The Forbidden City is the worlds biggest and most extravagant palace complex ever built. For five centuries, it was the power center of imperial China and survived wars, revolution, fires, and earthquakes.

How did the Ming Emperors workforce construct its sprawling array of nearly 1,000 buildings and dozens of temples in a little over a decade? How were stupendous 250-ton marble blocks moved across many miles to reach the site?

And how did fantastically intricate woodwork, all fastened without nails or glue, enable the palaces to survive hundreds of earthquakes, including recent ones that obliterated nearby modern structures?

To find answers, NOVA joins a team of master craftsmen who build a scale model of a typical palace in a seismic lab, then subject it to simulated earthquakes to shake out the secrets of how the Forbidden City has withstood centuries of violent tremors.

If you would like to win a copy of this riveting new DVD, just answer this easy question about The Forbidden City: The most prominent color scheme is represented by the _____ walls and _____ roof tiles (what are the two different colors?)

Send us your answers and if you are correct you will be in the running to win one of these new DVDs! Just send us an e:mail here before July 15th, 2021 with your answer and the subject title CONTEST: THE FORBIDDEN CITY DVDs to: exclusivemagazine@flash.net

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