The Forbidden City, located in the center of Beijing, China, was the home of the emperor and the entire imperial court for close to 500 years. Completed in 1420, the Forbidden City (also known as the Purple Forbidden City or Gugong) was the home of 24 emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties. For centuries, visitors were not allowed into this imperial city. In 1950, several decades after the last emperor was expelled, the city was made a museum and opened to the public.