The Forbidden City covers an area of ??720,000 square meters, of which the construction area is 163,000 square meters. It is 961 meters long from north to south and 753 meters wide from east to west. It is surrounded by a 10-meter-high city wall and a 52-meter-wide moat. , with an exquisite turret built at the four corners. According to statistics in 1973, the Forbidden City has more than 90 courtyards, 980 houses, and 8,704 rooms. Not long after Zhu Di, the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, ascended the throne, in the fourth year of Yongle, that is, 1406, he issued an edict to build the Forbidden City in Beijing. The construction is divided into two stages. The first stage started with the preparation of materials in the fourth year of Yongle. The second stage started construction in June 1417, the fifteenth year of Yongle. It lasted 14 years and was completed in 1420, the eighteenth year of Yongle. . During the construction process, 100,000 skilled craftsmen and 1 million civilians across the country were recruited, and the building materials came from all over the country, such as white marble from Fangshan, Beijing, gold bricks from Suzhou, lime from Yizhou, Hebei, and five-color tiger skin stone from Hebei. In Panshan, Jixian County, the fine bricks and stones used for the temple foundation came from Linqing, Shandong Province, the pine trees mostly came from the Northeast, and the nanmu mostly came from Sichuan, Yunnan-Guizhou, Zhejiang and other places, which shows the scale of the project at that time. The Forbidden City was basically built according to the blueprint of the Imperial Palace in the Ming Dynasty. The layout and planning followed the capital design etiquette of "Zhou Rites? Kao Gong Ji": the front dynasty and the back sleeping, the ancestors on the left and the community on the right. It is roughly divided into two parts: north and south. The southern half is for the front, and the northern half is for the back. The former dynasty was centered on the three main halls of Taihe, Zhonghe and Baohe, and the Wenhua Hall and Wuying Hall were the east and west wings. They were the places where the emperor held court meetings. The back bedroom is centered on the three back palaces of Qianqing, Jiaotai and Kunning, as well as the six east and west palaces and the Imperial Garden. The buildings on Waidong Road and Waixi Road are the main buildings. It is where the emperor handles daily government affairs and where the harem and concubines live. A place of worship. The layout of Zuozu and Youshe is as follows: outside the Meridian Gate, on the east side is the Ancestral Temple, where the emperor worships his ancestors, and on the west side, is the Sheji Altar, where the emperor worships his ancestors. The Forbidden City built according to this layout was the palace of 24 emperors in the Ming and Qing dynasties, including 14 in the Ming Dynasty and 10 in the Qing Dynasty. Their reign lasted for a total of five centuries. Due to its special status in Chinese history and its exquisite architectural complex, it was included in the "World Cultural Heritage List" by UNESCO in 1987, becoming the largest and most complete palace complex in the world. There is now a central axis running through the north and south of Beijing. It is called the great central axis by Mr. Liang Sicheng. It is 8.5 kilometers long. It starts from Yongding Gate in the south and ends at the Bell Tower in the north. One-third of the imperial city including the Forbidden City is occupied. . This central axis is also called the Dragon Vein. Jingshan on the line is the center point of the inner city and the anchor of the Forbidden City.
We sometimes call the Forbidden City the Forbidden City, but how did it get its name? Ancient Chinese astronomers divided the main stars in the sky into three yuan, four elephants and twenty-eight constellations. The three walls are Taiweiyuan, Ziweiyuan and Tianshiyuan. Among them, Ziwei Yuan is in the middle, where the emperor of heaven lives, and is called the Purple Palace. Feudal emperors claimed to be the sons of the Emperor of Heaven, so they also symbolized the palace where they lived as the Purple Palace in the sky. Moreover, the place where the emperor lived was heavily guarded and no ordinary people were allowed to approach it. It was an absolutely forbidden area, also known as the Forbidden Palace, so it was also called the Forbidden City. There are four gates here, namely Meridian Gate, Shenwu Gate, Donghua Gate and Xihua Gate. The main entrance of the Forbidden City is the Meridian Gate, because on the compass, the morning represents due south, so the Meridian Gate also means the South Gate. Its plane has a "concave" shape, which evolved from the gate shape of the Han Dynasty. There is a pier with a height of 12 meters at the lower end. There is a gate tower on the central pier. There are also bell and drum pavilions on both sides. The protruding parts on the east and west sides are called guan. There are 13 verandahs on each upper part. There are also double eaves at both ends. Zanjian square pavilion. The central square is called Que. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, this was the place where the imperial court held the ceremony of awarding the new moon and the presentation of prisoners. There are three doors in the middle, with closed doors on both sides. This practice is called "three in the open and five in the dark". Each of the five doorways has its own purpose: the middle door is for the exclusive use of the emperor, or when the emperor is getting married, the queen can enter the palace from here, and the top three in the scientific examination can also enter the palace from here; usually, civil and military officials use the left door, and the clan can enter the palace through the left door. Princes go through the right door; Yemen is only opened during large-scale events. Officials below the third rank pass through the East and West Yemen respectively according to Wen, Dong and Wuxi. Foreign envoys can only enter the palace through the West Yemen; during the palace examination, candidates are divided into Odd and even numbers, pass through the east and west gates.
