Located in the middle of Beijing, the Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. China's recent economic and social development has made travel a popular way for Chinese people to enjoy their holidays. Countless people throng to the Forbidden City every year, especially during holidays such as the Golden Week of the National Day holiday, making it hard to move inside the museum. On October 2, 2012, the Forbidden City set a new record for the greatest number of visitors in a single day with 182,000 visitors.