The 'Forbidden City' was the
Chinese imperial palace from the mid-
Ming Dynasty to the end of the
Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of
Beijing,
China and now houses the 'Palace Museum'. For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the
Emperor and his household, and the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.
Built from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms
[1] and covers 720,000 square metres. The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture,
[2] and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in
East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a
World Heritage Site in
1987,
and is listed by
UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.
Since 1924, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artefacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Part of the museum's former collection is now located in the
National Palace Museum in
Taipei. Both museums descend from the same institution, but were split after the
Chinese Civil War.
Name
The Gate of Divine Might, the northern gate. The lower tablet reads "The Palace Museum" (故宫博物院)
The common
English name, "the Forbidden City," is a translation of the Chinese name ''Zijin Cheng'' (). Another English name of similar origin is "Forbidden Palace".
[3] In the
Manchu language it is called ''Dabkūri dorgi hoton'' (Manchu:
), which literally means the "Layered Inner City."
The Forbidden City under renovation for the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics
The name "''Zijin Cheng''" is a name imbued with significance on many levels. ''Zi'', or "Purple", refers to the
North Star, which in ancient China was called the ''Ziwei'' Star, and in traditional
Chinese astrology was the abode of the
Celestial Emperor. The surrounding celestrial region, the
Ziwei Enclosure (), was the realm of the Celestial Emperor and his family. The Forbidden City, as the residence of the terrestrial emperor, was its earthly counterpart. ''Jin'', or "''Forbidden''", referred to the fact that no-one could enter or leave the palace without the emperor's permission. ''Cheng'' means a
walled city.
[4]
Today, the site is most commonly known in
Chinese as ''Gugong'' (故宫), which means the "Former Palace."
[5] The museum which is based in these buildings is known as the "Palace Museum" ().
History
Main articles: History of the Forbidden City
The site of the Forbidden City was part of the
Imperial city during the
Mongol Yuan Dynasty. Upon the establishment of the
Ming Dynasty, the
Hongwu Emperor moved the capital from Beijing in the north to
Nanjing in the south, and ordered that the Mongol palaces be razed. When his son
Zhu Di became the
Yongle Emperor, he moved the capital to Beijing, and construction began in 1406 of what would become the Forbidden City.
Construction lasted 15 years, and required more than a million workers.
[6] Material used include whole logs of precious ''
Phoebe zhennan'' wood () found in the jungles of south-western China, and large blocks of marble from quarries near Beijing.
[7] The floors of major halls were paved with "golden bricks" (), specially baked paving bricks from
Suzhou.
From 1420 to 1644, the Forbidden City was the seat of the Ming Dynasty. In April 1644, it was captured by rebel forces led by
Li Zicheng, who proclaimed himself emperor of the
Shun Dynasty.
[8] He soon fled before the combined armies of former Ming general
Wu Sangui and
Manchu forces, setting fire to parts of the Forbidden City in the process.
[9]
By October, the Manchus had achieved supremacy in northern China, and a ceremony was held at the Forbidden City to proclaim the young
Shunzhi Emperor as ruler of all China under the
Qing Dynasty.
[10]
The Qing rulers changed the names of the principal buildings, to emphasise "Harmony" rather than "Supremacy",
[11] made the
name plates bilingual (
Chinese and
Manchu),
[12] and introduced
Shamanist elements to the palace.
[13]
In 1912,
Puyi, the last Emperor of China, abdicated. Under an agreement with the new
Republic of China government, Puyi remained in the Inner Court, while the Outer Court was given over to public use,
[14] until he was evicted after a coup in 1924.
[15]
The
Palace Museum was then established in the Forbidden City.
[16] In 1933, the
Japanese invasion of China forced the evacuation of the national treasures in the Forbidden City.
[17] Part of the collection was returned at the end of
World War II,
[18] but the other part was evacuated to
Taiwan in 1947 under orders by
Chiang Kai-shek, whose
Kuomintang was losing the Chinese Civil War. This relatively small but high quality collection today form the core of the
National Palace Museum in
Taipei.
