Hello, I am happy to answer your questions. Hope this helps! 1 Introduction to the Forbidden City in Beijing The Forbidden City is located in the center of Beijing. It was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties and was formerly known as the Forbidden City. Fourteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty and ten emperors of the Qing Dynasty lived here, and they ruled China for 491 years. It is the largest existing palace complex in China and the largest palace complex in the world. Why is the Forbidden City called the Forbidden City? Because the palaces where feudal emperors lived were not allowed for ordinary people to approach. A high wall surrounded the palace, and the heavily guarded grounds conveniently served as the private sanctuaries of the Ming and Qing emperors. Why is the Forbidden City called the Forbidden City? There are three explanations for this in academic circles. The first explanation is that the legendary Emperor of Heaven lives in the Purple Palace in the sky. The emperor on earth is the son of the Emperor of Heaven, and the imperial power is granted by God, so the place where he lives is also called the Forbidden City. The second explanation is that the word Zi is Ziqi coming from the east, that is, the auspicious clouds symbolize the emperor. The third explanation is that the Forbidden City is a metaphor for the Ziwei Star Garden. Ancient Chinese astronomers once divided the stars in the sky into three walls, twenty balconies, and so on. The Purple Star Wall is in the center of the three walls and represents the constellation of the Emperor of Heaven. As the emperor, the emperor sat in the middle of the Taiping emperor. The officials of Qing and Shen were divided into four parts. The construction age and scale of the Forbidden City: The Forbidden City was built in the fourth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1406 AD) and took fifteen years to complete. It is more than 570 years old. The Forbidden City covers an area of ??more than 720,000 square meters, surrounded by more than 9,900 palace-style buildings, with a construction area of ??150,000 square meters. There is a 52-meter-wide moat outside the city, commonly known as Tongzi River. The wall is surrounded by an elaborate turret with a door on each side. East Gate, West Gate, South Gate and North Gate. The architecture of the Forbidden City reflects the exquisite level and national characteristics of ancient Chinese architectural art. The architectural layout and functions of the Forbidden City: it is divided into two parts: the outer courtyard and the inner courtyard. The three main halls of Taihe, Zhonghe, and Baohe, flanked by Wenhua and Wuying, are the main places where the emperor exercises power, ascends to power, and summons ministers. The Forbidden City is located on the central axis of Qianqing Palace, Jiaotai Palace and Kunning Palace, surrounded by royal gardens and the East and West Palaces. It is not only the place where the emperor handles daily government affairs, but also the place where the emperor and his queen, concubines, queen mother and dowager live. The Palace Museum The Palace Museum is now home to the National Palace Museum, the largest museum in China. At present, the open area can be divided into four visiting routes, which can be browsed in order to allow tourists to have a more comprehensive appreciation of the historical features of the Forbidden City. The four tour routes are: Middle Road - go | West Road - go | East Road - go | Waidong Road - go Middle Road Meridian Gate | Jinshui Bridge | Hall of Supreme Harmony | The furnishings on the terrace of the Hall of Supreme Harmony that symbolize the eternity of mountains and rivers | Middle Harmony Hall | Baohe Hall | Qianqing Gate | Qianqing Palace | Jiaotai Hall | Kunning Palace | East Banfang | Royal Garden | Shenwu Meridian Gate has three openings, three from the front, and there are actually two secret doors. One is on the left and one is on the right. The two openings extend east and west into Chint, then turn north and exit from Chint. From behind the Meridian Gate, there are five doorways. The main entrance of the Meridian Gate, accessible only to the emperor: The main entrance was usually accessible only to the emperor. There are only two exceptions for those who are lucky enough to enter and exit this door: when the emperor gets married, the queen can enter once; the top three in the palace exam, that is, the top three, second, and third in the exam, can walk out of this door once. During the Qing Dynasty, ministers of civil and military affairs entered and exited through the left door, while emperors and generals entered and exited through the right door. The left and right folding doors are not open at ordinary times. Only when the emperor holds a ceremony in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, civil and military officials can enter and exit through these two doors. Commonly known as Wufeng Tower: Forbidden Tower
