article_snippet: Charles toured the former imperial palace – home to emperors and their households for nearly 500 years – on the first full day of Charles tour of China.
article_snippet: The Duke was shown giant bronze urns once used to burn pine-scented incense and fill the courtyard below the palaces with clouds of smoke, giving the impression the Emperor was sitting heaven.
article_snippet: the Emperor said: 'It must have smelled fantastic.'
article_snippet: the Emperor paused to admire an ornate throne room in the Hall of Central Harmony, where Emperors from the Ming dynasty onwards received ministers and officials.
article_snippet: Built between 1406 and 1420, the Chinese imperial palace was home to 24 emperors, 14 of the Ming dynasty and 10 of the Qing dynasty.
article_snippet: The last Emperor, Puyi, abdicated in 1912 but was allowed to remain in the Inner Court until a coup in 1924.