英文介绍北京故宫

FORBIDDEN CITY 紫禁城)(In front of the meridia n gate)Ladies and Gen tleme n:I am p leased to serve as your guide today.This is the p alace museum; also know as the Purple Forbidde nCity. It is the largest and most well reserved imp erial reside nee in China today. Un der Ming Emp eror Yon gle, con strueti on bega n in 1406. It took 14years to build theForbidden City. The first ruler whoactually lived here was MingEmp eror Zhudi. For five cen turies thereafter, it continued to be the reside nee of23 successive emp erors un til 1911 whe n QingEmp eror Puyi was forced to abdicate the thr one. In 1987, theUn ited Nati ons Educati on al, Scie ntific and CulturalOrganization recognized the Forbidden City was a world cultural legacy.It is believed that the Palace Museum,or Zi Jin Cheng (PurpleForbidde n City), got its n ame from astr onomy folklore, Theancient astronomers divided the constellations into groups and cen tered them around the Ziwei Yuan (North Star) . The con stellati on containing the North Star was called theCon stellati on of Heave niy God and star itself was called the purple p alace. Because the emp eror was supp osedly the son of the heave nIy gods, his cen tral and dominant p ositi on would be further highlighted the use of the word purple in the n ame of his reside nee.In folklore, the term “ an eastern p urple cloudis drifting ” became a metaphor for auspicious events after apurple cloud was seen drifting eastward immediately before the arrival of an an cie nt p hilos op her, LaoZi, to the Han ghu Pass.Here, purple is associated with aus picious devel opmen ts. Theword jin (forbidde n) is self-ex plan atory as the imp erial p alacewas heavily guarded and off-ex plan atory as the imp erial p alace was heavily guarded and off-limits to ordinary people.The red and yellow used on the p alace walls and roofs are also symbolic. Red rep rese nts happin ess, good fortune and wealth.Yellow is the color of the earth on the Loess P lateau, theorigi nal homeof the Chin ese peop le. Yellow becamea n imp erial color duri ng the Tang dyn asty, whe n only members of the royal family were allowed to wear it and use it intheir architecture.The Forbidde n City is recta ngular in sha pe. It is 960 meters long from north to south and 750 meter wide from east west. It has 9,900 rooms under a total roof area 150,000 square meters.A 52-meter-wide-moat en circles a 9. 9-meter encloses the—high wall which compiex. Octagon —shaped turrets rest on the four cornersof the wall. There are four entran ces into the city: the Meridia n Gate to the south, the Shenwu Gate (Gate ofMilitary Prowess) to the north, and the Xihua Gate (Gate of military Prowess) to the north, and the Xihua Gate (WesternFlowery Gate ) to the west, the Donghua(Eastern Flowery Gate) to the east.Manpo wer and materials throughout the country were used to build the Forbidden City. A total of 230,000 artisa ns and one millio n laborers were empio yed. Marble was quarried from fangshan Country Mount Pan in Jixian County in Hebei Province.Granite was quarried in QuyangCounty in Hebei Provinee. Paving blocks were fired in kilns in Suzhou in southern China. Bricks and scarlet pi gme ntati on used on the p alatial walls came from linqing in Shandong P rovi nee. Timber was cut, p rocessed and hauled from the n orthwester n and souther n regi ons.The Palace Museumhas served as the royal reside nee duri ng theMing and Qing dynasties. It was here that a total of 24 monarchs asce nded the thro ne and wielded po wer for some 500 years. ThePalace Museum, as the most beautiful spot of in terest throughout Beiji ng, is unique for its locati on: to the no rthwest is Beihai(North Sea) P ark, famous for its whitepagoda and rippling lake; to the west is the Zhongnahai (central and south sea); to the east lies the the Wangfujing ShoppingStreet; and to the n orth id Jin sha n Park. Sta nding in theWanchun (Everlasti ng Spring) P avilio n at the top ofJin gsha n( Charcoal Hill) P ark, you overlook the skyli ne of the palace Museum.At the southern end of the palace is Tian' anmen (Gate of Heaveniy Peace) and the famous square namedafter it .This is the symbol of the People' s Rep ublic of China.A world-famous historical site, the P alace Museum is on theWorld Heritage List of UNESCOnd is an embodiment of oriental civilizatio n.The Palace Museunis rectangular in shape, 960 meters long from north to south and 750meters wide from east to west, covering a sp ace of 720,000 square meters of which 150,000 is build ing area . It has 9000-str ong rooms in it . Accord ing to lege nd there are 9999.5 room-un its in all .The whole compound is en closed by a 10-meter-hign wall and is accessed through four entrances, n amely, the meridia n Gate in the south ,the Gate of MilitaryProwess in the no rth, Don ghua(Eastern Flowery ) Gate in the no rth, Don ghua ( Easter n Flowery) Gate in the east andXihua(Westem Flowery ) Gate in the west. On each corner thereis a turret consisted of 9 roof beams, 18 pillars and 72 ridge .En circli ng the compound there is a 3,800-meter- long and 52 meter-wide moat, maki ng the P alace Museum a self-defe nsive city-withi n-a city.The Palace Museum was made a cen ter of rule duri ng the MingDyn asty by Zhun Di, The fourth son of the founding emp erorZhuyua nzha ng. The whole comp lex straddles on an 8-kilometers-l ong cen tral axis that stretches from Yon gdi ng (Forever Stable) Gate in the south to Gulou (Drum Tower) in the no rth. Prominence was give n to the royal po wer by pu tt ing the "three mai n front halls" and "three back halls "on the axis while arrange other subsidiary structure around them .The con structi on of the P alace Museum invo Ived