[19]
The East Glorious Gate under renovation as part of the 19-year restoration process.
After the establishment of the
People's Republic of China in 1949, some damage was done to the Forbidden City as the country was swept up in revolutionary zeal.
[20] During the
Cultural Revolution, however, further destruction was prevented when Premier
Zhou Enlai sent an army battalion to guard the city.
[21]
The Forbidden City was declared a
World Heritage Site in 1987 by
UNESCO as the "Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties",
[22]
due to its significant place in the development of
Chinese architecture and culture. It is currently administered by the Palace Museum, which is currently carrying out a sixteen-year restoration project to repair and restore all buildings in the Forbidden City to their pre-1912 state.
[23]
In recent years, the presence of commercial enterprises in the Forbidden City has become controversial.
[24] A
Starbucks store,
[25] which opened in 2000,
[26] sparked objections
[27] and eventually closed on
July 13,
2007. Chinese media also took notice of a pair of souvenir shops that refused to admit Chinese citizens in order to
price-gouge foreign customers in 2006.
[28]
Description
Plan of the Forbidden City. Labels in red will be used to reference locations throughout the article.
----
- - - Approximate dividing line between Inner (north) and Outer (south) Courts.
----
The Forbidden City is the world's largest surviving palace complex and covers 720,000 square metres (0.72 km
2 or 0.28 mi
2). It is a rectangle 961 metres from north to south and 753 metres from east to west. It consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms.
[29]
The Forbidden City was designed to be the centre of the ancient, walled city of Beijing. It is enclosed in a larger, walled area called the
Imperial City. The Imperial City is, in turn, enclosed by the Inner City; to its south lies the Outer City.
The Forbidden City remains important in the civic scheme of Beijing. The central north-south axis remains the central axis of Beijing. This axis extends to the south through Tiananmen gate to
Tiananmen Square, the ceremonial centre of the People's Republic of China. To the north, it extends through
the Bell and Drum Towers to
Yongdingmen.
[30]
Walls and gates
Meridian Gate, the front entrance to the Forbidden City, with two protruding wings.
The northwest corner tower
The Forbidden City is surrounded by a 7.9-metre high
city wall[31] and a six-metre deep, 52-metre wide moat. The walls are 8.62 metres wide at the base, tapering to 6.66 metres at the top.
[32] These walls served as both
defensive walls and
retaining walls for the palace. They were constructed with a
rammed earth core, and surfaced with three layers of specially baked bricks on both sides, with the interstices filled with mortar.
[33]
At the four corners of the wall sit towers ("E") with intricate roofs boasting 72 ridges, reproducing the
Pavilion of Prince Teng and the
Yellow Crane Pavilion as they appeared in
Song Dynasty paintings.
[34] These towers are the most visible parts of the palace to commoners outside the walls, and much folklore is attached to them. According to one legend, artisans could not put a corner tower back together after it was dismantled for renovations in the early Qing Dynasty, and it was only rebuilt after the intervention of carpenter-immortal
Lu Ban.
The wall is pierced by a gate on each side. At the southern end is the main
Meridian Gate ("A").
[35] To the north is the
Gate of Divine Might ("B"), which faces Jingshan Park. The east and west gates are called the "East Glorious Gate" ("D") and "West Glorious Gate" ("C"). All gates in the Forbidden City are decorated with a nine-by-nine array of golden door nails, except for the East Glorious Gate, which has only eight rows.
[36]
The Meridian Gate has two protruding wings forming three sides of a square (Wumen, or Meridian Gate, Square) before it.
The gate has five gateways. The central gateway is part of the Imperial Way, a stone flagged path that forms the central axis of the Forbidden City and the ancient city of Beijing itself, and leads all the way from the
Gate of China in the south to
Jingshan in the north. Only the Emperor may walk or ride on the Imperial Way, except for the Empress on the occasion of her wedding, and successful students after the
Imperial Examination.
Outer Court
The Hall of Supreme Harmony
The throne in the Hall of Preserving Harmony.