2. Pay attention to ringing bells and drums: There are two pavilions in the middle of the Meridian Gate Tower with bells and drums inside. Ring bells and drums, and it will pay attention. According to regulations, the bells of the Emperor's altar ringed at the Meridian Gate; the drums were played when the emperor paid homage to his ancestors; and the bells and drums were rung when the emperor ascended to the palace for a ceremony. Reward location: On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month of the Ming Dynasty, lights are hung on the Meridian Gate and officials are entertained. At the beginning of spring, the emperor would send spring cakes, cold cakes at noon, and flower cakes on the Double Ninth Festival. Moon Granting Ceremony: The emperor of the Qing Dynasty released the almanac for the second year at the Meridian Gate every year on the first day of the tenth lunar month and held a ceremony called the Moon Granting Ceremony. The ceremony of presenting prisoners: The country has large-scale battles, and after winning the battle and returning to the court, sometimes prisoners have to be sacrificed. A ceremony is held at the Meridian Gate, and the emperor personally accepts the prisoner sacrifice ceremony. Responsibilities of the court staff: Anyone who is criticized by the ministers for offending the emperor will be taken to the Meridian Gate by the court staff to be held accountable. Jinshui Bridge Waijinshui Bridge: The artificial river in front of Tiananmen Square is called Waijinshui River, and the five stone bridges on the river are called Waijinshui Bridge. Neijinshui Bridge: A bow-shaped artificial river in front of the Taihe Gate of the Meridian Gate is called Neijinshuihe, which is the Neijinshui Bridge. There are five stone bridges on the river. The Neijinshui River leads into the Forbidden City from the moat at the northwest corner of the Forbidden City, winding south, then east, and then south. It sometimes disappears, may be wide or narrow, and is connected to the moat outside the southeast corner of the Forbidden City, with a total length of more than 2,000 meters. The most gorgeous section of the river is in front of Taihe Gate, which is open and regular and very ornately decorated. The river bottom and banks are made of white stone, and white marble pillars and fences are installed on both sides of the river. The main bridge that only the emperor can cross: Among the five inner Jinshui bridges, the middle bridge is the longest and widest. It is the main bridge and only the emperor can cross it. There are four passenger bridges on the left and right for the use of emperors, generals, and civil and military officials. The largest palace in the Palace of Supreme Harmony: The Palace of Supreme Harmony, commonly known as the Golden Palace, is the largest palace in the Forbidden City. In the Ming Dynasty, it was named Fengtian Hall and Huangji Hall; in the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed Taihe Hall. It has experienced three fires and a military disaster, and now we can see the palace built by the Qing Dynasty. The Hall of Supreme Harmony covers an area of ??2,377 square meters; from the ground to the ridge, the highest height is 35.5 meters.
The highest level temple form: five ridges and four slopes, the top of the hall, double eaves with yellow tiles; Liang Mei's colorful paintings are golden dragons and seal paintings; even the number of small beasts behind the immortals on the corner eaves and hanging ridges is the largest, with some Ten. The ceiling of the hall is covered with a wellhead ceiling in the shape of a golden dragon, with a embossed dragon caisson with a pearl in the middle. The dragon dance is majestic: in the center of the main hall, there is a nanmu hollow dragon pattern gold lacquer base, a nine-dragon gold lacquer throne, and a dragon-carved gold lacquer screen behind the throne; on both sides of the throne, there are six golden dragon pillars. The heads of the three golden pillars on the east side look west towards the throne, and the heads of the three golden pillars on the west side look east towards the throne, making the whole hall dance with thousands of dragons, creating an atmosphere of protecting the throne. Seventy-two columns: The Hall of Supreme Harmony is eleven meters wide and five meters deep. There are seventy-two pillars to support its entire weight. Among them, the top beam is the thickest and tallest, with a diameter of one meter six and a height of twelve meters seventy. In the Ming Dynasty, nanmu was used, collected from Sichuan, Guangzhou, Yunnan, Guizhou and other places; after reconstruction in the Qing Dynasty, pine trees were used, collected from the mountains of the three northeastern provinces. Four thousand seven hundred and eighteen gold bricks: Yes