The first thing we see when entering the Meridian Gate is the Neijinshui River, which meanders through Taihemen Square from west to east. There are five white marble bridges above it, which are the Neijinshui Bridges. The Neijinshui River serves not only as the main drainage channel in the Forbidden City, but also as the main water source for construction and fire-fighting. It also plays a role in embellishing the landscape, making Taihe Gate Square both majestic and beautiful.
There are two gates on both sides of Taihe Gate, namely Dezhao Gate and Zhendu Gate. Whenever the emperor left the palace, he had to change cars at the Gate of Supreme Harmony, and when the emperor got married, the queen also had to enter the palace through the Gate of Supreme Harmony. In the fourth year of Guangxu's reign, something like this happened: On the eve of Emperor Guangxu's wedding, the Gate of Supreme Harmony was suddenly destroyed by fire. However, the Queen had to pass by here on the day of the wedding, so the imperial court found skilled craftsmen in Beijing and built it overnight. A fake Taihe Gate was built with colored silk and wood so that the wedding could go on as scheduled. The reconstruction of the Taihe Gate was completed in the following year.
After passing the Gate of Supreme Harmony, we entered the Square of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which covers an area of ??more than 30,000 square meters. It is held every year on New Year's Day, the Winter Solstice, the emperor's birthday and some major events. A grand court ceremony was held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the Square of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The magnificent building in front of us now is the Hall of Supreme Harmony. It, the Hall of Zhonghe and the Hall of Baohe are built on an earth-shaped three-story platform, which is 230 meters long from north to south. meters, 8.13 meters high, with some pavilions built around it. It was actually a warehouse under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Qing Dynasty. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the tallest and largest building in the Forbidden City, with an area of ??2,377 square meters, a total height of 35.05 meters, 11 rooms wide and 5 rooms deep. In fact, when the Fengtian Hall was built in the Ming Dynasty, the main hall was 9 rooms wide and 5 rooms deep. During the Qing Dynasty, it was changed to its current size. In fact, the mezzanine rooms on both sides are closed and cannot be used as the main hall, so In fact, there are 9 rooms in width and 5 rooms in depth. At the same time, it was also renamed Taihe Hall. The word Taihe comes from the "Book of Changes": "To preserve the great harmony", and the concept of Taihe is an extension of the ancient concept of heaven and man, emphasizing that there is also a relationship between monarchs and ministers, between humans and nature, and between nations. of harmony. There is a 3.36-meter-high big kiss on the main ridge of the roof of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and there are 11 vertical-ridged beasts below. In ancient my country, the greater the number of exotic beasts, the higher the level of the palace. There are 72 large pillars in the hall, six of which are gold pillars with gold cloud and dragon patterns on them, which support the caisson. There is a dragon carved in the caisson, and the Xuanyuan mirror is held in the dragon's mouth. The word Xuanyuan comes from the Xuanyuan star in ancient Chinese astronomy, which means Xuanyuan, the star of the Yellow Emperor and the star in charge of thunderstorms. There is a caisson on the top of the palace. First, it represents that the emperor of the current dynasty is the orthodox heir of the Chinese nation. The second is to play the role of fire suppression.
There are also many furnishings in the temple. The Jinluan throne is a relic of the Ming Dynasty and continued to be used by emperors of the Qing Dynasty. During Yuan's restoration, it was replaced with a nondescript sofa-like seat that combined Chinese and Western styles. After liberation, experts discovered the original throne in the furniture warehouse. After more than a year of renovations, it was finally restored to its original state. appearance.
