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 have generated a lot of heat over whether the images breach ethical and moral boundaries.

The photos posted on Weibo show a nude woman posing in front of white marble handrails and sitting on a marble dragon head in the Forbidden City, which is also known as the Palace Museum.

After the photos emerged online, some Internet users questioned whether it was proper to take naked images in a historic site.

In a comment that may or may not be in response to the incident, the photographer with the handle of WANIMAL posted a cryptic message on his Weibo account that "It is the destiny of the expresser to be misunderstood."

Is the act illegal?

According to Beijing News, lawyer Liu Changsong said that if the photographer takes naked photos in the Forbidden City without prior permission and other visitors find it disturbing then it should be deemed illegal.

Another expert said shooting such images in a public place set a bad example.

"Nude photos should be taken in proper places, and carried out without the presence of the elderly and the children. Sittingg on relics is improper behavior and it sets a bad example," said Li Chunhua, a teacher at Zhejiang University of Media and Communications.

According to Chinese law, a person who exposes his or her body in public or behaves in indecent manner can be detained for five to 10 days.

It is not clear if the images were shot with the permission of the Forbidden City because the management has not yet responded.