<Dl> <Dt> Live Performance concert venue </Dt> </Dl> <Dt> Live Performance concert venue </Dt> <P> The Forbidden City has also served as a performance venue . However, its use for this purpose is strictly limited, due to the heavy impact of equipment and performance on the ancient structures . Almost all performances said to be "in the Forbidden City" are held outside the palace walls . </P> <Ul> <Li> In 1997, Greek - born composer and keyboardist Yanni performed a live concert in front of the Forbidden City the first modern Western artist to perform at the historic Chinese site . The concert was recorded and later released as part of the Tribute album . </Li> <Li> Giacomo Puccini's opera, Turandot, the story of a Chinese princess, was performed at the Imperial Shrine just outside the Forbidden City for the first time in 1998 . </Li> <Li> In 2001, the Three Tenors, Plácido Domingo and José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti, sang in front of Forbidden City main gate as one of their performances . </Li> <Li> In 2004, the French musician Jean Michel Jarre performed a live concert in front of the Forbidden City, accompanied by 260 musicians, as part of the "Year of France in China" festivities . </Li> </Ul>

The forbidden city of ming and qing dynasties