Visit China’s Forbidden City Virtually

BEIJING (Reuters)- Culture fans thousands of miles from Beijing can now visit its famousForbidden City, through a three dimensional recreation of the vastpalace that also allows them to dress up as an imperial eunuch and meeta courtesan.

One of the jewels in China’s cultural crown, the sprawling complexin the heart of the capital already gets tens of thousands of real-lifevisitors each day.

But now online tourists can also watch the Qing dynasty emperorfeast at dinner, train fighting crickets and feed them withblood-fattened mosquitoes, or practice archery with the help of acourtesan.

At the virtual palace, unveiled on Friday, they can also dress up as part of the huge imperial entourage.

"When you enter the Forbidden City you choose one of nine historicalcostumes, which is to give a sense of history but also keep a sense ofdecorum," said John Tolva, program manager at IBM who led the project,dubbed "Beyond Space and Time."

"You can’t run and you can’t fly," he added, a restriction that aimsto prevent other virtual visitors, whom you can see and interact with,being distracted.

The program does not shy away from the racier sides of imperialhistory, shaped in part by the legions of eunuchs who controlledportions of court life and could rise to great power.

"One of the costumes you can chose is a eunuch," said IBM VicePresident Paula W. Baker — though to spare blushes that avatar is onlylabeled "imperial servant."

They also appear in some of the bureaucratic roles they might have filled hundreds of years ago.

"There are eunuchs, for instance in the ‘approving imperial memorials’ scenes," Tolva added.

Those who are interested in other intimate aspects of the emperor’slife have a chance to get an up close look at the women chosen to servehim.

"There is a painting being done of the emperor and the courtesansare there, orbiting about tending to him while the painter does hisjob," Tolva said.

"And for all the activities where you actually do something there is an attendant who is styled as a courtesan."

The museum hopes the program (www.beyondspaceandtime.com), which isbased on computer gaming software, will earn new fans for a culturallandmark which survived China’s tumultuous 20th century in remarkablygood form.

It has been over three years in the making and cost over $3 million, provided by IBM as part of a community program.

Exacting curators feel the result offers a good introduction to thepalace, but worry there has been a certain sacrifice of historicalaccuracy for the convenience of a modern visitor.

"You wouldn’t have been able to just wander around like this," saidHu Chui, director of the Information Department, gesturing at a soldieravatar striding toward a central hall.

"You would have been kowtowing and anyway, he is on the imperial pathway. You would get arrested for that."

(Editing by Nick Macfie and Sanjeev Miglani)