The flat bed in the hall is more than 6 feet high, with screens, thrones, etc. on it. There are also incense pavilions, cranes, etc. on the table. When the emperor went to court, sandalwood would be lit to create a mysterious atmosphere. There is an elephant in the hall with a treasure vase on its body. There are grains in it, which means peace in the world and good luck. The elephant's body stands on all fours, as stable as Mount Tai, symbolizing the stability of society and political power. It is called Taiping Youxiang. Jiaoduan is a mythical beast in legend, symbolizing that the current emperor is a wise king. The crane was considered by the ancients to be a longevity bird, symbolizing the longevity of the country. The incense pavilion evolved from the incense burner and was placed in the palace to symbolize the stability of the country.
There are many furnishings outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Day: It is a timepiece in ancient my country. It is the standard Beijing time here
Jialiang is the national standardized meter during the Qianlong period. There is also one in front of the Qianqing Palace. Bronze turtles and bronze cranes are long-lived animals, so placing them here also symbolizes longevity. There are 308 large and small water tanks in the Forbidden City, which are used for fire prevention and are called Taiping tanks. The two gold-plated vats outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony weighed 2 tons, but the gold on them was scraped away by the Eight-Power Allied Forces with sabers. There are some stories surrounding the Hall of Supreme Harmony. In December 1908, four-year-old Puyi ascended the throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. His father knelt under the throne and supported him, but Puyi cried and said: "I am no longer here, I want to go home, I am no longer here." Here, I want to go home." His father had to say: "Don't cry, don't cry, it's almost over." After the ceremony, the civil and military officials whispered that this was not a good sign. Sure enough, three years later, Dr. Sun Yat-sen led the Revolution of 1911 to successfully overthrow the Qing Dynasty and end China's feudal monarchy. However, in 1915, Yuan stole the fruits of victory of the Revolution of 1911 and proclaimed himself "Emperor Hongxian" in an attempt to restore feudal society. He also held an enthronement ceremony in the Hall of Supreme Harmony and removed all Manchu characters on the plaques in the three main halls. He also ordered the coal shops in the capital to remove the "yuan coal" on the walls and change the yuanxiao to glutinous rice balls. However, he only served as emperor for 83 days and died amidst the uproar across the country.
The Zhonghe Hall was once called the Huagai Hall and the Zhongji Hall in the Ming Dynasty. It was changed to the Zhonghe Hall during the Shunzhi period. It was taken from the book "Book of Rites? Zhongyong", "Zhongye is the foundation of the world" "The name of the palace embodies the Confucian doctrine of moderation. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, when the Great Chao Ceremony was held, the emperor would take a break in the Zhonghe Palace before rushing to the Palace of Supreme Harmony. Accept official congratulations. When encountering a major festival, you have to read the blessings or check the seed farming tools the day before. The Qing Dynasty stipulated that the royal family tree, that is, the jade certificate, should be revised every ten years. After the revision was completed, it would be read by the emperor in the Hall of Zhonghe, and a storage ceremony would be held.
After passing Zhonghe Hall, we came to Baohe Hall. In the Ming Dynasty, this place was once called Jinshen Hall and Jianji Hall. During the Shunzhi period, it was changed to Zhonghe Hall. The origin of the name is the same as that of Taihe Hall. They all have the intention of preserving peace and harmony. Baohe Hall had different uses during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In the Ming Dynasty, when the enrolment ceremony was held, the emperor had to change his clothes in the Baohe Hall. At the end of the year, all civil and military officials will be entertained here. In the Qing Dynasty, a banquet was held here on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and New Year's Eve. Moreover, this was also the place where imperial examinations were held in the Qing Dynasty. Behind the Baohe Hall, there is a huge stone sculpture of Yunlong, which is carved from mugwort bluestone.
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the original patterns carved in the Ming Dynasty were removed and re-carved. The stone sculpture is 16.57 meters high, 3.07 meters wide, 1.7 meters thick and weighs more than 200 tons. There are curly grass patterns all around the stone sculpture, a seawater river tooth pattern at the bottom, and nine dragons surrounded by flying clouds in the center. It is very beautifully made and is a rare stone carving treasure. This stone comes from Fangshan, Beijing. A lot of manpower and material resources were used to move this stone. However, there is no record of why this stone is behind the Baohe Hall. According to expert speculation, it may be because the stone was placed here after being transported. It is very difficult to move it again, so it was placed there. here.
