Treasure of China NO:11 Beijing Forbidden City

Author: Wei Li
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The Forbidden City, also known as the Purple Forbidden City, was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The ancient palaces were built "according to the heavens" to symbolize the emperor's authority "ordained by heaven." Since the emperor was the "Son of Heaven," his palace was likened to the "Purple Palace," a sacred place for the celestial deity, hence the name "Purple Forbidden City." The Forbidden City was first constructed in the fourth year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty and completed in the eighteenth year of the same era. It underwent 24 emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Forbidden City is vast, covering an area of 720,000 square meters with a construction area of over 150,000 square meters, housing 9,999 and a half halls and rooms. Surrounded by a 10-meter-high, 3,400-meter-long palace wall and a 52-meter-wide moat outside, it is the world's largest and most complete ancient palace complex.
To highlight the supreme authority of the emperor, the Forbidden City features a central axis running from the Meridian Gate, through the Three Great Halls and the Three Imperial Palaces, to the Imperial Garden. Along this axis, according to the ancient custom of "front court and rear quarters," the Three Great Halls, where emperors issued decrees and symbolized the center of power, and the Three Imperial Palaces, where emperors and empresses resided, are arranged. The Forbidden City is divided into the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The Outer Court, centered around the Three Great Halls with the Wenhua and Wuying halls as its flanks, and the Inner Court, centered around the Qianqing, Jiaotai, and Kunning halls with the Eastern and Western Six Palaces as its flanks, are laid out in strict order. Symmetrically distributed on both sides of the central axis in the Forbidden City are numerous grand and magnificent halls. Each of the four corners of the Forbidden City features an exquisite corner tower, known as the "Nine Beams and Eighteen Columns," which are exceptionally beautiful.
The Palace Museum houses art treasures from various dynasties in China, making it a treasure trove of culture and art. The entire architecture of the Forbidden City is resplendent and magnificent, earning it the reputation as one of the world's five great palaces and being listed by UNESCO as a "World Cultural Heritage." The name "Forbidden City" means "past imperial palace," which was what people commonly referred to as the Purple Forbidden City. Located in the center of Beijing, the Forbidden City was completed in the eighteenth year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty (1420), covering an area of 720,000 square meters and having a construction area of 160,000 square meters, with over 9,000 halls and rooms. It is the largest and most complete ancient palace complex in China and even the world.
Distinguished by the Qianqing Gate Square, the Forbidden City is divided into the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The Outer Court, centered around the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central Harmony, and Hall of Preserving Harmony with the Wenhua and Wuying halls as its flanks, is where emperors held grand ceremonies. The Inner Court, centered around the Qianqing Palace, Kunning Palace, and Jiaotai Palace with the Eastern and Western Six Palaces as its flanks, was where emperors and empresses resided and handled daily affairs. A total of 24 emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties lived and exercised their supreme authority here.
The most captivating buildings in the Forbidden City are the Three Great Halls: the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. They are all built on an 8-meter-high white marble platform, appearing from a distance like mythical palaces in the heavens. The Hall of Supreme Harmony, known as the "Golden Hall of Supreme Harmony," is a magnificent structure where emperors held grand ceremonies. It is 28 meters high, 63 meters long from east to west, and 35 meters wide from north to south, with 72 pillars, each with a diameter of 1 meter. Among them, six pillars surrounding the imperial throne are gilded dragon columns with lacquered designs. The imperial throne is placed on a 2-meter-high platform inside the hall, with beautifully crafted cranes, incense burners, and tripods in front, and intricately carved screen panels behind. The entire hall is adorned with gold and splendor, solemn and magnificent.
The Hall of Central Harmony was where emperors took a brief rest and rehearsed rituals before proceeding to the Hall of Supreme Harmony for grand ceremonies. The Hall of Preserving Harmony was the venue where emperors hosted banquets for foreign vassal princes on New Year's Eve.
After passing through the courtyard behind the Three Great Halls, a magnificent gate called the Qianqing Gate, the main gate of the "Inner Court," built during the Ming Dynasty, comes into view. A pair of golden lions and ten golden urns stand in opposition to each other in front of the gate. Occasionally, Qing emperors held audiences here. Inside the gate are the Three Imperial Palaces. The Qianqing Palace is in the front, the emperor's residence, while the Kunning Palace is in the back, the empress's main residence. Between the two palaces stands a square pavilion called the Jiaotai Palace, the small hall of the Inner Court. The Eastern and Western Wings of the Three Imperial Palaces house the Duaning Hall for storing the emperor's crowns, robes, and other attire, the Maoqin Hall for storing books and calligraphy, the Shangshu Study for the prince's education, and the Nanshu Study for the Hanlin Scholars. On both sides are four gates: the East has the Rijing Gate, Longguang Gate, Jinghe Gate, and Jihu Gate; the West has the Yuehua Gate, Fengcai Gate, Longfu Gate, and Duanze Gate, which lead to the Eastern and Western Six Palaces, respectively. Historically, the "Three Palaces and Six Courtyards" referred to this area.
Finally, one arrives at the "Imperial Garden," which features lush pines and cypresses with intricate, artistic rock formations. Behind the magnificent and solemn halls, it exudes a unique charm of tranquility and beauty. Emperors of the Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty resided in the Qianqing Palace, while empresses lived in the Kunning Palace, and the Jiaotai Palace served as the empress's activity space. In the late Qing Dynasty, emperors and empresses moved to the Western Six Palaces, among which the most famous is the Yangxin Palace. Since the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, it became the emperor's place for governing and residing. Empress Dowager Cixi also held court behind a screen here for over 40 years.
Every plant and tree in the Forbidden City carries symbolic meaning, reflecting the essence of ancient Chinese culture. The name "Forbidden City" is linked to ancient Chinese philosophy and astronomy. The Chinese believed in the "harmony between heaven and humanity" or "the unity of heaven and humanity," so the structure of the Forbidden City was modeled after the legendary "Heavenly Palace." Ancient astronomy divided the stars into three enclosures, surrounded by 28 constellations. The Purple Enclosure (Polar Star) was at the center, the hub of all constellations. The "Purple" in the Forbidden City's name refers to the "Purple Enclosure at the center," meaning the imperial palace was the "center of the human world." The "Forbidden" signifies the imperial residence, exuding unparalleled dignity and strictly prohibiting intrusion.
The names of various places in the Forbidden City, such as Tiananmen and the Hall of Supreme Harmony, carry meanings like "benevolence," "harmony," "center," and "peace," which represent the core of Confucian thought in China—"upright and benevolent," emphasizing traditional Confucian ideals. The architecture of the Palace Museum is world-renowned, and its collections are rare in the world. Over 1 million artifacts are preserved, including gold, silver, bronze, lacquer, jade, and calligraphy, showcasing the finest artistic treasures from all dynasties. To protect these treasures from damage or theft, the Forbidden City now has the world's most advanced underground storage facilities to ensure the safety of its collections. Additionally, a rotation system is implemented, displaying only a limited number of artifacts at a time, with regular rotation and dusting for preservation.
Today, the Forbidden City is the Palace Museum, established on October 10, 1925, as China's largest comprehensive museum. In 1961, it was declared a "National Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit" by the State Council, and in 1987, it was listed by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as a "World Heritage Site."