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Hong Kong (CNN)Donald Trump will receive an honor in Beijing not granted to any US President since the founding of the People's Republic of China: official dinner inside the Forbidden City. When Trump and his wife Melania land in the Chinese capital Wednesday, they will join President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for a tour of the Forbidden City, the historic palace that housed Chinese emperors and their families for almost 500 years. Trump is expected to dine with Xi inside the Jianfu Palace, although the exact location of the dinner hasn't been confirmed. The building dates back...

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are being treated like royalty on their first official visit to China. Trump and his wife were granted a rare dinner at the Forbidden City, an honor that has not been bestowed on a foreign leader since the founding of the People’s Republic of China 68 years ago.

After the dynasty collapsed, there were no clues as to where it was and it lived on only in legend through writings such as those of 13th century Venetian merchant Marco Polo. If Polo is to be believed, the walls of "the greatest palace that ever was" were covered with gold and silver and the main hall was so large that it could easily seat 6,000 people for dinner. "The palace was made of cane supported by 200 silk cords, which could be taken to pieces and transported easily when the emperor moved," he wrote in his travel journal. It...

Five people have been killed killed and dozens injured after a car drove into crowds of tourists and caught fire in Tiananmen Square. Beijing government officials are unsure if the incident, which occurred at the site of 1989 pro-democracy protests, was a terrorist attack. A police statement described how the car veered off the road at the north entrance of the famous square and crossed barriers before bursting into flames. Three people who were traveling in the vehicle have all died in addition to a female tourist from the Philippines, and a male tourist from southern Guandong province. Around...

I've finally found that link to the "Virtual Forbidden City" tour that was on that History Channel Special some years ago. It's downloadable software. I can't account for how secure it really is, so you'll need to assess that on your own. Cheers and enjoy! Forbidden City Virtual Walkthrough

A Starbucks coffee shop operating on the historic site of Beijing's Forbidden City has closed down after huge protests. An online campaign arguing that the shop was trampling on Chinese culture had drawn more than 500,000 signatures. The Starbucks branch was told it could stay open if it sold other brands but has declined. The Forbidden City was built in 1420 and was home to 24 emperors until the end of imperial rule in 1911. It attracted nearly nine million visitors last year, is China's top tourist attraction and a Unesco World Heritage site. Seattle-based Starbucks said the decision was...

Americans were rightly outraged over the possibility of an Arab nation with ties to terrorists taking control of six major American ports. Protests from across the nation helped to squelch the deal. However, the job’s not finished. The Communist Chinese still control ports at Long Beach. Congressman Charlie Norwood, (R-GA) made a strong case for getting the Chinese out of the port of Long Beach when he noted that while Dubai has been a reliable partner for America in the War on Terror, Red Chinese officials have threatened invasion of America’s ally on Taiwan and nuclear war against the United...

VENEZUELAN military officers have started classes in unconventional warfare to repel an invasion left-wing President Hugo Chavez warns Washington is planning. Snipers draped in foliage and civilian reservists armed with knives, catapults and handguns crawled out of a hidden tunnel in a mock demonstration as an instructor lectured officers on resistance tactics. Captains joined lieutenants straining behind a cordon to see another soldier camouflaged inside tree perch as he fired a bow and peppered a uniformed dummy target with arrows. "If no one comes, then that's fine, we can continue as the free and sovereign country we are, but we...

Japanese fighter jets have been scrambled 30 times to turn away Chinese planes approaching Japan's airspace in the last six months, more than twice the 13 times in the same period last year, officials have said. The increased defensive posture reflects the growing tensions between Japan and China, which are squabbling over interpretations of their wartime past, undersea gas deposits, and ownership of East China Sea islands.