On November 11, 1908, a rumour spread throughout Beijing that the Guangxu emperor had died. That night, multiple wedding celebrations suddenly took place.

In 1922, the last emperor Puyi caused a stir. According to his teacher Reginald Johnston “he surprised and shocked the court – especially the imperial dowagers – by vehemently protesting against being provided with more than a single fiancée.

We recently collected a catalogue from a 1977 exhibition at the Forbidden City museum about the empress dowager Cixi. The catalogue clearly has a message. In very direct language, the former Qing dynasty regent is described as the most selfish and evil human being imaginable. One headline simply states “Cixi was a vampire”.

Mao Zedong never officially visited the Forbidden City. However, three times within the same week in 1953, he stood upon its wall. A common theory is that when he climbed atop the 500-year-old fortification he was discussing with other members of government and advisors what it would look like if

It was allegedly the first Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang who instated a daily morning audience of the most important government officials in the Imperial Palace. It was called Zao Chao (早朝)

On November 5, 1924 the last emperor of China was forced out of the Forbidden City, however it would take almost two weeks for the most senior consorts to leave the palace. In the newspapers of the time it was speculated why it took so long to expel them.

On March 28 1425 Bejing’s status as capital was suddenly abruptly changed:

“It is ordered that all government offices need to add temporary residence 行在 to their names…,the Emperor has decided to move the capital back to Nanjing….”

“Damage caused by bombing of the Imperial Palace:
Yesterday morning, the Republican Army sent a plane to bomb the Imperial Palace. We already published a special edition which gave the following information: This morning at 10:30, the Republican Army sent a plane to the Palace and dropped two bombs

In the 1920s plans were drawn up by the Swedish architect Albin Stark to convert the Hall Of Absolute Harmony in the Forbidden City to a parliament, but because of interference by the strongest warlord in the North Wu Peifu the plans were shelved.

"The 300-year-old Qing Dynasty ended yesterday:
Yesterday at 12 a.m., Feng Yuxiang sent Lu Zhonglin together with five hundred armed soldiers and many policemen into the Forbidden City through Shenwumen Gate. Lu told the emperor that by the order of the government and the Commander-in-chief Feng Yuxiang,