When Kublai Khan led the Mongols’ conquest of China in the late 1200s, he made Beijing his winter capital. Beijing (also known as Peking) has served as the center of Chinese government almost ever since, and the city’s layout reflects its imperial past. Old Beijing consisted of two adjoining, walled areas known as the Inner City, which contained the Imperial City, and the Outer City. At the heart of the Imperial City lay the Forbidden City, so called because no one outside of the imperial court could enter without permission.

The Forbidden City, largely constructed in the 1400s during the Ming dynasty, contained hundreds of buildings and more than 9,000 rooms. Guarded by moats and towers, it was enclosed by purple walls rising 35 feet and stretching more than two miles on each side. With imposing gateways, marble bridges, terraced courtyards, and glittering yellow-tiled roofs, the Forbidden City radiated majesty.

For nearly 500 years, Chinese emperors used six principal buildings in the Forbidden City. The Three Great Halls were devoted to ceremonial functions: The Hall of Supreme Harmony, which housed the throne; the Hall of Complete Harmony, where policy statements were prepared; and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, where diplomats and scholars were received. The Three Rear Palaces were used for state business and as the imperial family’s quarters.

PostScript: An imperial law prohibited the construction of buildings taller than those in the Forbidden City, which generally were one story high. Under the People’s Republic of China, the Forbidden City buildings have been operated as a public museum since 1949.