A long-standing rumor claiming the Forbidden City uses 600,000 tonnes of pig blood annually to ward off evil has been proven false. The liquid is, in fact, used merely as an adhesive painted on the palace's red walls and pillars.

A long-standing and widely-circulated rumour that the Forbidden City in Beijing uses 600,000 tonnes of pig’s blood each year to dispel evil has been debunked. The liquid is actually used as a form of adhesive which is painted on the famous palace’s signature red walls and pillars, according to a recently published book. The book Sitting under the Roof of the Forbidden City: Answering 50 Questions about the Forbidden City is wrote by Zhou Qian, a researcher at the palace for 20 years who is also....