M: Good morning everyone. Can you all hear me? Good. Well, in front of us now we have one of the most famous places in China - The Forbidden City. This was the palace of the Chinese emperors from the fifteenth century to the end of the twentieth century. It was also the ceremonial and political center of government. The Forbidden City consists of 980 buildings. It's listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of wooden structures in the world. And in 1987 it was declared a World Heritage Site, because of its cultural and architectural significance. During the early twentieth century it did suffer some damage, but now there's a sixteen-year restoration project to repair and restore all buildings to their pre-1912 state. Before we go inside the complex, I'll just mention the role of symbolism in the architecture of the buildings. Everything, from the overall layout to the smallest detail, was designed to reflect philosophical principles, and the power of the Chinese emperors. Color had an important significance. For example, yellow is the color of the Emperor. So almost all the roofs in the Forbidden City have yellow tiles.
There are only two exceptions: the main library has black tiles, because black was associated with water, and therefore fire-prevention. And the Crown Prince's houses have green tiles, because green was associated with wood, and therefore growth.
Number and shape were important too. For example, the main halls are all arranged in groups of three, in a shape representing Heaven, and the houses are arranged in groups of six, in a shape representing the Earth. Well, now, if you'll take out your plan of the Forbidden City I'll mention a few of the landmarks before we go in. After walking through the entrance on the south side of the city you'll see the Gate of Supreme Harmony directly in front of you. This is a large gate with two smaller gates on each side of it. It leads to the inner courtyard containing the Hall of Supreme Harmony. This building is in the center of the city, in line with the two entrances to the north and south. The courtyard that it stands in contains three halls, and it's the biggest of these. In fact it's the largest hall in the Forbidden City, and is the place where grand ceremonies were held.
Towards the northern end of the Forbidden City is the Hall of Heavenly Purity, the emperors' official place of residence, and where they dealt with everyday government affairs. Between this building and the north entrance to the city is the Imperial Garden, where members of the royal family could relax. The garden contains rare flowers and trees, as well as Chinese pavilions. Another palace worth seeing is the Hall of Mental Cultivation. This is next to the Hall of Heavenly Purity, to the south west. Originally it was built as a minor palace, but from the beginning of the eighteenth century it became the unofficial residence of the emperors.
The famous Nine Dragons Screen — a beautiful wall with dragon carvings lies to the east of the Hall of Heavenly Purity, at the entrance to the building next to the perimeter wall. It's the largest and also the oldest glazed wall in China, and it's very well preserved. In more recent years the Emperors had their own printing house in the Forbidden City, in the building known as the Hall of Military Skill. If you look at the southern section of the Forbidden City there are two buildings almost opposite each other, one to the west of the central courtyard and one to the east. This building is the one to the west. Unless you have any questions, we'll go in now, and I'll meet you. |