The measuring device with a larger body has a compartment in the middle, with a welcome guest at the top and a bucket at the bottom; there are two small ears on both sides, one for liters , one is closed in the upper part, and the lower part is a clam. Bronze turtle and bronze crane: symbols of good fortune and longevity. Eighteen-ding incense burner: built during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. When the emperor held a ceremony, he lit pine and cypress branches, sandalwood, etc. In the incense burner, smoke curls up, adding to the mysterious and dignified atmosphere. Two hundred ceremonial piers: On the ground of the spacious courtyard of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, there are two rows of one-foot-square white stones, about one meter apart, narrow in the north and wide in the south, in a figure-eight shape, with a total cost of about 200 pieces. This is the ceremonial dock. When the emperor held a grand ceremony, the honor guard team stood on the ceremonial guard pier, holding banners, flags, fans, covers, stars, lots, melons, halberds, etc. Taihe Gate is the main entrance of the three main halls. Inside the Gate of Supreme Harmony, there are three main halls and spacious enclosed courtyards. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the tallest and largest palace in the Forbidden City. It is located directly north of the Three Towers, which makes the courtyard inside the Gate of Supreme Harmony look vast and spectacular. In the middle of the courtyard facing the room in the east is the Tiren Pavilion, and opposite is the Hongyi Pavilion in the west. There are four beautiful heavy towers at the four corners of the courtyard. There are a pair of large bronze lions on each side of the Taihe Gate. The male is on the east side, with a hydrangea on his right front paw; the female is on the west side, caressing a cub on her left front paw. This kind of palace decoration not only represents luxury, but also symbolizes the dignity and majesty of the emperor. In addition, in front of the Forbidden City or inside and outside the palace gate, there are other gilt-bronze lions, gilt-bronze unicorns, and gilt-bronze elephants with similar meanings to the big bronze lion. The unique shape of the Hall of Supreme Harmony is a square pavilion palace. It is this unique shape that makes its position between the tall Taihe Hall and Baohe Hall highlight its originality in architectural layout. As a result, the overall structure of the three pavilions presents an orderly architectural pattern, highlighting the charming architectural style of China. When did the emperor use this hall? When a grand ceremony is held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Supreme Harmony is the first place where the emperor rests. During the grand ceremony, he also receives visits from deacons. Every year when offering sacrifices to the Temple of Heaven, the Temple of Earth, and the ancestral hall, the emperor would read the sacrificial inscriptions here in advance. Before the emperor offered sacrifices to the Xiannong Altar and performed farming rituals, he would read out the sacrificial rituals and agricultural tools used for farming in the Zhonghe Hall. The Qing Dynasty stipulated that the emperor's family tree should be compiled every ten years, called a jade plate. After the compilation was completed, the emperor's presentation and review ceremony was held in the Zhonghe Hall. Two golden four-legged unicorns are placed on the left and right sides of the throne. They are not real-world creatures, but imaginary beasts. It is said that they traveled 18,000 miles every day, were familiar with four languages, and knew things far away. Although it is used to burn sandalwood, it is placed on both sides of the emperor because it has the meaning of mythical beasts, which means that the monarch is wise. There are copper stoves placed on both sides of the platform for lighting charcoal fires for heating. In the Qing Dynasty, the best charcoal named Luohong charcoal was burned in the imperial palace. This charcoal is hot, extremely flame-resistant, gray in color, and non-explosive. On both sides of the throne, there are two sedan chairs, called Shouyu. They were the means of transportation used by Qing emperors when entering and leaving the palace. There were strict rank rules for the sedan chair the emperor rode on any occasion, and the sedan shown here was one of the various sedan chairs used by the emperor. The Emperor of Baohe Hall held a banquet. The emperor of the Qing Dynasty held a banquet every New Year in Baohe Hall to entertain foreign princes, Mongolian princes, and civil and military ministers. The examination room for the highest level examination was the place where the imperial examinations were held during the Qing Dynasty. In 1954, the palace examination was moved from the Hall of Supreme Harmony to the Hall of Baohe.
