The Palace Museum(故宮博物館), historically and artistically one of the most comprehensive Chinese museums, was established on the foundation of the palace that was the ritual center of two dynasties, the Ming and the Qing, and their collections of treasures. Designated by the State Council as one of China's foremost protected monuments in 1961, the Palace Museum was also made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

　
故宮博物院是一個能全面反映中國歷史文化藝術的博物館,它是在明、清兩代皇宮及其收藏的基礎上建立起來的。1961年，經國務院批準，故宮被定為全國第一批重點文物保護單位。1987年，故宮被聯合國教科文組織列入“世界文化遺產”名錄。（special thanks to sindy and fred）