Chill Outside? Explore the Virtual Forbidden City.

The Virtual Forbidden City is a partnership between the Palace Museum and IBM. The goal of the project is to provide the means for a world-wide audience to celebrate and explore aspects of Chinese culture and history.

The Virtual Forbidden City is a 3-dimensional virtual world where visitors from around the world can experience the Forbidden City in Beijing. You can explore the magnificent palace as it was during the Qing dynasty, which ruled from 1644 until 1912, the end of the Imperial period in China.

Ths 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.

Haven't had a look round myself yet - if you get your visa and make a visit, come back and tell us all what it's like.

To learn a bit more see this YouTube clip and visit the city here (seemd very sluggish when I visited to check the address).