Built between 1407-1420, the Forbidden City in Beijing, China was home to the royalty of China for 500 years.

After entering the Meridian Gate, located at the Southern end of the complex, visitors arrive in an immense courtyard with five bridges stretching over the Golden Water. The five bridges represent the five Confucian virtues of humanity, sense of duty, wisdom, reliability and ceremonial propriety.

Red, the symbolic color of imperial power, is a dominant

theme throughout the Forbidden City.

The dragon, a traditional symbol of imperial power,

appears throughout the Forbidden City.

This gold leaf dragon appeared on the lower panel of a set of doors on the Gate of Supreme Harmony, the main entrance to the Forbidden City's central courtyard.

This turtle dragon statue, situated

outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony,

is a symbol of longevity.

This is a male lion, one of a pair that appears throughout the Forbidden City, China, and various other locations. According to Chinese convention, the male lion always has his right paw raised and holds a pomegranate, a symbol of power.

The female lion always holds a lion cub under her left paw.

Yellow tile roofs adorned with dragons are everywhere. The number of dragons determined the importance of a particular building--the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the most important ceremonial building in the Forbidden City, has 12

The porch of the Hall of Middle

Harmony, where the emperor

readied himself for major sacrifices

and offerings. The Hall of Supreme

Harmony, with its 12 dragon roof

guardians, looms in the background.

A closer look at the rooftop.

An even closer look at the ubiquitous yellow roof tiles--featuring more exquisite detail, and more dragons.

Imperial buildings have yellow roofs, while temple roofs are blue.

Looking up at the ceiling of the Gate of Supreme Harmony, the largest free-standing gate in the Forbidden City. Symbolism abounds in Chinese

architecture--down to the number of nails on a door. The red door, visible in the lower left corner of this photograph, has nine rows of nine nails, because nine

is the imperial lucky number. The Forbidden City itself has 9,999 rooms.

These doors mark the entrance to the Approaching Light

Left Gate the boundary of the

North-West Region of the Inner City. Their are 81 nails

on each door.