Impressive, isn’t it?! Because Wikipedia has done a good job with the facts about the Forbidden City, I will let them tell you about it below!
“The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. It is located in the center of Beijing China, and now houses the Palace Museum. It served as the home of emperors and their households as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government for almost 500 years.
Built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings and covers 72 ha (180 acres). The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.” (Read the full Wikipedia entry on the Forbidden City here.)
What I would add to this is that, if you plan to visit it, wear good walking shoes and take the tunnel under the street to visit Tiananmen Square, which is directly across the street. Also, if you go in the summer, you may want to go in the morning, because it is hot there in the summer. One other interesting thing I am told about the Forbidden City is that the emperors would make all of the men leave at night and only their concubines could stay. This was done to decrease the likelihood of the emperor being assassinated.