The magnificent Forbidden City is the largest and the best-preserved Imperial Palace complex in the world. It once had 9,999 rooms, just a single room short of the number that ancient Chinese belief represents 'Divine Perfection' (many were desolated and now there are around 8,000 rooms). It's surrounded by a moat six meters deep and a ten-meter high wall. For five centuries, this palace functioned as the administrative center of the country as well as being the residence of emperors and empresses of the Yuan (1271 - 1368), Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) dynasties.
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