the 23 ha (57-acre) Jingshan Park.[2] It is officially administered by the Palace Museum.

The Forbidden City was constructed from 1406 to 1420 as the Chinese imperial palace and winter residence of the Emperor of China from the Ming dynasty (since the Yongle Emperor) to present. The Forbidden City served as the home of Chinese emperors and their households and was the ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government for over 500 years. 

The complex claims to consist of 9,999.5 buildings in total encompassing 9,999 rooms and covering 720,000 m2 (72 ha)/178 acres. The palace exemplifies the opulence of the residences of the Chinese emperor and the traditional Chinese palatial architecture and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. 

The Forbidden City in Beijing is one of the largest and most well-preserved wooden structures in the world.