In the early 1400s,
the third Ming Emperor, YongLe, moved the capital of China to Beijing. In 1406,
he began construction of a new 'Forbidden City' that would include an imperial
palace complex of vast proportions - a grand design.
Located at the exact
center of the ancient city of Beijing, the palace was the home and center of
power for 24 emperors during the mid to later Ming and Qing dynasties.
In this guide, we open the doors of the Forbidden City and
tour inside this beautiful palace with its 500 years of history. The guide
includes over 600 photographs, 2 videos, and describes in detail all the main
places of interest. It also presents a useful map.
Now officially renamed as the 'Palace Museum' ('GuGong' in
Chinese, meaning simply 'Old Palace'), the extensive grounds cover over 700,000
square meters. There are around 800 buildings that have about 9,000 rooms in
total. The Forbidden City is the world's largest palace complex. Indeed, it is
listed by UNESCO as the world's largest collection of preserved ancient wood-based
structures and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987.
Although the founations are stone and the walls made of
brick, the buildings themselves are constructed almost entirely of wood. The
skills for this are quite amazing, but there is the problem of fire, especially
with candlelight and incense burning. That's why ne sees many large vats all
around the palace, to store water for any outbreak of fire. The vats are raised
on stone feet so that a fire could be lit underneath to stop the water freezing
during harsh winter weather.
The Forbidden City is encircled by a 50 meter wide moat
then a 10 meter high purple wall; the perimeter is almost 3.5 kilometers long
and the enclosed area about twice the size of Tian'AnMen Square. It lies at the
center of YongLe's reconstructed Beijing, and symbolically between the Temple
of Heaven (TianTan) to the south, and the Temple of Earth (DiTan) to the north
along a central axis 8 kilometers in length. It was to be a reflection of
heavenly order and a symbol of the emperor's heavenly mandate. At the heart of
the walled city, and also a walled inner city, the palace was a city within a
city.
The Forbidden City is located directly to the north of
Tian'AnMen Square and can be accessed from the square via Tian'AnMen Gate. This
takes you through the grand and enveloping south gate of the palace (WuMen),
the 'front door'.
The Forbidden City remains a national symbol and an image
of its entrance gate is part of the official seal of the People's Republic of
China.
The last emperor of China, PuYi, ascended the throne aged
3, but just four years earlier the republcan movement brought an end to
imperial era in 1912. PuYi was forced to stay in the palace during the
following twelve years but was evicted in 1924, and in 1925 ordinary folk
entered the palace for the first time.
Today, the Palace Museum is open to the public and has
become one of the world's most popular tourist attractions. Visitors can wander
through the traditional palace architecture, view the art and artefacts in
exhibitions and recreations, and learn of the many legends involving the
imperial family and court. Electronic audio tours in many languages are
available. Over 1 million treasures are stored here in total.
The Chinese government has made a considerable investment
in the the Forbidden City and it is now a fantastic place to meander and
imagine the scenes that once played out here. Walls of terra-cotta and white
marble, deep red pillars, roofs of golden glazed tiles, and gilded beams all
unite to create a vista of outstanding beauty.
Recently, the Forbidden City has been under a major
renovation that has limited visitors to a few areas. However, it remains open
and the great majority of places are accessible. This renovation will be
completed 2020 to mark the 600th anniversary. The palace was opened in 1420,
after 14 years of construction that involved 200,000 workers and artesans. In
its heyday, around the end of the 18th century, nearly 10,000 people lived and
worked within its confines.
The Palace Museum is China's most magnetic tourist
destination and receives nearly 10 million visitors each year.
YongLe was the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty (Han
Chinese, 1368 - 1644). He restored BeiJing ('north capital') as the official
capital, as it had previusly been set by Kublai Khan of the previous Yuan
Dynasty (Mongolian, 1271 - 1368) when it was known as Dadu ('great capital').
YongLe put in place not just the Forbidden City but the basic layout and main
features of the historical Beijing that we see today. He also renovated and
restored use of the Grand Canal to bring goods from South China to the capital.
He also supported the grand sea voyages of ZhengHe.
YongLe died just four years after the palace was completed.
The later Ming Dynasty is associated with the building of a new, stone and
brick Great Wall, the one on whose ruins we walk today.
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