After visiting the first three halls, we came to the main entrance of the back sleeping area, Qianqing Gate. There is a 15th palace in the back bedroom. Experts believe that this has a symbolic relationship with the Ziwei Yuan and Bagua in astronomy.
During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Qianqingmen was the place where the imperial government was held, and there was a row of connected rooms on the west side, which was the military aircraft office. It was established during the Yongzheng period until the Revolution of 1911 broke out. Only then was it abolished. The Military Aircraft Department is a very important organization, superior to the cabinet. However, in order to prevent leaks, the Inspectorate sent a censor to the Ministry of Internal Affairs next to the Military Aircraft Department every day to monitor the activities here.
What everyone sees now is the Qianqing Palace. The word "Qianqing" is taken from a poem in Han Yu's "Liuhe Shengde Shi" in the Tang Dynasty: "Qianqing Kunyi" means peace in the world and peace in all places. In the Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty, the emperor's palace had always been here. After the Yongzheng Emperor, it was moved to the Yangxin Hall. From then on, the Qianqing Palace became the place where the emperor listened to politics. During every festival, the emperor would hold celebrations in the Qianqing Palace. During the Kangxi and Qianlong years of the Qing Dynasty, the "Thousands of Seniors Banquet" was also held in the palace. Moreover, the story of "Kangxi's clever capture of Obei" also happened here. Moreover, after the death of the emperor, he must stay here and pay homage for 15 days to indicate that he has passed away, and then he can move to other places. There is a golden lacquered throne in the middle of the Qianqing Palace, with a screen behind it on which the late emperor's holy teachings are engraved. There is also a plaque with the words "upright and upright" hanging above the throne. After Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne, he issued an edict secretly establishing the crown prince in response to the various shortcomings of the struggle for the throne, thereby changing the feudal dynasty's system of publicly naming princes. After that, the emperor personally wrote two copies of the Crown Prince's Edict, one of which was placed behind this upright plaque, and the other was hidden by himself. After the emperor's death, two copies of the edict must be produced and verified to be correct before they become effective.
In the Ming Dynasty, three major mysteries occurred surrounding the Qianqing Palace. It's the Renyin Palace Incident, the Hongwan Case and the Palace Relocation Case. The Renyin Palace Incident occurred during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. The emperor was sleeping in the Qianqing Palace. The palace maid Yang Jinying and 16 other people tried to kill the emperor, but in their haste, they tied the rope into a dead knot, so they failed. As a result, all these people were executed. This year happened to be the year of Renyin, so it was called the Renyin Palace Change. From then on, the emperor did not dare to live in the Qianqing Palace. He did not return here until the day before his death, but he died that day. The Hongwan case occurred after the Ming Dynasty Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun died and his son Zhu Changluo came to the throne. But soon he became ill and took the red pills brought as tribute. He felt very good after taking one, so he took the second pill. As a result, he died in the Qianqing Palace. He only served as emperor for 29 days, so He is known as the Emperor of January. The palace transfer case occurred after the death of Emperor Zhu Changluo in January. His beloved concubine Li Fei had ambitions to become a queen, so she insisted on living in Qianqing Palace with the soon-to-be-enthroned Crown Prince Zhu Youxiao, in order to blackmail the officials. But these ministers designed to trick the prince out of her hands, but he still refused to leave the Qianqing Palace. It wasn't until the night before the prince ascended the throne that the ministers came to the door to reprimand him. In this way, he was forced to leave Qianqing Palace.
Behind the Qianqing Palace is the Jiaotai Hall, which is taken from the Jiaotai Temple of Heaven and Earth in the Book of Changes, symbolizing the harmonious life of the emperor and empress. There are 25 precious seals placed in the center of the hall, and hanging high above is the "Inaction" plaque written by Emperor Kangxi and copied by Qianlong. On the east side is a copper kettle dripper, a timepiece invented by ancient Chinese people, and on the west side is a large self-ringing bell. Here, every year on the Queen's birthday, the Queen would receive celebration gifts at the Jiaotai Hall, and even the Queen Mother and the Emperor would come here to celebrate. Every year before the Queen goes to the Silkworm Altar to hold a ceremony, she inspects the mulberry picking tools here.