If you're visiting Beijing for the first time, the Forbidden City (故宫 / Gugong) is one place you absolutely shouldn't skip. This wasn't simply a palace built for tourists to look at today. This was where China's emperors actually lived and ruled. For more than 500 years, the Forbidden City was the centre of imperial government and royal life during the Ming and Qing dynasties. And when you're standing inside it, the scale of the place really makes you understand just how powe
