China: Imperial Guardian Lion at the front of the Gate of Heavenly Purity (Qianqingmen), The Forbidden City (Zijin Cheng), Beijing. The Forbidden City, built between 1406 and 1420, served for 500 years (until the end of the imperial era in 1911) as the seat of all power in China, the throne of the Son of Heaven and the private residence of all the Ming and Qing dynasty emperors. The complex consists of 980 buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms and covers 720,000 m2 (7,800,000 sq ft).

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Size: 3330px × 4962px
Photo credit: © Pictures From History / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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