The only way to get a true feel for the Forbidden City, the vast moated palace built 600 years ago for China's emperors, is to peer into its grand multi-eved halls, cross its expansive plazas and stroll through its surprisingly intimate private gardens.
But for those unable to make it to central Beijing, US technology company IBM and the curators of what is now known as the Palace Museum will today unveil the next best thing: a virtual Forbidden City offering the kind of immersive and interactive online experience pioneered by multiplayer role-playing games such as Second Life.
