Image taken from CCTV shows visitors rushing to enter the Forbidden City. [Photo/Weibo]

A group of photos of a naked model taken in the Forbidden City posted by a Sina Weibo user named "WANIMAL" on May 17 have generated a lot of heat over the Internet.

The Forbidden City issued a statement on Monday saying that the photographer did not inform them prior to the shooting and the staff had tried to stop the shoot.

It added that sitting on the cultural relics does not only breach ethical and moral boundaries, it also shows disrespect to the relics and should be condemned by the society.

According to the surveillance video, four visitors rushed into the Forbidden City from the Meridian Gate before other visitors in the morning and were later found shooting naked photos at the side of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

It is known from WANIMAL’s weibo that this photo shooting was carefully planned.