There are nine pearls in the swimming dragon designed among cliffs, sea water, and floating clouds. Their images are full of movement and vitality. The stone for the Yunlong stone carving comes from Shiwo in Fangshan, west of Beijing. At that time, it took more than 10,000 people to drag such a heavy boulder to Beijing, and it was done by dry boat. To this end, wells were dug every mile along the way to provide drinking water for the migrant workers. It took nearly a month to haul the goods from Fangshan to Beijing. Although this method of hauling was difficult and difficult, it also showed the talent and wisdom of the workers at the productivity level at that time. Thousand Dragons Spit Water Thousand Dragons are more than a thousand stone faucet heads protruding from the base of the pillars. When it rains, rainwater flows from the dragon's mouth, organically combining the practical function of diverting rainwater with the ornamental function of architectural art. The spectacular scene of the dragon spitting water comes from the three-story platform above the three main halls of Taihe, Zhonghe and Baohe. Three sets, covering an area of ??about 2,500 square meters, are made of large pieces of white marble. Mount Meru is carved around the base of each platform. On the base, there is a huge rectangular stone bar named Defoe. There are observation posts between the floors, and fence panels are installed between the observation posts. Below them, drainage channels were dug. There is a stone faucet under each pillar, with a total of 1142 faucets in the three sets.
Except for the faucets protruding from the corners of each floor at the base of the platform, round holes are drilled between the lips of the other faucets, which are connected to the holes under the watchtower. Since the middle of the mesa is designed to be higher than the periphery, whenever it rains, the rainwater falling on the three mesa will naturally flow around the bottom of the terrain and then be discharged from the dragon's mouth, forming the spectacle of thousands of dragons spitting water. The rooms on the east and west sides of Baohe Hall have been turned into exhibition halls. To the north of Qingmen is the Royal Palace, where the queen lives. The emperor of the Qing Dynasty listened to government affairs here, that is, the emperor came here for inspection and sat on the throne temporarily placed in the middle of the door to listen to important government affairs. Usually it was cabinet officials who fought on it, and the emperor issued an edict to make the decision. Emperor Kangxi Ye Xuan was the most diligent. A bachelor once invited the emperor to the imperial gate every three or four days to listen to government affairs, but Emperor Kangxi still insisted on being diligent and listening to government affairs. He said that for more than 30 years, it has become a common practice for the president to listen to government affairs together. A few days later, members of the Royal Gate would feel uneasy. Therefore, some major national events at that time, such as the decision of the Qing army to counterattack Russia's invasion of China, were all decided when the Royal Gate listened to the government. Ten gold jars and ten gilded bronze jars were placed on both sides of the Qianqing Gate, contrasting with the red palace walls. These golden jars are not only open-air furnishings in the palace, but more importantly, they are devices for storing water and preventing fire. The water tank weighs more than 4,000 kilograms and can hold more than 4,000 kilograms of water. There are 22 similar gilt-copper jar palaces, as well as other styles of copper jars and iron jars, totaling 308 in total. The main hall of the Qing Palace is the main hall of the Qing Palace. It is 9 rooms wide, 5 rooms deep and 20 meters high. There is a throne in the middle of the main hall and warm pavilions at both ends. The bedrooms of the sixteen emperors. The fourteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty and the two emperors Shunzhi and Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty all used Qianqing Palace as their bedrooms. They live here and handle daily government affairs. During the Shunzhi and Kangxi periods of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing palace had a close relationship with government affairs. The emperor studied here, reviewed memorials, summoned officials, met with foreign envoys, held palace ceremonies and family banquets. The back of the plaque is a plaque written by Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty in the main hall of Qianqing Palace. Behind this board, there is a storage box that determines the fate of the prince. At that time, the internal fighting among the princes for the throne was fierce. In order to alleviate this contradiction, since the Yongzheng Dynasty, the secret reserve method has been adopted, that is, the emperor opens reserves unfairly
