“OutlineIntroduction
HistoryDescriptionWalls and Gates
Outer Court
Inner courtConclusion
ReferencesThe Forbidden City
Introduction
The Forbidden City was historically used as the official residence of all the Chinese dynasty emperors dating back from the Ming dynasty all the way to the Qing empire. The Forbidden City is situated right at the heart of Beijing city in China. Currently the city plays host to one of the biggest museums in the world famously referred to as palace museum. It is estimated that for the five centuries the Forbidden City was historically used as the prime residence of the ancient rulers of prehistoric china. In addition all the members of the Emperors household including cooks guards and family members resided in the city. It is also used as the official ceremonial and political venue for the Chinese government. The expansive building was built from 1406 and was finally completed in in 1420. The enormous complex comprises of about 980 surviving buildings including 8707 compartments and occupies an estimated 720000 square meters. The Forbidden City was pronounced as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1987 and is currently listed as the biggest collection of preserved ancient architecture built using wooden structures in the entire world. The Forbidden City was placed under the management of the palace museum since 1924. It hosts an extensive collection of artifacts and artwork created from the imperial compendiums of the Qing and Ming dynasties. Some of the museums original collection is now found at the historic National Palace Museum situated in Taipei. Although both museums originate from the same institution they were separated during the civil war that engulfed china (MobileReference 2010).
History
The Forbidden City as it is commonly referred to or known is a translation from the Chinese language of the phrase Zijin Cheng that literally means a purple forbidden city. It is also referred to as the forbidden palace. The phrase Zijin Cheng is filled with a lot of significance on various levels. The term Zi or purple relates to a common star famously referred to as the Northern Star traditionally referred to in ancient China as the Ziwei star. In ancient Chinese astrology it was regarded as the domicile of the cosmic Emperor. The neighboring celestial enclosure known as the Ziwei enclosure was the domain of the cosmic emperor and his household. The Forbidden City symbolizes the domain of the terrestrial emperor which is the earthly counterpart of the celestial emperor. In recent times the site has been referred to as the jargon which translates to the former palace in Chinese. The museum which is housed in these structures is notably referred to as the palace museum (MobileReference 2010).
The site upon which the Forbidden City is built was once a section of the royal city during the reign of the Mongol Yuan dynasty. When the Ming dynasty was established the Hongwu emperor shifted the capital city from the north Beijing to the south Nanjing. The Hongwu emperor also instructed the demolition of the palaces belonging to the Mongol in order to pave the way for the new palace. When the crowned prince Zhu DI took over as emperor he transferred the capital city to Beijing and began the construction of the new palace City in 1406. Construction of the Forbidden City took about 15 years and is estimated to have been built by about a million laborers. The materials used in the construction included whole logs from the prestigious Phoebe zhennan tree located in the dense jungles of southwestern China. The materials also included huge blocks of marble from the big quarries neighboring Beijing. The floors of the main compartments were surfaced with golden bricks which were specially baked surfacing bricks from Suzhou (Leffman Lewis & Atiyah 2003).
The Forbidden City served as the throne of the Ming dynasty from 1420 to 1644 after which it was finally captured by the militia forces under the leadership of Li Zicheng in April 1644. Li Zicheng later went on to pronounce himself as the king of the Shun empire. This was short lived as he soon ran away before the allied forces of the former Ming commander Wu Sangui and allied Manchu armies took charge. Li Zicheng fled and set some portions of the Forbidden palace on fire as he escaped. By late October the Manchus had already conquered most of northern China. A celebration was held within the Forbidden City to inaugurate the young Shunzhi as the emperor and leader of the Chinese people under the Qing empire. The Qing leaders changed the names of the major buildings. In order to accentuate harmony rather than supremacy the nameplates were changed to bilingual. In this case they were written in Chinese and Manchu and instituted shamanist rudiments to the palace (Barme 2008).
In 1912 the last known emperor of China Puyi was renounced. However following an agreement that was made with the newly established peoples republic of China Puyi continued to reside in the inner court as the outer court was handed over for public use. However he was finally dispossessed after a revolution in 1924. It is at this point that the palace museum was finally inaugurated in the historic palace. In 1933 during the Japanese incursion into China it necessitated the evacuation of all the artifact collections from the Forbidden City. A section of the collection found its way back after the end of the Second World War. Nonetheless other artifacts were transferred to Taiwan in 1947 under the instructions of Chiang Kai-sheik who was the leader of the Kuomintang forces on the verge of conceding defeat in the war of China. This was a comparatively small but immense collection of remarkable quality currently forms the foundation of the prestigious museums exhibition in Taipei (MobileReference 2010).
