The Imperial Palace Built between 1406 and 1420, this was the home of the emperors for 500 years. The Ming Dynasty -- 1386 to 1644 The Qing Dynasty -- 1644 to the end of the empire in 1911 The grounds comprise 250 acres, 1000 buildings and 9000 rooms. The center line is the Imperial Path -- the center of Beijing. Notice that we foreigners have our own ticket windows. Thirty yuan to enter the rostrum of Tiananmen. It appears that the Chinese on the right are paying ten yuan. "Foreigners" include visitors from Hong Kong and Taiwan. In retrospect, I'll say one thing about Japan. No discrimination there. They operate an equal opportunity tourist system. They make everyone pay the same high prices.