Download or read book The Forbidden City written by Geremie R. Barmé and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2011-06-01 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Forbidden City (Zijin Cheng) lying at the heart of Beijing formed the hub of the Celestial Empire for five centuries. Over the past century it has led a reduced life as the refuge for a deposed emperor, as well as a heritage museum for monarchist, republican, and socialist citizens, and it has been celebrated and excoriated as a symbol of all that was magnificent and terrible in dynastic China’s legacy.