Forbidden City Free Essays

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, and now houses the Palace Museum. It was built from 1406 to 1420 by the third Ming emperor Yongle, who upon usurping the throne, determined to move his capital north from Nanjing to Beijing. We will write a custom essay sample on Forbidden City or any similar topic only for you Order Now In 1911 the Qing dynasty fell to the republican revolutionaries. The last emperor, Puyi , continued to live in the palace after his abdication until he was expelled in 1924.Twenty-four emperors lived and ruled from this palace during this 500-year span. â€Å"The Forbidden City† is a translation of the Chinese name Zijin Cheng. The name â€Å"Zijin Cheng† is a name with significance on many levels. Zi? , 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 Forbidden City, as the residence of the terrestrial emperor, was its earthly counterpart. Jin? , referred to the fact that no-one could enter or leave the palace without the emperor’s permission. [1] LayoutThe Forbidden City is surrounded by 10-metre high walls and a 52-metre wide moat. Measuring 961 meters from north to south and 753 meters from east to west, it covers an area of 720,000 square meters. Each of the four sides is pierced by a gate, the Meridian Gate on the south and the Gate of Spiritual Valor on the north. Once inside, visitors will see a succession of halls and palaces spreading out on either side of an invisible central axis. It is a magnificent sight, the buildings’ glowing yellow roofs against vermilion walls, not to mention their painted ridges and carved beams, all contributing to the sumptuous effect.The southern portion of the Forbidden City centers on the halls of Supreme Harmony, Central Harmony, and Preserving Harmony. These are flanked by the halls of Literary Glory and Military Eminence. It was here that the emperor held court and conducted his grand audiences. In total, the buildings of the two courts account for an area of some 163,000 square meters. These were laid out precisely in accordance with a code of architectural hierarchy, which designated specific features to reflect the paramount authority and status of the emperor.No ordinary mortal would have been allowed or even dared to come within close proximity of these buildings. [2] The Last Owner – Puyi After the republican revolution, this Palace as a whole would have been sequestered by the Nationalist government were it not for the â€Å"Articles of Favorable Treatment of the Qing House† which allowed Puyi to live on in the Inner Court after his abdication. Meanwhile, all of the imperial treasures from palaces in Rehe (today’s Chengde ) and Mukden (today’s Shenyang ) were moved to the Forbidden City for public display in History Museum established at the Outer Court in 1914.3] In 1924, during a coup launched by the warlord Feng Yuxiang , Puyi was expelled from the Forbidden City and the management of the palace fell to the charge of a committ ee set up to deal with the concerns of the deposed imperial family. The committee began a sorting and counting of the imperial treasures. A year of intense preparations later, its members arranged a grand ceremony on 10 October 1925 in front of the Palace of Heavenly Purity to mark the inception of the Palace Museum. My Impression Although I already travel the Forbidden City for twice time, I have not deeply understand about its history background.According this project, I get more details about the Forbidden City. It not only a grand construction, but also treasury of ancient china history. In the traveler view, it just a famous travel point. However, in Chinese mind ,the forbidden city represent the grandeur history about China. In modern century, we even can travel this place in the internet. According this technology, it is not difficult to travel Beijing forbidden city even you are in the other side of the world. How to cite Forbidden City, Papers