以中央电视台斥资千万的12集大型纪录片《故宫》为蓝本，在中央电视台与美国国家地理频道众多资深制作人的共同努力下，《解密紫禁城》终于面世。

今天，美国国家地理频道正在播出此片，该英文摘要即选自2007年4月23日的网站。

作为《故宫》的精编版本，《解密紫禁城》以独特的文化视角，全新的叙事方式以及行云流水般的讲述，系统阐释了紫禁城从举世瞩目的帝王宫殿到国家博物馆的演变过程，全面揭秘了高耸的宫墙背后鲜为人知的故事以及价值连城的收藏，科学剖析了中国古代历史和文化的更迭进程。特别是好莱坞著名美籍华人演员陈冲的解说，更是画龙点睛。

可以说，《解密紫禁城》不但是一部精华版的故宫编年史，而且更是一部众望所归的视听杰作！

The Forbidden City, for 500 years the capital of the Chinese empire, lies in the heart of Beijing. It was the home of 24 Chinese emperors from 1420 to 1912. More than a residential palace, it is a city within a city, the seat of a vast bureaucratic government that ruled the most populous empire on earth. Rumoured to have 9,999 rooms, the Forbidden City is the largest palace on earth. The palace buildings, constructed almost entirely of wood, are the largest wooden buildings ever built. It was a truly ``forbidden`` city. For centuries access was denied to all but the emperor`s family and his most senior officials and servants. A swift and painful execution faced anyone who trespassed on its sacred precincts. With unprecedented access our cameras enter into the heart of the palace, into its most secret corners, to provide the most stunning images of the magnificent buildings and reveal the secrets of those who lived there.