The Hall of Central Harmony (foreground) and the Hall of Preserving Harmony
Traditionally, the Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The Outer Court (外朝) or Front Court (前朝) includes the southern sections, and was used for ceremonial purposes. The
Inner Court (内廷) or Back Palace (后宫) includes the northern sections, and was the residence of the Emperor and his family's, and was used for day-to-day affairs of state. (The approximate dividing line shown as red dash in the plan above). Generally, the Forbidden City has three vertical axes. The most important buildings are situated on the central north-south axis.
Entering from the Meridian Gate, one encounters a large square, pierced by the meandering Inner Golden Water River, which is crossed by five bridges. Beyond the square stands the
Gate of Supreme Harmony ("F"). Behind that is the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square.
[37] A three-tiered white marble terrace rises from this square. Three halls stand on top of this terrace, the focus of the palace complex. From the south, these are the
Hall of Supreme Harmony (太和殿), the
Hall of Central Harmony (中和殿), and the
Hall of Preserving Harmony (保和殿).
[38]
The Hall of Supreme Harmony ("G") is the largest, and rises some 30 metres above the level of the surrounding square. It is the ceremonial centre of imperial power, and the largest surviving wooden structure in China. It is nine bays wide and five bays deep, the numbers nine and five being symbolically connected to the majesty of the Emperor.
[39] Set into the ceiling at the centre of the hall is an intricate
caisson decorated with a coiled dragon, from the mouth of which issues a chandelier-like set of metal balls, called the "
Xuanyuan Mirror".
[40] In the Ming Dynasty, the Emperor held court here to discuss affairs of state. During the Qing Dynasty, as Emeperors held court far more frequently, the Hall of Supreme Harmony was only used for ceremonial purposes, such as
coronations,
investitures, and imperial
weddings.
[41]
The Hall of Central Harmony is a smaller, square hall, used by the Emperor to prepare and rest before and during ceremonies.
[42] Behind it, the Hall of Preserving Harmony, was used for rehearsing ceremonies, and was also the site of the final stage of the
Imperial examination.
[43] All three halls feature imperial thrones, the largest and most elaborate one being that in the
Hall of Supreme Harmony.
[44]
At the centre of the ramps leading up to the terraces from the northern and southern sides are ceremonial ramps, part of the Imperial Way, featuring elaborate and symbolic
bas-relief carvings. The northern ramp, behind the Hall of Preserving Harmony, is carved from a single piece of stone 16.57 metres long, 3.07 metres wide, and 1.7 metres thick. It weighs some 200 tonnes and is the largest such carving in China.
The southern ramp, in front of the
Hall of Supreme Harmony, is even longer, but is made from two stone slabs joined together — the joint was ingeniously hidden using overlapping bas-relief carvings, and was only discovered when weathering widened the gap in the 20th century.
[45]
In the south west and south east of the Outer Court are the halls of Military Eminence ("H") and Literary Glory ("J"). The former was used at various times for the Emperor to receive ministers and hold court, and later housed the Palace's own printing house. The latter was used for ceremonial lectures by highly regarded Confucian scholars, and later became the office of the Grand Secretariat. A copy of the ''
Siku Quanshu'' was stored there. To the north-east are the Southern Three Places (南三所) ("K"), which was the residence of the Crown Prince.
[37]
Inner Court
The Inner Court is separated from the Outer Court by an oblong courtyard lying orthogonal to the City's main axis. It is the home of the Emperor and his family. In the Qing Dynasty, the Emperor lived and worked almost exclusively in the Inner Court, with the Outer Court used only for ceremonial purposes.
[47]
The Palace of Heavenly Purity.
At the centre of the Inner Court is another set of three halls ("L"). From the south, these are the
Palace of Heavenly Purity(乾清宮),
Hall of Union, and the
Palace of Earthly Tranquility. Smaller than the Outer Court halls, the three halls of the Inner Court were the official residences of the Emperor and the Empress. The Emperor, representing
Yang and the Heavens, would occupy the Palace of Heavenly Purity. The Empress, representing
Yin and the Earth, would occupy the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. In between them was the Hall of Union, where the
Yin and Yang mixed to produce harmony.
[48]
The
Palace of Heavenly Purity is a double-eaved building, and set on a single-level white marble platform. It is connected to the Gate of Heavenly Purity to its south by a raised walkway. In the Ming Dynasty, it was the residence of the Emperor. However, beginning from the
Yongzheng Emperor of the
Qing Dynasty, the Emperor lived instead at the smaller Hall of Mental Cultivation to the west, out of respect to the memory of the
Kangxi Emperor.
The Palace of Heavenly Purity then became the Emperor's audience hall.
[49] A caisson is set into the roof, featuring a coiled dragon. Above the throne hangs a tablet reading "Justice and Honour" ().
[50]
The
Palace of Earthly Tranquility(乾清宮) is a double-eaved building, 9 bays wide and 3 bays deep. In the Ming Dynasty, it was the residence of the Empress. In the Qing Dynasty, large portions of the Palace were converted for Shamanist worship by the new Manchu rulers. From the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor, the Empress moved out of the Palace. However, two rooms in the Palace of Earthly Harmony were retained for use on the Emperor's wedding night.
[51]
Between these two palaces is the
Hall of Union, which is square in shape with a pyramidal roof. Stored here are the twenty-five Imperial
Seals of the Qing Dynasty, as well as other ceremonial items.
The Nine Dragons Screen in front of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity
Behind these three halls lies the Imperial Garden ("M"). Relatively small, and compact in design, the garden nevertheless contains several elaborate landscaping features.
[52] To the north of the garden is the Gate of Divine Might, the north gate of the palace.
Distributed to the east and west of the three main halls are a series of self-contained courtyards and minor palaces, where the Emperor's concubines and children lived. Directly to the west is the Hall of Mental Cultivation ("N"). Originally a minor palace, this became the ''de facto'' residence and office of the Emperor starting from Yongzheng. In the last decades of the Qing Dynasty, empresses dowager, including
Cixi, held court from the eastern partition of the hall. Located around the Hall of Mental Cultivation are the offices of the
Grand Council and other key government bodies.
[53]
The north-eastern section of the Inner Court is taken up by the Palace of Tranquil Longevity ("O"), a complex built by the
Qianlong Emperor in anticipation of his retirement. It mirrors the set-up of the Forbidden City proper and features an "outer court", an "inner court", and gardens and temples. The entrance to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity is marked by a glazed-tile Nine Dragons Screen.
[54]
Religion
Religion was an important part of life for the imperial court. In the Qing Dynasty, the Palace of Earthly Harmony became a place of Manchu Shamanist ceremony. At the same time, the native Chinese
Taoist religion continued to have an important role throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties. There were two Taoist shrines, one in the imperial garden and another in the central area of the Inner Court.
[55]
A prevalent form of religion in the Qing Dynasty palace was
Tibetan Buddhism, or Lamaism. A number of temples and shrines were scattered throughout the Inner Court. Buddhist iconography also proliferated in the interior decorations of many buildings.
[56] Of these, the Pavilion of the Rain of Flowers is one of the most important. It housed a large number of Buddhist statues, icons, and
mandalas, placed in ritualistic arrangements.
[57]
Surroundings
Location of the Forbidden City in the old city of Beijing.
Beihai - the White Dagoba is in the distance.
The Forbidden City is surrounded on three sides by imperial gardens. To the north is Jingshan Park, also known as Coal Hill, an artificial hill created from the soil excavated to build the moat and from nearby lakes.
[58]
To the west lies
Zhongnanhai, a former garden centred on two connected lakes, which now serves as the central headquarters for the
Communist Party of China and the
State Council of the People's Republic of China. To the north-west lies
Beihai Park, also centred on a lake connected to the southern two, and a popular park.
To the south of the Forbidden City were two important shrines — the Imperial Shrine of Family () and the Imperial Shrine of State (), where the Emperor would venerate the spirits of his ancestors and the spirit of the nation, respectively. Today, these are the Beijing Labouring People's Cultural Hall
[59] and
Zhongshan Park (commemorating
Sun Yat-sen) respectively.
[60]
To the south, two nearly identical gatehouses stand along the main axis. They are the Upright Gate ()and the more famous
Tiananmen Gate, which is decorated with a portrait of
Mao Zedong in the centre and two placards to the left and right: "Long Live the People's Republic of China" and "Long live the Great Unity of the World's Peoples". The Tiananmen Gate connects the Forbidden City precinct with the modern, symbolic centre of the Chinese state, Tiananmen Square.
While development is now tightly controlled in the vicinity of the Forbidden City, throughout the past century uncontrolled and sometimes politically motivated demolition and reconstruction has changed the character of the areas surrounding the Forbidden City. Since 2000, the Beijing municipal government has worked to evict governmental and military institutions occupying some historical buildings, and has established a park around the remaining parts of the Imperial City wall. In 2004, an ordinance relating to building height and planning restriction was renewed to establish the Imperial City area and the northern city area as a buffer zone for the Forbidden City.
[61] In
2005, the Imperial City and
Beihai (as an extension item to the
Summer Palace) were included in the shortlist for the next
World Heritage Site in
Beijing.
[62]
Symbolism
The design of the Forbidden City, from its overall layout to the smallest detail, was meticulously planned to reflect
philosophical and
religious principles, and above all to symbolise the majesty of Imperial power. Some noted examples of symbolic designs include:
★
Yellow is the colour of the Emperor. Thus almost all roofs in the Forbidden City bear yellow glazed tiles. There are only two exceptions. The library at the Pavilion of Literary Profundity (文渊阁) had black tiles because black was associated with
water, and thus fire-prevention. Similarly, the Crown Prince's residences have green tiles because green was associated with
wood, and thus growth.
The ten statuettes on the roof ridge of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
★ The main halls of the Outer and Inner courts are all arranged in groups of three — the shape of the
Qian triagram, representing Heaven. The residences of the Inner Court on the other hand are arranged in groups of six — the shape of the
Kun triagram, representing the Earth.
[63]
★ The sloping ridges of building roofs are decorated with a line of statuettes. The number of statuettes represents the status of the building — a minor building might have 3 or 5. The Hall of Supreme Harmony has 10, the only building in the country to be permitted this in Imperial times. As a result, its 10th statuette (called a "''Hangshi''", or "ranked tenth" ),
is also unique in pre-modern buildings.
[64]
★ The layout of buildings follows ancient customs laid down in the ''
Classic of Rites''. Thus, ancestral temples are in front of the palace. Storage areas are placed in the front part of the palace complex, and residences in the back.
[65]
Collections
Main articles: Collections of the Palace Museum
The collections of the Palace Museum are based on the Qing imperial collection. According to the results of a 1925 audit,
[66] some 1.17 million items were stored in the Forbidden City. In addition, the imperial libraries housed one of the country's largest collections of ancient books and various documents, including government documents of the
Ming and
Qing dynasties.
From 1933, the threat of Japanese invasion forced the evacuation of the most important parts of the Museum's collection. After the end of World War II, this collection was returned to Nanjing. However, with the
Communists' victory imminent in the Chinese Civil War, the Nationalist government decided to ship the pick of this collection to
Taiwan. Of the 13,427 boxes of evacuated artefacts, 2,972 boxes are now housed in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Almost ten thousand boxes were returned to Beijing, but 2,221 boxes remain today in storage under the charge of the
Nanjing Museum.
After
1949, the Museum conducted a new audit as well as a thorough search of the Forbidden City, uncovering a number of important items. In addition, the government moved items from other museums around the country to replenish the Palace Museum's collection. It also purchased and received donations from the public.
[67]
;Ceramic
The Palace Museum holds 340,000 pieces of
ceramics and
porcelain. These include imperial collections from the
Tang Dynasty and the
Song Dynasty, as well as pieces commissioned by the Palace, and, sometimes, by the Emperor personally. The Palace Museum holds about 320,000 pieces of porcelain from the imperial collection. The rest are almost all held in the National Palace Museum in Taipei and the Nanjing Museum.
[68]
;Paintings
The Palace Museum holds close to 50,000 items of paintings. Of these, more than 400 date from before the
Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). This is the largest such collection in China.
[69] The collection is based on the palace collection in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The personal interest of Emperors such as Qianlong meant that almost all surviving paintings from the Yuan Dynasty and before were held by the palace. However, a significant portion of this collection was lost over the years. After his abdication, Puyi transferred paintings out of the palace, and many of these were subsequently lost or destroyed. In 1948, the pick of the remaining collection were moved to Taiwan. The collection has subsequently been replenished, through donations, purchases, and transfers from other museums.
;Bronzeware
A gilded bronze lion in front of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity.
The Palace Museum's
bronze collection dates from the early
Shang Dynasty (founded c. 1766 BC). Of the almost 10,000 pieces held, about 1600 are inscribed items from the pre-
Qin period (to 221 BC). A significant part of the collection is ceremonial bronzeware from the imperial court.
[70]
;Timepieces
The Palace Museum has one of the largest collections of mechanical timepieces of the 18th and 19th centuries in the world, with more than 1000 pieces. The collection contains both Chinese- and foreign-made pieces. Chinese pieces came from the palace's own workships,
Guangzhou (Canton) and
Suzhou (Suchow). Foreign pieces came from countries including
Britain,
France,
Switzerland, the
United States and
Japan. Of these, the largest portion come from Britain.
[71]
;Jade
Jade has a unique place in
Chinese culture.
[72] The Museum's collection, mostly derived from the imperial collection, includes some 30,000 pieces. The pre-Yuan Dynasty part of the collection includes several pieces famed throughout history, as well as artefacts from more recent archaeological discoveries. The earliest pieces date from the
Neolithic period. Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty pieces, on the other hand, include both items for palace use, as well as tribute items from around the Empire and beyond.
[73]
;Palace artefacts
In addition to works of art, a large proportion of the Museum's collection consists of the artefacts of the imperial court. This includes items used by the imperial family and the palace in daily life, as well as various ceremonial and bureaucratic items important to government administration. This comprehensive collection preserves the daily life and ceremonial protocols of the imperial era.
[74]
Influence
;Architecture
The Forbidden City, the culmination of the two-thousand-year development of classical Chinese and East Asian architecture, has been influential in the subsequent development of
Chinese architecture, as well as providing inspiration for many modern constructions. Some specific examples of its influences include:
★ Emperor
Gia Long of
Vietnam built a palace and fortress that was intended to be a smaller copy of the Chinese Forbidden City in the 1800s. Its ruins are in
Huế. In English it is called the "
Imperial City". The name of the inner palace complex in Vietnamese is translated literally as "Purple Forbidden City", which is the same as the Chinese name for the Forbidden City in Beijing.
★ The
5th Avenue Theatre in
Seattle, Washington was designed to incorporate elements of classical Chinese architecture and interior decoration. The ceiling of the auditorium features a dragon panel and chandelier reminiscent of the dragon
caisson and Xuanyuan mirror found in the Forbidden City.
[75]
;Depiction in art, film and literature
The Forbidden City has served as the scene to many works of fiction. In recent years, it has been depicted in films and television series. Some notable examples include:
★ ''
The Last Emperor'' (1987), a
biographical film about
Puyi, was the first feature film ever authorised by the government of the People's Republic of China to be filmed in the Forbidden City.
★ ''
Marco Polo'' a joint
NBC and
RAI TV miniseries broadcast in the early 1980s, was filmed inside the Forbidden City. Note, however, that the present Forbidden City did not exist in the
Yuan Dynasty, when
Marco Polo met
Kublai Khan.
★ ''
Kingdom Hearts 2'' used the Forbidden City as the site for a climactic battle within the "Land of the Dragons", inhabited by the character
Mulan.
