Traveling in a Virtual Forbidden City

         The Forbidden City: Beyond Space and Time is a virtual Forbidden City created by IBM and China’s Palace Museum. It was launched in October on the 83rd anniversary of the Palace Museum’s establishment. This is the first complete virtual world created on Chinese historical and cultural heritage. Through advanced technology, attractive contents and creative interactive elements, the virtual tour opens the former imperial palace -- and hundreds of years of history and culture -- to the world. This is especially valuable to those who cannot come to Beijing and take the real tour. By clicking a mouse, visitors can get an idea of the architecture and antiques on display. Visitors can also arrange their own tour route and play palace games like weiqi. Log on to the website www.beyondspaceandtime.org to download client software, get registered and enjoy the wonderful virtual world. At present, the system offers three language versions: simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese and English.