ForbiddenCity

Cloris Shi

Scroll to the bottom for a video of the Forbidden City images.

The Tiananmen Rostrum, 天安门城楼，welcomes us on our first location on our trip into Chinas history. A historic site marking a new page in Chinas inspiring story, symbolizes the formation of the Peoples Republic of China, holding the portrait of Chinas courageous founder, Mao Zedong, since October 1, 1949, who have encountered endless obstacles through a long treacherous journey of 10 years to develop the country we know and love today. Not merely the most pictured architecture in the country, this rostrum plays as the national symbol of China, located in Tiananmen Square in the heart of Chinas capital.

In the distance from the entrance, one could observe two pairs of ornamental marble columns ( 华表) embellished with depiction of dragons and phoenixes guarding the front of the rostrum.

The Gate of Divine Might, the northern gate entering the palace, welcomes us to our journey through Ancient Chinas history. Opening up to the Forbidden City, 故宫, a palace complex in central Beijing, China, the gate exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture that would continue to awe visitors throughout the Palace Museum. Housing the emperors and their households from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty, (1420 to 1912), the city now houses the Palace Museum. Recently, the palace now serves as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government for almost 500 years.

Chinese imperial roof decorations or roof charms or roof-figures were statuettes placed along the ridge line of official buildings of the Chinese empire. Only official buildings (palaces, government buildings, and some temples) were permitted to use such roof decorations. At the head of the procession will be a man riding a Phoenix, one legend suggests that this represents a minion of the emperor who grew greedy for power and was hanged from the roof gable for treason. Another version of this figurine is an immortal riding a fenghuang-bird or qilin. The mythical beasts are set to pounce upon the man and devour him should he stray from performing his duties with faithfulness and rectitude.

The Nine Dragon Wall or Nine Dragon Screen, 九龙壁, is a type of screen wall typically found in imperial Chinese palaces and gardens with reliefs of nine different Chinese dragons. In the Forbidden City, Tge entrance to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity is marked by a glazed-tile Nine Dragons Screen.This section of the Forbidden City is being restored in a partnership between the Palace Museum and the World Monuments Fund, a long-term project expected to finish in 2017.

The Imperial Garden , 御花园，is located outside of the Gate of Terrestrial Tranquility. Constructed during the Ming dynasty in 1417, it is rectangular in shape and covers approximately 12,000 square meters. This was a private retreat for the imperial family and is the most typical of the Chinese imperial garden design. There are some twenty structures, each of a different style, and the ways in which they harmonise with the trees, rockeries, flower beds and sculptural objects such as the bronze incense burners both delight and astonish visitors. It is a worthy tribute to the art of the designers that so much can be achieved in so small a space.

Jingshan Park is an imperial park covering 23 hectares (57 acres) immediately north of the Forbidden City in the Imperial City area of Beijing, China. Jingshan Park is now a popular place for people to gather and socialize. Granting visitors a picturesque birds-eye, panorama view of the forbidden city below, Jingshan Park can also be found with elderly folks dancing, singing opera and doing other cultural activities, such as kuaiban.