China

To people in China, the Forbidden City is known as the Old Palaces. The term Forbidden City came out of the understanding that no one could enter the interlocking courtyards of the palaces without permission of the Emperor; under penalty of death. Obviously, today that no longer applies. The old Palaces took 16 years and more than one million people to build. They were home to 24 Emperors from 1406 to 1911. In all there were 999 structures that contained more than 8500 rooms. Chinese feudal society came to an end in 1911 under the weight of European influence.

Large vats throughout the Old Palaces were used to store water to put out fires.