28 Oct 1420: Mings complete Forbidden City

On this day in 1420, the Ming dynasty completed the Forbidden City – right before it moved its capital there from Nanking.

Shenwumen Gate. Wikimedia Commons user kallgan

Here are some more details on the Ming dynasty:

• gained power in 1368, following the collapse of the Yuan (Mongol) dynasty
• last dynasty led by native Han Chinese
• known for its exquisite vases
• completed the Great Wall of China
• rule ended in 1644 by a peasant revolt led by Li Zicheng, who formed the short-lived Shun dynasty
• succeeded a few months later by the Manchu (Qing) dynasty, China’s last

And on the Forbidden City:

• construction began in 1406; it required more than one million workers
• historically reserved for emperors; commoners were not allowed inside
• it is located inside Beijing, once known as Peking
• Empress Dowager Cixi abandoned it during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion