Forbidden City 100

Forbidden City 100 is all about the architectural space and palace life of the Forbidden City – just like putting the Palace Museum on papers. It lets us have a glimpse of the inner world of this ancient and mysterious royal palace through vivid words and beautiful illustrations. This book not only introduces the history and architectural features of Forbidden City, but also tells many touching stories that happened there, revealing all aspects of palace life. From the daily life of the emperor and his concubines, to the political affairs of the civil servants and generals, from the bitter fate of the palace maids and eunuchs, to the talent display of the artists and craftsmen, this book shows us a real and lively Fobidden City.

• Book number: ISBN 9787513407922
• Publisher: Palace Museum Press
• Author: Zhao Guangchao
• Language: Simplified Chinese
• Format: 12 pages (280mm x 280mm)
• Number of pages: 320 pages
• Publication date: 1st edition, October 2015

The Forbidden City in Beijing, also known as the Palace Museum, is the most famous palace in Chinese history and the largest palace complex in the world. It was the palace of 24 emperors of China during the Ming and Qing dynasties and witnessed the rise and fall of China’s feudal society. Built in the center of Beijing, covering an area of ​​about 720,000 square meters, it is the largest palace complex in Chinese history, with more than 9,000 rooms. The architectural style is unique, with red walls and yellow tiles as the main colors, and it is full of ritual and authority. It is also the largest museum in China, with a collection of hundreds of thousands of Chinese historical and cultural heritage items.

The building materials of the Palace Museum are mainly wood, masonry and tiles, among which precious sandalwood, rosewood, nanmu, etc. are used as wood. The roofs of buildings are mostly made of yellow glazed tiles, symbolizing the dignity of imperial power. The architectural style of the Palace Museum reflects the traditional Chinese palace building rules, with the Palace Museum as the center, distributed along the central axis, symmetrical from left to right, and divided into two parts: the outer court and the inner court.

The architectural art of the Palace Museum expresses traditional Chinese aesthetic concepts, with red and yellow as the main colors, creating a festive and peaceful atmosphere. The walls, pillars, doors, windows, and eaves of the building are decorated with exquisite carvings, paintings, hollows, and other decorations, demonstrating the superb skills of Chinese craftsmen. Architectural culture embodies the wisdom of the Chinese people.

The following is a summary of 100 stories about architectural space and palace life in the Palace Museum:

1. The name of the Palace Museum comes from the Taoist Ziwei Yuan, which means the sacred place where the emperor lives. The Palace Museum is also known as the Palace Museum, which means the palace of the former dynasty. In the late Qing Dynasty, the Palace Museum was also called the Imperial City, meaning the center of the emperor’s rule.
2. The Palace Museum covers an area of ​​approximately 720,000 square meters, with more than 980 buildings and 8,704 rooms. It consists of two parts: the outer court and the inner court. The outer court is where the emperor handles government affairs, and the inner court is where the emperor and his concubines live.
3. The main buildings of the Palace Museum are arranged along the central axis, reflecting the traditional Chinese symmetry and the idea of ​​unity between man and nature. There are five main halls on the central axis, namely Taihe Hall, Zhonghe Hall, Baohe Hall, Qianqing Palace and Kunning Palace. Among them, the Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest and most important building in the Palace Museum. It is where the emperor held grand ceremonies and received foreign envoys.
4. The architectural style of the Palace Museum is mainly Ming and Qing Dynasty official-style buildings, characterized by yellow glazed tiles, red painted walls, and golden carvings. The architecture of the Palace Museum also integrates the cultural elements of Han, Manchu, Tibetan, Mongolian and other ethnic groups, reflecting China’s diverse and integrated national characteristics.
5. The architectural structure of the Palace Museum uses wooden columns and mortise and tenon structures without the use of nails or cement. The structure is both strong and flexible, able to withstand earthquakes and fires. The architecture of the Palace Museum also uses many ingenious designs, such as brackets, cantilevered beams, cornices, sparrows, etc., which are both beautiful and practical.
6. There are four gates in the Palace Museum, namely Meridian Gate, Shenwu Gate, Donghua Gate and Xihua Gate. The Noon Gate is the main entrance to the Palace Museum and the largest and most spectacular gatehouse in China. There are five archways on the Meridian Gate. The middle archway can only be used by the emperor, and the archways on both sides are used by civil and military officials respectively.
7. The Palace Museum has two moats, namely the outer river and the inner river. The outer river surrounds the Palace Museum, and the inner river runs through the north and south of the Forbidden City. The river water comes from Kunming Lake and Yuquan Mountain. The moat not only plays a role in defense and fire extinguishing, but also increases the scenery and climate of the Palace Museum.
8. There are three large gardens in the Palace Museum, namely the Imperial Garden, the Nine Dragon Wall and the Imperial Garden. Among them, the Imperial Garden is the most beautiful garden in the Palace Museum, with many rare flowers and trees, as well as exquisite pavilions and pavilions. The Nine Dragon Wall is the most famous mural in the Palace Museum. It consists of nine colorful dragons, symbolizing the majesty and auspiciousness of imperial power. The Imperial Garden is the largest garden in the Palace Museum. It was a place for leisure and entertainment for the emperor and his concubines. It has many rockeries, pools, flower gardens and pavilions.
9. There are many precious cultural relics and works of art in the Palace Museum, such as jade seals, jade bis, jade pendants, jade wares, porcelain, bronze wares, gold and silver wares, lacquer wares, paintings, calligraphy, embroidery, carvings, etc. The most famous of them is the Wanshou vase collected by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, which is one of the largest and most exquisite porcelain in Chinese history.
10. The palace life in the Palace Museum is the epitome of China’s feudal society and an important part of Chinese traditional culture. There are many strict rules and etiquette in palace life, such as court meetings, sacrifices, canonization, marriage, childbirth, education, etc. There are also many wonderful stories and legends in palace life, such as the expedition of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty, the southern tour of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, the cultural construction of Emperor Qianlong, the violent death of Emperor Jiaqing, the Opium War of Emperor Daoguang, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement of Emperor Xianfeng, Tongzhi The emperor’s Westernization Movement, Emperor Guangxu’s Reform Movement of 1898, Empress Dowager Cixi’s coup and the Revolution of 1911, etc.

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