Clock Gallery

The Clock Gallery houses over 200 antique timepieces, making it one of the most popular exhibitions in the Forbidden City. The collection includes elaborate clocks from Britain, France, and Switzerland, as well as masterpieces crafted by Qing court artisans. Emperor Qianlong was an avid collector who commissioned increasingly complex designs. Look for the clock featuring a writing automaton that can pen eight Chinese characters — an 18th-century marvel of engineering.