Visit China’s Forbidden City from the comfort of your desk.
Posted by F. S. KAMAL on October 18th, 2008
From 1644 until 1912, the end of the Imperial period in China, the Forbidden City in Beijing, a magnificent palace, has been home to the Chinese emperor from the QIng dynasty. The Forbidden City was created to embody the idea of the emperor as the center of the universe, and to evoke a visceral sense of his power.
This huge palace complex was completed in 1420 and covers more than 72 hectares (178 acres). It contains hundreds and hundreds of exquisite buildings and historic artifacts.
If you don’t plan to visit Beijing, Beyond Time and Space, a partnership between IBM and the Palace Museum in Beijing are offering a virtual tour of one of china’s highly regarded place.
The Virtual Forbidden City is a 3-dimensional virtual world (the download size is 200 megabytes) where visitors from around the world can experience . You can explore the city as it was during the Qing dynasty using virtual world technology, you can experience the awe inspired by this vast and amazing space. And rather than experiencing its wonders in isolation, the Virtual Forbidden City allows you to see and interact with other users and a range of helpful automated characters.
As you explore the Virtual Forbidden City, you can choose to simply observe the buzz of activity, or you can take tours and participate in activities that provide insights into important aspects of Qing culture.
During your visit you will be represented within the Virtual Forbidden City by a figure known as an avatar. Your avatar can take the form of any of several people dressed in Qing era clothing.
As you explore, there are many ways to gain a deeper understanding of the things that you encounter. Many of the most impressive artifacts and buildings have additional information and even photos available to provide a deeper understanding of their purpose and construction - when available, the information is only a mouse-click away. To get an even closer look at the intricate details of select items, you can virtually hold a copy of them in your hands.
While exploring a place as large as the Virtual Forbidden City, you’re likely to encounter more wonderful things than you can remember. Just as you record memories of any place that you visit, registered users of the Virtual Forbidden City can save photos, places and items that they’ve enjoyed. Once saved, they can be revisited as often as you like and even shared with friends.
Visiting the Virtual Forbidden City can be even more enjoyable when you share the experience with friends. You can keep a list of your fellow explorers in your scrapbook and take them on a tour of your favourite sights.