What’s Inside the Forbidden City? Walking China’s 600-Year-Old Palace

What’s Inside the Forbidden City? Walking China’s 600-Year-Old Palace #ForbiddenCity #beijing #chinatravel Step inside one of the most extraordinary places on Earth — the legendary Forbidden City in Beijing. In this walking tour, we explore the vast imperial palace that ruled China for nearly five centuries. Entering through the magnificent Meridian Gate, we follow the central axis of the palace complex, passing the grand ceremonial halls where emperors of the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty once governed one of the largest empires in history. Along the way, we visit some of the most important buildings inside the palace, including the impressive Hall of Supreme Harmony — the largest wooden structure in China — where emperors presided over coronations, imperial weddings, and major state ceremonies. The Forbidden City remained off-limits to ordinary people for almost 500 years. Within these towering red walls lived emperors, empresses, concubines, and thousands of palace attendants, all part of a carefully controlled world at the centre of imperial power. Our journey ends in the peaceful Imperial Garden, a hidden sanctuary filled with ancient trees, pavilions, and rock formations where the emperor and his family once escaped the rigid ceremony of court life. Today, the palace is preserved as the Palace Museum, welcoming millions of visitors each year to walk through the same courtyards once reserved only for the rulers of China. If you enjoy historic places, travel, and exploring the stories behind famous landmarks, consider subscribing to McBrowser for more walking tours and historical journeys. Filmed on a DJI Osmo 360 and a Samsung Fold 7 - 8 April 2026 and edited in DaVinci Resolve. Music Credits: What Lao Tse Told Me / Christian Andersen / courtesy of Epidemic Sounds Sacred Grounds / Christian Andersen / courtesy of Epidemic Sounds Upstream Dreams / Christian Andersen / courtesy of Epidemic Sounds Great Wall of China / Sight of Wonders / courtesy of Epidemic Sounds Yin and Yang / Damon Greene / courtesy of Epidemic Sounds Back to Beijing / Christian Andersen / courtesy of Epidemic Sounds The Wonderful Dazu / Christian Andersen / courtesy of Epidemic Sounds Year of the Dragon / Christian Andersen / courtesy of Epidemic Sounds In a Thousand Years / Christian Andersen / courtesy of Epidemic Sounds #BeijingChina #VisitChina #ChinaHistory #ChineseHistory #ImperialChina #PalaceMuseum #ImperialPalace #HistoricPlaces #WorldHeritage #UNESCOWorldHeritage #AncientChina #HistoricArchitecture #WalkingTour #VirtualTour #TravelHistory #ExploreChina