The Forbidden City Palace

Author: Yu Zhuoyun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: The Forbidden City, now also known as the Palace Museum, is located in Beijing. It was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties and also the political center of the time. For four hundred and ninety-one years, a total of twenty-four emperors issued decrees and ruled China from here. The text of this book is divided into an introduction, main sections, and picture captions, totaling over 80,000 words. The book contains a total of 564 images, including 467 main images (265 in color and 202 in black and white), 67 illustrations, and 30 architectural line drawings. The structure is organized into three main parts based on the functional use of the buildings, architectural types, and auxiliary buildings and facilities, excluding the introduction and appendix. The content covers everything from the overall layout to individual palaces and halls, as well as from a single beam and pillar to a carving or an engraving. With limited space, it comprehensively and concisely showcases the Forbidden City and its art.
The Forbidden City, now also known as the Palace Museum, is located in Beijing. It was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties and also the political center of the time. For four hundred and ninety-one years, a total of twenty-four emperors issued decrees and ruled China from here. The greatest characteristic of classical Chinese architecture is its focus on palatial structures. Before the 20th century, architectural technology and art were primarily reflected in the palaces and gardens of emperors, making palace architecture a model for appreciating and studying traditional Chinese architectural technology and art. Although China has had many famous palace buildings in history, only the Forbidden City remains intact to this day. It is not only the largest ancient architectural complex in China but also an unparalleled ancient palace architecture in the world, an immortal masterpiece in the history of human civilization. To comprehensively reveal the appearance of the Forbidden City and provide readers with a broad and in-depth understanding, as well as to systematically introduce the Forbidden City to showcase the technology and art of traditional Chinese architecture, the Palace Museum of Beijing and the Commercial Press (Hong Kong) collaborated to publish this book, The Forbidden City.
The book is edited by Yu Zhuoyun, Deputy Director of the Ancient Architecture Department and Senior Engineer of the Palace Museum of Beijing, with contributions from experts in relevant fields of the Palace Museum. The text is divided into an introduction, main sections, and picture captions, totaling over 80,000 words. The book contains a total of 564 images, including 467 main images (265 in color and 202 in black and white), 67 illustrations, and 30 architectural line drawings. The structure is organized into three main parts based on the functional use of the buildings, architectural types, and auxiliary buildings and facilities, excluding the introduction and appendix. The content covers everything from the overall layout to individual palaces and halls, as well as from a single beam and pillar to a carving or an engraving. With limited space, it comprehensively and concisely showcases the Forbidden City and its art.
The main photographic images in the book were taken in collaboration between professional photographers from Hong Kong and the Palace Museum of Beijing. For the photography, the Palace Museum provided unprecedented convenience, allowing access to places that are normally inaccessible to visitors and those yet to be opened. were captured and published for the first time; moreover, significant human and material resources were mobilized to create conditions for the photography, ensuring that the quality and composition of the images were exceptional. Additionally, most of the photographic images avoid including modern elements or objects, preserving the purity of the scenes and highlighting the original atmosphere and style. This was a significant challenge to overcome in the Forbidden City, where visitors number in the tens of thousands.
The book selects a large number of photographs to showcase the exteriors, interiors, decorations, furnishings, and related facilities of various types of buildings, such as palaces, halls, towers, pavilions, and gates, and provides in-depth yet accessible overviews in dedicated chapters.