Take a virtual tour of Beijing's Forbidden City

See the splendour from your armchair

13 October 2008 16:44 GMT / By Katie Scott

The Forbidden City in Beijing attracts thousands of visitors each day, but if you don't have the cash to splash on a flight to China, then you can still tour the wonders of this ancient monument.

You can now take a virtual tour of the city thanks to a $3 million project called Beyond Space and Time, led by IBM.

The team behind the project has recreated the palace in 3D, and allows online visitors to select a character before touring.

And they will get a sense of life at the palace before the emperors were expelled including watch the Qing dynasty emperor feast at dinner, train fighting crickets and feed them with blood-fattened mosquitoes, or practice archery with the help of a courtesan.

"When you enter the Forbidden City you choose one of nine historical costumes, which is to give a sense of history but also keep a sense of decorum", John Tolva, programme manager at IBM who led the project, explained to Reuters.

The link for the site is below.