In 1406, Zhu Di, the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), assembled 200,000 to 300,000 workers to build the Forbidden City, which took 14 years.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, as the largest and highest ranking architectural structure in the Forbidden City, surpassed all buildings of its time.

In 1421, the Ming Emperor Yongle moved the capital from Nanjing, Jiangsu province, to Beijing, and the Forbidden City became the home and ruling seat of 24 emperors, 14 of whom were Ming, and 10 Qing (1644-1911). The line ended with Puyi, China's last emperor, who was driven out of the Forbidden City, 13 years after the Revolution of 1911.

When the Palace Museum is open, the sense of history can easily be lost in the flood of visitors. Photographer Li, however, always waits for the right moment to catch the perfect shot.

The empty halls, quiet courtyards, doors and windows with fading paint, and long grass in the corners of the squares, evoke a strong sense of history.

Li has taken photos of the imperial palace for nearly 20 years and says it changes according to the season, weather, light and shadow.

"Beauty exists everywhere. One must be sensitive to discover and catch it," the photographer says.

Painter Jiang, meanwhile, tries to revive the lives of the former inhabitants of the Forbidden City on canvas, getting into the minds of these historical figures.

Their joint efforts deepen our understanding of the past lives of the imperial families.

Jiang began producing artworks based on the Forbidden City in 1987 and has established a strong reputation in art circles because of this work.

Based on historical materials and an active imagination, he has created a series of images that include dignified emperors, pretty palace women, humble eunuchs and maids. The figures are so vivid and lifelike that viewers can almost feel their breath.