A Chinese palace is an imperial complex where the court, civil government, royal garden and defensive fortress resided.
The Chinese character gong (宮; meaning "palace") represents two connected rooms (呂) under a roof (宀).
It contains large halls (殿) for ceremonies and official business, as well as smaller buildings, temples, towers, residences, galleries, courtyards, gardens, and outbuildings.
The world's largest palace currently still in existence,[2][3][4] the Forbidden City, was constructed by the Ming dynasty during the reign of the Yongle Emperor.
Following this cultural catastrophe, the imperial court was forced to relocate to the old and austere Forbidden City where it stayed until 1924, when the Last Emperor was expelled by a republican army.