China's Forbidden City

Released: 2011-10-21

Runtime: None minutes

Episode Overview

Part 1 of a two-part examination of the Forbidden City in Beijing, the ancient Chinese imperial palace. Included: its construction during the Ming Dynasty; its flaws; a fire that foreshadowed the fate of the city and the Ming Dynasty.

Series Overview

In the heart of Beijing lies the largest palace in the world, The Forbidden City. For five hundred years, it served as the home of the almighty Emperors of China along with their wives, concubines, and entourages of tens of thousands of eunuchs and civil servants. But the Forbidden City is more than an imperial residence; it is the center of the universe, a unique complex of structures revealing a hierarchy of power both imperial and divine.