National Treasure

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Features: A co-production with the same-titled TV series, a spectacular 2004 opening drama from CCTV, premiering in the prime time slot of CCTV-1. An unknown cultural Long March, a flame passed down with unity, a thrilling journey of hardships, and a group of valiant and resolute heroes.
Author Ma Junxiang was born in Northeast China in 1963. He studied in Beijing, earning a bachelor's and master's degree, then became a teacher before becoming a scriptwriter. He has written nearly 200 episodes of TV dramas such as "My Lifetime," "Iron Teeth and Copper Jaw: Ji Xiaolan," and "The Scholar Magistrate Fan Ruhua," as well as millions of words in novels, theoretical articles, film reviews, and screenplays.
In the history of looting treasures, it is often the regrettable and melancholic chapters that are remembered by future generations. No wonder the "Yanjü Connoisseurship" says: "Alas! How can the rise and fall of life be constant?" As the national treasures of China, embedded in the crown of human civilization, the turbulent fate of the Forbidden City's national treasures during the first half of the 20th century was undoubtedly one of the most tragic symphonies in the history of human culture.
In 1420 (the 18th year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty), Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty became the first emperor to occupy the Forbidden City. By the late Qing Dynasty, the last emperor Puyi, 24 emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties had resided in the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City, also known as the Purple Forbidden City, derives its name from the analogy of the (Ziwei Star Enclosure). Ancient Chinese astronomers divided the stars in the sky into the Three Enclosures, the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, and other constellations. The Three Enclosures include the Taiwei Enclosure, the Ziwei Enclosure, and the Tianshi Enclosure. The Ziwei Enclosure, being central among the three, became the constellation representing the Emperor. The Emperor's residence was called the Purple Palace. The Emperor was naturally supreme, and the human emperor was the supreme ruler on earth. Ancient Chinese architects and craftsmen, with extraordinary skills and rich imagination, designed and built the magnificent residence of the human emperor. To elevate the emperor's supreme status, they employed various architectural techniques, highlighting the special position of the ruler of the land.
The Forbidden City is a magnificent masterpiece in the history of Chinese architecture and civilization. Construction of the Beijing Forbidden City began in 1407 (the fifth year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty) and was completed in 1420, recruiting over 100,000 renowned craftsmen and more than a million laborers. The Qing Dynasty also carried out large-scale renovations during the reigns of emperors Qianlong and Kangxi.
After the Xinhai Revolution, on December 25, 1912 (the fourth month of the twelfth year of the Xuantong era), the last Qing emperor Puyi abdicated, and the small court of the former emperor moved out of the front palace, settling in the rear palace. The Republic of China government and the Qing court signed nineteen preferential treatment clauses, one of which stipulated that the abdicated Puyi would continue to reside in the rear palace. During this period, not only were the palace halls neglected, but a large number of cultural relics were also lost.