Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China's Emperors

Peer through the massive gates and gain access into the heart of the world's largest imperial palace, courtesy of a stunning new exhibition opening fall 2014 at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

The Vancouver Art Gallery will be transformed into the Court of China's Emperors for the landmark exhibition The Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China's Emperors. From October 18, 2014 to January 11, 2015, nearly 200 treasured objects from the collections of Beijing's Palace Museum will come under the spotlight at the Gallery. This exhibition will mark another important milestone in the Vancouver Art Gallery's ongoing commitment to represent the historical and contemporary art of China and the Asia Pacific region.

The Forbidden City in Beijing is a historic architectural site that has remained largely mysterious until recent years. It was the seat of imperial power for China's emperors for five centuries (1416-1911) during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. With nearly 10,000 rooms, 980 buildings, more than 90 architectural complexes, and over a million ceremonial, diplomatic and domestic artifacts spanning a remarkable period in global history, the Forbidden City today offers a unique opportunity to consider the political, social and cultural developments of late dynastic China. In 1925, the Forbidden City was re-named as Beijing's Palace Museum. In 1961, the Forbidden City was designated as one of China's foremost protected cultural heritage sites, and it became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.