After the formation of the new Chinese state considerable damage was remitted upon the prehistoric palace buildings as the nation was overwhelmed by a revolutionary vehemence. Throughout the Cultural Revolution the premier Zhou Enlai assigned an army battalion to safeguard the Forbidden City which ensured that no further destruction would fall upon the prehistoric structure. Ultimately the legendary palace City was elevated by UNESCO in 1987 to be a world heritage site. This was due to its important status in the development of the ancient Chinese culture and architecture. It is currently under the administration of the historic museum that is engaged in a restoration program to reinstate the buildings of the palace to their original state. Religion was a significant part of life in the prehistoric palace. During the reign of the Qing empire the hall of earthly harmony was a worship venue for the Manchu shamanist ceremonies. The dominant form of religion during the Qing dynasty was Lamaism or Tibetan Buddhism. Several temples and shrines were distributed throughout the inner court (Leffman Lewis & Atiyah 2003).
Elements of the building
The Forbidden City can be described as the worlds biggest existing palace multiplex. It occupies an area of about 72ha. It has 980 existing buildings with 8707 halls or bays. It is rectangular in shape with the longest side running from north and extending to the south and the width running from east to west. Its dimensions are 961 meters by 753 meters. The Forbidden City was constructed as the pivot or the core of the ancient stone walled capital of Beijing. It is surrounded by a bigger walled area known as the imperial city which is in turn encircled by the inner city and towards the south is a city referred to as outer city. The palace City is still significant in the civic structure of Beijing. The principal north-south axis is still used as the core alignment of Beijing. This alignment stretches towards the south via the Tiananmen entrance to Tiananmen Square which is the official ceremonial venue used by the state of China. Towards the north it stretches via the Bell and through the Drum towers through to Yongdingmen. Surprisingly the axis are not precisely lining up with north-south however is rather skewed slightly by two degrees. Researchers and scholars argue that the axis was structured during the reign of the Yuan empire to be affiliated with Xanadu which was the other city of the empire (Holdsworth Courtauld & Hu 2008).
Holdsworth Courtauld & Hu (2008).Bottom of Form
Architectural Art
China is known for its unique architectural artwork. In particular the Forbidden City was designed in a symmetrical design. Various aspects of the city indicate the ancient Chinese architecture. This includes the paintings furnishings roofing and interior dcor among other aspects of the design. Creativity and flexibility were also observed in the architectural work of the city. Apart from the architectural designs there was the use of architectural colours that depict the Chinese traditions (Seeraa International from China n.d).
Various colours have been used on the Forbidden City including blue sky yellow red purple among others. This can be noted on the Tiananmen and Wumen gates as well as inside the Palaces. Other areas of the city have been done in a creative and flexible manner that reflected the function of the building and the environment. The roof of Wenyuange was done using black tiles that had a green rim. Other aspects such as the windows and columns were painted green. In general it can be observed that the colour was critical in the Forbidden City as used in the layout and the various sections of the city buildings (Seeraa International from China n.d).
The colours used in the architectural design of the city were changed based on the function. It can be noted that constructions that were on the axes were very critical. In this regard the palaces beams were painted using colourised paintings. In addition the red window and gate were painted using golden colours. This was meant to depict the splendour and moderation of the atmosphere. On the other hand the window and door remained with the natural features of wood. On the inside the walls were painted white and sometimes pasted with white paper. Some rooms were furnished using rosewood features. This provided the sensation of harmony and tranquillity (Seeraa International from China n.d).
Source: Barme (2008).
Outer Court
The Forbidden City is essentially divided into two traditional sections. The front court is commonly referred to as the outer court. This predominantly included the southern parts and was mainly used for ceremonial functions. The back palace is commonly referred to as the inner court which comprises sections of the north was primarily used as the principal residence of the king and his household. The inner court was also used to carry out everyday business of the state. In general the Forbidden City is encompassed by three vertical axes. The principal buildings are located on the pivotal north-south alignment. As one goes through the meridian gate it leads to a large square speared by the snaking inner golden water river which is traversed by five bridges. Situated beyond the square is the gate of supreme harmony. Through this gate one encounters the hall of supreme harmony piazza. A three-tiered patio with white marbles emerges from this piazza. Three halls are situated at the top of this patio which is the nucleus of the palace multiplex. These halls stem from the south and are named the hall of supreme harmony the hall of preserving harmony and the hall of central harmony (Leffman Lewis & Atiyah 2003).
Source: Moffett Fazio and Wodehouse (2003).
