A photo sequence is resulted in a long exposure image of stars trails around the north celestial pole, revealing the passage of time above the Purple Forbidden City in Beijing, China. A World Heritage Site today, it served as the home of emperors and their households as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government for almost 500 years.
From the photographer: "The Purple Forbidden City is a name with significance on ancient Chinese astronomy. Purple refers to the North Star (appears in the center of startrails) which in ancient China was called the Ziwei Star, and in traditional Chinese astrology was the heavenly abode of the Celestial Emperor. The surrounding celestial region, the Purple Forbidden Enclosure was the realm of the Celestial Emperor and his family. Click the constellation icon above the image to see the imaginary representation.
The Forbidden City, as the residence of the terrestrial emperor, was its earthly counterpart." Jeff Dai

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