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Beijing Sightseeing: The Imperial Palace (Forbidden City) | |||||
| The Imperial Palace was designed to shock and awe whoever was in the presence of the emperor. If you were the emissary of one of the kingdoms in China's periphery, how could you doubt that you were in the presence of the Son of Heaven after seeing the majesty and grandeur of the palace? Might as well go home and start collecting gifts for the imperial tribute. The palace complex was a city within a city. During the day it was used for official business. It was called the Forbidden City because at night, it was a special place where the only "complete" adult male was the emperor. All other residents were female or eunuchs. | |||||
| We entered the Forbidden City via its southern entrace, the Meridian Gate, and walked through the Gate of Supreme Harmony. These gates would be considered major buildings in their own right in any other location but here they were merely "gates". The main buildings is situated along the same north-south axis that intersect the Meridian Gate. These buildings were designed for holding imperial audiences. In addition to admiring the architecture and the imperial throne located in each, we should give kudos to the the imperial marketing department for names like Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Protective Harmony, Palace of Celestial Purity, Hall of Earthly Peace, etc. | ||||
There were these large bronze bowls located throughout the complex. Their presence wasn't purely decorative, however. Since the buildings were constructed of wood, they were susceptible to fire, which occurred with some regularity. The bowls were actually kept full of water in imperial times, ready to fight any fire. Originally, the bowls had an outer gold layer. Unfortunately, the British and other Western powers, thanks to their superior weaponry were immune to imperial shock and awe. When the British sacked Beijing in response to the Boxer rebellion, they also occupied the Forbidden City. Their soldiers scraped the gold off the bowls as a souvenir. |
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We also took a look at a few rooms in the living quarters. The big surprise here was that unlike the splendors of the public areas, the living quarters were downright simple and small. There were no gilded rooms like the ones we are accustomed to seen in European palaces. In keeping with their Buddhist beliefs, the Qing emperors tried to keep simple lifes behind the magnificence of their official roles. Well, kind of. Some emperors slept in different rooms every night to ward off potential assassins. |
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| We exited though the north gate called the Gate of Divine Prowess. Outside the gate we could see the wide palace moat that encircles the Forbidden City. The moat was actually connected to a canal that connected the Forbidden City with the Summer Palace located north of Beijing. |
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