Footage of the Forbidden City, 1903
A panoramic shot of the Forbidden City in Beijing.
From: 1416 C.E. To: 1911 C.E.
Location: The Palace Museum, Beijing, China
The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City of Beijing served as the capital of Imperial China from 1416 to 1911. The massive complex, containing over 10,000 rooms, was built by countless workers hauling quarried stones on roads frozen over with ice. Over five centuries, it housed 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. This footage shows the Forbidden City while it was still in active use. Today, it is preserved as a World Heritage Site.
Video courtesy of the Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division.
References
“Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang.” UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, whc.unesco.org/en/list/439.
Vergano, Dan. “Beijing's Forbidden City Built on Ice Roads.” National Geographic, National Geographic Society, 19 May 2016, news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131104-china-ice-road-forbidden-city-culture-science/.
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