[76]
;As performance venue
The Forbidden City has also served as a performance venue. However, its use for this purpose is strictly limited, due to the heavy impact of equipment and performance on the ancient structures. Almost all performances said to be "in the Forbidden City" are held outside the palace walls.
★
Giacomo Puccini's opera, ''
Turandot'', about the story of a Chinese princess, was performed at the Imperial Shrine just outside the Forbidden City for the first time in 1998.
[77]
★ In 2004, the French musician
Jean Michel Jarre performed a live concert in front of the Forbidden City, accompanied by 260 musicians, as part of the "Year of France in China" festivities.
[78]
★ In 2006, rock band
30 Seconds to Mars shot the
music video for their song "From Yesterday" in the Forbidden City and the "Emperor Qin palace". This was claimed to be the first American rock video ever shot in its entirety in the
People's Republic of China.
[79]
Notes
1. 故宫到底有多少间房：最多时两万 现时八千七百多 (How many rooms in the Forbidden City: more than 20,000 at one time, now more than 8700)
2. UNESCO World Heritage List: Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang
3. See, e.g., Perspective of urban land use in Beijing, , Guo-hui, Gan, GeoJournal,
4. p 18, Palaces of the Forbidden City, , Zhuoyun, Yu, Viking, 1984, ISBN 0-670-53721-7
5. "Gugong" in a generic sense also refers to all former palaces, another prominent example being the former Imperial Palaces (Mukden Palace) in Shenyang; see Gugong (disambiguation).
6. p 15, The Invisible Palace, , Xiagui, Yang, Foreign Language Press, 2003, ISBN 7-119-03432-4
7.
8. p 69, Yang (2003)
9. p 3734, 朝鲜李朝实录中的中国史料 (Chinese historical material in the Annals of the Joseon Yi Dynasty), , Han, Wu, Zhonghua Book Company, 1980, CN / D829.312
10. 甲申三百年祭 (Commemorating 300th anniversay of the Jia-Sheng Year) Muoruo Guo
11.
12. 故宫外朝宫殿为何无满文？ (Why is there no Manchu on the halls of the Outer Court?)
13. 坤宁宫 (Palace of Earthly Tranquility) Zhou Suqin
14. p 137, Yang (2003)
15. 正说清朝十二帝 (True Stories of the Twelve Qing Emperors), , Chongnian, Yan, Zhonghua Book Company, 2004, ISBN 710104445X
16. 故宫X档案: 开院门票 掏五毛钱可劲逛 (Forbidden City X-Files: Opening admission 50 cents)
17. See map of the evacuation routes at: National Palace Museum - Tradition & Continuity
18. National Palace Museum - Tradition & Continuity
19. 三大院长南京说文物 [Three museum directors talk artefacts in Nanjing]
20. Several horrifying reconstruction proposals had been made for the Forbidden City Jie Chen
21. “文化大革命”中谁保护了故宫 (Who protected the Forbidden City in the Cultural Revolution?) Yinming Xie
22. The Forbidden City was listed as the "Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties". In 2004, Mukden Palace in Shenyang was added as an extension item to the property, which then became known as "Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang": UNESCO World Heritage List: Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang
23. Forbidden City resotration project website Palace Museum
24. 闾丘露薇：星巴克怎么进的故宫？Luqiu Luwei: How did Starbucks get into the Forbidden City ; see also the original blog post here (in Chinese).
25. Starbucks Store Locator -- Store detail Starbucks Corporation
26. Starbucks closes Forbidden City store
27. Starbucks brews storm in China's Forbidden City
28. Two stores inside Forbidden City refuse entry to Chinese nationals
29. 故宫到底有多少间房：最多时两万 现时八千七百多 [How many rooms in the Forbidden City: more than 20,000 at one time, now more than 8700]
30. 北京确立城市发展脉络 重塑7.8公里中轴线 [Beijing to establish civic development network; Recreating 7.8km central axis]
31.
32. p 25, Yang (2003)
33. p 32, Yu (1984)
34. p 33, Yu (1984)
35. Technically, Tiananmen Gate is not part of the Forbidden City; it is a gate of the Imperial City.
36. p 25, Yu (1984)
37. p 49, Yu (1984)
38. p 48, Yu (1984)
39. Yin, Yang and the Five Elements in the Forbidden City The Palace Museum
40. p 253, Yu (1984)
41. 太和殿 (Hall of Supreme Harmony) The Palace Museum
42. 中和殿 (Hall of Central Harmony) The Palace Museum
43. 保和殿 (Hall of Preserving Harmony) The Palace Museum
44. p 70, Yu (1984)
45. For an explanation and illustration of the joint, see p 213, Yu (1984)
46. p 49, Yu (1984)
47. p 73, Yu (1984)
48. p 75, Yu (1984)
49. p 78, Yu (1984)
50. p 51, Yang (2003)
51. pp 80-83, Yu (1984)
52. p 121, Yu (1984)
53. p 87, Yu (1984)
54. p 115, Yu (1984)
55. p 176, Yu (1984)
56. p 177, Yu (1984)
57. pp 189-193, Yu (1984)
58. p 20, Yu (1984)
59. Working People's Cultural Palace
60. Zhongshan Park
61. Forbidden City Buffer Zone Plan submitted to World Heritage conference
62. Beijing confirms 7 World Heritage alternate items; Large scale reconstruction of Imperial City halted Yang Li
63.
64. Hall of Supreme Harmony The Palace Museum
65. Rites and the palace planning scheme The Palace Museum
66.
故宫物品点查报告 [Palace items auditing report], , Lianxi (ed.), Wen, Caretaker Committee of the Qing Dynasty Imperial Family. Reprint (2004): Xianzhuang Book Company, 1925, ISBN 7-80106-238-8
67. 北京故宫与台北故宫 谁的文物藏品多？[Beijing Palace Museum and Taipei Palace Museum: which collection is bigger?]
68. Collection highlights - Ceramics The Palace Museum
69. Collection highlights - Paintings The Palace Museum
70. Collection highlights - Bronzeware The Palace Museum
71. Collection highlights - Timepieces The Palace Museum
72. Jade: A Study in Chinese Archeology & Religion, , Berthold, Laufer, Reprint (1989): Peter Smith Pub Inc, 1912, ISBN 978-0844652146
73. Collection highlights - Jade The Palace Museum
74. Collection highlights - Palace artefacts The Palace Museum
75. Our Historic Theater - 5th Avenue Theater The 5th Avenue Theater
76. Square Enix 2005: Kingdom Hearts II Playtest
77. Turandot at the Forbidden City, Beijing 1998 ; note some inconsistency in the description of the venue on the official site: it claims that the venue, the People's Cultural Palace, was the "Hall of Heavenly Purity". In fact, the Working People's Cultural Palace was the Temple to the Emperor's Ancestors: China.org: Working People's Cultural Palace.
78. Jean Michel Jarre lights up China
79. 30 Seconds To Mars Visits China For New Video Cohen Jonathan
References
★
From Emperor to citizen : the autobiography of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi, , Puyi, Aisin-Gioro, Foreign Language Press, 1964, ISBN 0-192-82099-0
★
Splendors of China's Forbidden City, , , Ho, Merrell Publishers, 2004, ISBN 1-85894-258-6
★
1587, A Year of No Significance: The Ming Dynasty in Decline, , Ray, Huang, Yale University Press, 1981, ISBN 0-300-02518-1
★
The Invisible Palace, , Xiagui, Yang, Foreign Language Press, 2003, ISBN 7-119-03432-4
★
Palaces of the Forbidden City, , Zhuoyun, Yu, Viking, 1984, ISBN 0-670-53721-7
See also
★
Chinese art
★
Chinese Palaces
★
National Palace Museum
External links
★
Palace Museum official site
★
National Palace Museum (Taipei) official site
★
World heritage virtual tour via immersive panoramas
★
Satellite photograph of the Forbidden City
★
Forbidden City, A Photographic Tour
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