The hall of supreme harmony is the biggest and is about 30 meters higher than the level of the neighboring square. It was used as the ceremonial core of imperial power and is probably the largest existing wooden building in China. It is approximately nine alcoves wide and five alcoves deep. The figures nine and five are allegorically connected to the magnificence of the Emperor. Positioned in the ceiling in the Middle of the gallery is an elaborate caisson beautified with a twisted dragon. From the middle of the hall there is a chandelier like array of metal balls referred to as Xuanyuan Mirror. During the Ming dynasty the hall was utilized by the king to deliberate state business. During the reign of the Qing empire the emperors did not hold court frequently. Therefore the hall of supreme harmony was predominantly used for ceremonial functions such as imperial weddings investitures and coronations (Moffett Fazio & Wodehouse 2003).
The hall of central harmony is small and square in shape. It was predominantly used by the king for resting and preparing before or during official ceremonies. The hall behind it commonly known as the hall of preserving harmony was mainly used as a place for rehearsing official ceremonies. It was also the venue of the final phase of the royal examinations. All the three halls are characterized by imperial thrones but the largest and the most sumptuous is found in the hall of supreme harmony. At the middle of the ramps heading up to the patios heading to the north and southern edges are ceremonial ramps. They form a section of the imperial way exhibiting elaborate and allegoric bas-relief statues. The northern hump on the back of the hall of preserving harmony is sculptured from a single block of stone which is 16.57 meters long 1.7 meters thick and 3.07 meters wide. The stone block weighs approximately 200 tonnes and is probably the largest carving of its kind in China (Holdsworth Courtauld & Hu 2008).
The southern ramp found at the front of the hall of supreme harmony is even more extensive but is carved from two blocks of stone. The joint is creatively concealed by use of corresponding bas-relief statues and only became visible after weathering exposed the fissure during the 20th century. Towards the Southwest and Southeast of the front court are the galleries of military eminence and literary glory. The former was mostly used on various occasions by the emperor to receive guests and ministers. It also housed the printing house of the palace. The latter was mostly used as a venue for holding ceremonial lectures by highly decorated Confucian intellectuals and subsequently used as a department of the grand secretariat. Located to the northeast is the three places that served as the official residence to the crowned prince (Barme 2008).
Inner Court
The inner court is estranged from the outer court by quadrilateral courtyard slouching orthogonal to the palaces principle axis. It was used as the household of the king and his family. During the Qing empire the emperor predominantly lived and discharged his duties from the inner court exclusively as the outer court was predominantly used for ceremonial functions. In the middle of the inner court there are three halls. These include the palace of earthly tranquillity the hall of the union and the gallery of heavenly purity. These halls are smaller when compared to the outer court halls. The emperor who symbolized Yang and the heavens resided in the gallery of heavenly purity whereas the empress who symbolized Yin resided in the hall of earthly tranquillity. The hall of the union was located between the two halls where the king and the queen merged to produce harmony (Moffett Fazio & Wodehouse 2003).
The gallery of heavenly purity which was the emperors residence is a double attired building that is structured on a single-layer white marble podium. It is linked to the postern of heavenly purity towards the south via an elevated walkway. During the Ming dynasty it served as the Emperors residence. However starting with the Yongzheng king of the Qing empire the kings residence changed to the smaller hall of mental cultivation situated to the west as a tribute to the Kangxi Emperor. Subsequently the gallery of heavenly purity was used as an audience hall by the emperor. A caisson is cast on the roof showcasing a coiled dragon. Over the imperial throne dangles a tablet with justice and honor written on it (Barme 2008).
The palace of earthly tranquillity has a double attired roof. It is 9 alcoves wide and 3 alcoves deep. During the Ming empire it was used as the prime abode of the empress. During the reign of the Qing dynasty large sections of the palace were transformed into shamanist worship venues by the new Manchu leaders. Since the rule of Yongzheng Emperor the abode of the queen was removed from the palace. However two halls in the gallery of earthly harmony were reserved for the emperor during his wedding night. There exists the hall of union between the two palaces which has a square structure with a pyramidal roof. Preserved in this hall is the 25 imperial seals used by the Qing empire together with other related ceremonial artifacts. The imperial garden is located behind the three halls. It is considerably small and dense in design. However the garden includes various elaborate landscaping structures. The gate of the divine is located to the northern side of the square (MobileReference 2010).
Conclusion
The Forbidden City which is a consummation of the progression of Chinese ancient architecture for the last 2000 years has been instrumental in the subsequent progression of Chinese architecture. It has also provided the motivation for numerous modern constructions. Its wide array of interior decoration paves way for advanced innovation in the decoration of buildings in this modern era.
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