Forbidden
City (Imperial Palace)
Lying at the center of Beijing,
the Forbidden City, called gugong, in Chinese,
used to be the imperial palace of the Ming
and Qing dynasties. It is called the Palace
Museum now. It lies 1 kilometer north of
the Tian'anmen Square, with its south gate,
the Gate of Devine Might (Shenwumen), facing
the Jingshan Park. 960 meters long and 750
meters wide, the world largest palace complex
covers a floor space of 720,000 square meters,
having 9,999 buildings. The rectangular
city is encircled in a 52-meter-long, 6-meter-deep
moat and a 10-meter-high, 3,400-meter-long
city wall which has one gate on each side.
There are four unique and delicate structured
corner towers overlooking the city inside
and outside on the four corners. Generally,
it was divided into two parts, the northern
half, or the Outer Court where emperors
executed their supreme power over the nation
and the southern half, or the Inner Court
where they lived with their royal family.
Until 1924 when the last emperor in China
was driven out of the Inner Court, 14 emperors
of the Ming dynasty and 10 emperors of the
Qing dynasty had reigned here. About 500
years being the imperial palace, it houses
numerous rare treasures and curiosities.
It is now listed by the UN as World Cultural
Heritage in 1987 and is the hottest tourist
magnets.
Construction of the palace complex
started in 1407, the 5th year of the Yongle
reign of the third emperor of the Ming dynasty,
and was completed 14 years later in 1420.
It was said that a million workers including
100,000 artisans were driven into the long-term
hard labor. Stones needed were quarried
from Fangshan, suburb of Beijing. It was
said a well was dug along the road every
50 meters in order to pour water onto the
road in winter to slide huge stones on ice
into the city. Huge amount of timbers and
other materials were all freighted from
faraway provinces. Ancient Chinese people
fully displayed their wisdom in building
the Forbidden City. Take the grand red city
wall for example, the ladder shaped wall
has an 8.6 meters wide bottom and a 6.66
meters wide top. The shape of the city wall
totally frustrate attempt to climb onto
the wall. The bricks of the wall are said
made from white lime and glutinous rice
while the cement is made from glutinous
rice and egg whites, and these incredible
materials make the wall extraordinarily
strong.
Since yellow is the symbol of
the royal family, it is the dominant color
in the Forbidden City. Roofs are built with
yellow glazed tiles; decorations in the
palace are painted yellow; even the bricks
on the ground are made yellow in special
process. However, there is one exception.
Wenyuange, the royal library, has a black
roof. The reason is that it was believed
black represented water then and could extinguish
fire.
Nowadays, the Forbidden City,
or the Palace Museum is open to tourists
home and abroad. Splendid paintings on the
royal architectures, grand and deluxe halls,
and surprisingly magnificent treasures will
certainly satisfy "modern civilians".
You may start your tour by following
our virtual guide or clicking from attractions
below.
Wumen (Meridian Gate)
The front gate to the Imperial
Palace is 35. 6 meters high. Five gate towers
rise majestically on a gigantic base of
stone and bricks. The main tower with multiple
eaves is flanked by a drunm pavilion and
a bell pavilion. The drum and bell were
struck when the emperor gave an audience
or appeared at a grand ceremony. As the
victorious army returned from a war the
emperor whould meet it at Wumen and review
the captives.
Tianhedian (Hall of Supreme
Harmony)
Popularly known as the Gold
Throne Hall, it stands on a white marble
terrace of 8. 13 meters high and in three
tiers. The hall itself is 35. 05 meters
high. Eight - four thick wooden pillars
are seen in front and inside the hall. The
roof is composed of several ridges and multiple
eaves conered with golden glazed tiles.
Grand ceremonies such as the coronation,
wedding and birthday celebration of the
emperor and sending off an expedition army
were held in this hall.
Inside Qianqinggong
The throne is placed in the
middle of the hall. Above the throne is
a horizontal plaque with the characters
of " Upright and Honest." Emperor
Kang Xi of the Qing Dynasty set the rule
that the successor of the emperor was kept
in secret. The name of the successor would
be written on a piece of paper which was
locked in a box and the box would be placed
behind the plaque. When the emperor died
the box was opened to make the successor
known.
Kunninggong (Palace of Earthly
Tranquility)
During the Ming Dynasty the
place was the living quarter of the empress.
It became a sacrificial hall during the
Qing Dynasty. Emperors Kang Xi, Tong Zhi
and Guang Xu of the Qing Dynasty had their
wedding ceremonies in this hall.
Imperial Garden
The Imperial Garden was exclusively
reserved for the use of the emperor and
his consorts. The two dozen pavilions, towers
and halls are surrounded by rockeries, flower
beds and miniature landscapes. Paths are
parved with pebbles in various designs.
Shenwumen (Gate of Divine Militancy)
The rear gate of the Imperial
Palace rises above the 10- meter- high wall.
Under the roof of multiple eaves there are
a bell and drum. During the Qing Dynasty
girls were selected to serve in the palace.
They would be sent into the palace through
this gate. The Chinese characters "
The Palace Museum" were written by
moden Chinese cultural giant Guo Moruo.
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