The Forbidden City in Beijing: Home of the Imperial Palace for nearly 500 years, from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing dynasty in 1912. That's a long time! The plan covers a huge expanse, nearly a kilometer long, made all the more impressive by having wide open spaces between buildings in what is otherwise a very crowded city, across the surrounding moat.
Photo notes: the yellow-orange cast in the images is the result of pollution in Beijing.