There were two thousand old people at the Banquet of the Thousand-Year-Old Man held in Qianqing Palace, respectively in Kangxi The 61st year (1722) and the 50th year of Qianlong (1785). The second time was much bigger than the first. More than 3,000 ministers, officials, sergeants, common people, craftsmen, etc. Elderly people over 65 years old attended the grand banquet held by Emperor Qianlong. During the banquet, Emperor Qianlong also called the first minister and people over 90 years old to the throne and gave each of them wine and crutches. At the banquet, thousands of poems were written by combining sentences. In the Qing Dynasty, officials of the Qing Dynasty were also the place where the emperor's spiritual fulcrum rested after his death. Even if the emperor died elsewhere, he must first transport his spiritual hub (also called Zigong) to Qianqing and keep it there for a few days. Emperor Shunzhi died in Yangxin Hall, Emperor Kangxi died in Changchun Garden, Emperor Yongzheng died in Old Summer Palace, and Emperor Xianfeng died in Summer Resort. All their spiritual fulcrums were transported back to cadres and officials, parked here, and commemorative ceremonies were held as required. There are two stone benches on both sides of the platform in front of the Qianqing Palace of the Golden Pavilion. Each stone bench has a gilt bronze pavilion, named Jiangshan Sheji Golden Hall. It is also called the Golden Pavilion in colloquial language. The Golden Hall is deep and wide, divided into four gates, with double eaves on both sides. On the circular cushion-shaped upper eaves, there is a cast antique crown, symbolizing that the country is in the hands of the emperor. There are three culverts, about two meters high and one meter wide, called Tiger Cave, located at the junction of the south of Qianqing Palace Tower and Youlu Road and Street Wall. It is said that because of the strict hierarchy in the palace, the insiders serving the emperor were not allowed to go to the terrace and the royal avenue, but could only pass through the Tiger Cave. An anecdote about the South Study Room: There was a South Study Room in the south room of the Qing Palace. It is said that the young Emperor Kangxi deposed Obao here. At that time, Emperor Kangxi summoned Obai and ordered tea. When serving the meal, he filled a boiled bowl with tea and served it to Obai. When Obai picked up the tea, it was too hot and the tea bowl fell to the ground with a bang. The chamberlain behind Obai pushed the tampered chair, and Obai fell to the ground. Emperor Kangxi shouted, "Obai is disrespectful." A group of strong teenagers immediately came out and caught Oboi. The Money Ball Ceremony in Jiaotai Hall was held in the Qing Dynasty, and the Queen's birthday is called the Money Ball Festival. On that day, the Queen will hold a ceremony in the Jiaotai Hall to receive greetings from concubines, concubines, concubines, concubines, princesses, and Fu Jin (the wife of the prince and the prince). The twenty-five treasures are the exercise of the emperor's seal power. In the thirteenth year of Qianlong's reign (1748), the emperor stored twenty-five treasures representing imperial power in the Jiaotai Hall. These jade seals are held by the cabinet and managed by the palace supervisor. You must ask the emperor for permission before using it. Each seal treasured here has a different purpose: the emperor's treasure is used to issue imperial edicts and the imperial list is issued when admitting Jinshi; the treasure of making law, the treasure of life, the treasure of virtue, is used to make officials and reward officials; the six divisions treasure, used in the military. The seal is placed in a treasure box and covered with yellow silk. Now, the treasure chest is still displayed in the Jiaotai Hall in its original position. The "dzmz" displayed in the Neijiaotai Hall of dzmz was made by the Internal Affairs Office of the Qing Palace in the third year of Jiaqing (1798). Its shell is a wooden cabinet imitating a Chinese-style pavilion. It is 5.80 meters high and divided into three floors: upper, middle and lower. There is a small staircase behind the bell tower. You can ring this bell when you climb stairs. After the bell rings, you can automatically clock in on time. Now, this clock has passed 200 years, but it still moves normally and accurately. When the bell is rung, the sound is clear and loud. It can be seen that its manufacturing process is excellent.
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