Completed in 1420, the Forbidden City is China's most magnificent palace complex. Twenty-four emperors ruled from here for nearly 500 years. I found the stained, crumbling facades of its buildings still awaiting restoration to be the most compelling sights of all. They echo China's turbulent past. It is the flawed richness of the fading color that makes this image speak of that past. The greens, reds, and browns here are soothing, yet attempt to mask a decay that is quite evident at upper left and lower center. It is the tension between the beauty of the color and the reality of its flaws that gives this image it’s meaning.