For more than five millennia, Chinese civilisation has developed continuously, shaped by a long tradition of cultural openness and dynamism. These enduring qualities have sustained the vitality of Chinese society and culture across time. The Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties inherited the established systems of governance and moral lineage of earlier periods. Through diplomacy and trade, they engaged with a wide range of regions and communities, encouraging dialogue, exchange, and mutual understanding across cultures. As the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Forbidden City not only served as the centre of political power but also provided a platform for interactions between China and the wider world. Its architecture, artefacts, and stories carry the imprint of history, and its history attests to more than five centuries of cross-cultural encounters, involving the flow of goods, technologies, arts, ideas, and cultures. Together, these exchanges inspired creativity and transformation in world civilisations.