manpo wer and resources across Chi na. For exa mple, the bricks laid in the halls ,known as "gold brick, " un derwe nt compi ex, two -doze n processes. As the final touch ,the fired bricks were dipped inChinese woodoil. Involving complicated processes and high cost, these brick are called "golde n bricks." The P alace Museum serves as a liv ing embodime nt of good traditi on and styles unique to China' s ancient architecture. It reflects to the full the ingenuity and creativity of the Chin ese worki ng peop le. Acarefully preserved and complete group of royal residences, theP alace Museum is a prominent historical and tourist site.What we are now approaching is the main entrance to the PalaceMuseum-the Meridian Gate, which is characterized by red walls, yellow glazed -tile roofs and up turned eaves. On top of this walls, yellow glazed-tile roofs and upturned eaves. On top of this magni fice nt buildi ng ,there sta nd five lofty halls with a mai n hall in the cen ter. The mai n hall is roofed by multi pie eaves and covers a sp ace of 9 room-un its. It is flanked by two wings on each side .The wings are square in shape ,complete with mult iple and four edged eaves and pinn acles. All of these structures are conn ected by a colonn ade. Because these halls resemble a soari ng bird, it was also know as wufe nglou (Five -p hoe nix Tower) . In side the main hall there is a throne.Drums and bells were stored in the wings. Wheneverthe emperor p resided over grand cere monies or observed rites in the Hall of Up reme Harmony, drums, bells and gongs would be struck to mark the occasi on.As the lege nd goes, the Meridia n Gate used to be a p lace where condemned rankingofficials would be executed. This not true.However, flogging was carried out here by the Ming emperors ,Ifa courtier falls afoulof the emperor, he would be stripped of his court dress and flogging with a stick .At one point thepunishment becameso harsh that a total of 11 people died from fatal wound on a si ngle occasi on .On the other hand, thisbuilding was also used to observe important occasions like the traditi onal Chin ese Lantern Festival (15th day of the first lunar mon th). On these occasi ons, Chin ese lanterns would be han ged and sump tuous banq uets would be give n in honour of the whole court of min isters and other ranking officials.Upon entering the Meridian Gate we began our tour of the PalaceMuseum. The river foow ing in front of us is known as Jin ShuiHe (Golde n Water River) and the five marbles bridges spanning it are known as the Inner Golde n Water Bridges. The on in the middle was used exclusive by the emperor and its banisters were carved with drag on and p hoe nix desig ns. The bridges flanking the imp erial one were reserved for prin ces and other royalmembers. The rest were used by palatines. Aside from decoration, thegolden Water River was also dug as precaution against fire.Most of the structures within the palace Museunare madeof wood.What is more ,according to ancient Chinese cosmology, the South is the abode of fire, so this brook was dug on the southern tip of the P alace. In this way, the P alace Museum reflects traditi onal Chin ese culture.This buildi ng is called the Gate of Sup reme Harmony」n the foregro und sta nd two bronze lions. Can an ybody tell which is male and which is female The one on the east playing with a ball is male, symboliz ing po wer and uni versal uni ty. The other on the west with a cub cuddling underneath its claw is female The one on the east playing with a ball is male, symbolizing powerand universal unity. The other on the west with a cub cuddling undern eath its claw is female, rep rese nting prosp erity the endless succession. A layout of the Palace Museums posted by the entrance . From it ,you can see that the P alace Museum has two main p arts: the forecourt and the inner court. The three main halls con stitute the main stay of the forecourt, and it was here that the emp eror announ ced decisi ons and observed rites.Behi nd the forecourt there is the inner court, con sisti ng of major halls and the Imp erial Garde n」t was where the emp eror atte nded state affairs, lived and enjoyed his luxurious life.The exhibition system of the Palace MuseuminvoIves historical court relics and articles of ancient art and culture. The PalaceMuseumhouses nearly one million articles of rare treasure, or one sixth of the total number in all of China 's museums.There are the three main halls of the Palace museum,built on a triple marble terrace . Si nee most of Chi na 's architecture is madeof wood, the buildi ngs cannot be too tall. To gain the heightof the architecture, ingenious ancient artisans built the hallon a giga ntic stone terrace .It is also to this end that nota single plant was grown in the square. On stairways of triple marble terrace there are 18 bronze tripods .The vera ndah isflanked by bronze tortoises and cranes, which served as symbols of Ion gevity .On the east is a sun dial, an an cie nt time piece.On the west there is a grain measure suggest ing that the emperor was just and equitable.In the front and on each flank ,there is a p air of gilt bronzevats (caldr ons ) molded duri ng the reig n of Emp eror Qianlongof the Qing Dynasty .Each of these weights 2 tons and is filledwith water as a p recauti on in the eve nt of a fire .The structurein the very middle is the Hall of Supr eme Harm ony ,also knownas the throne hall. It is 64 meters in width and is 38 metersfrom entrance to rear. With terrace exclusive ,the hall is 26.92meters in height and is 35.03 meters in all .Covering and areaof2,377 square meters, the Hall of Sup reme Harm ony is Chi na' slargest exit ing woode n structure. The hall is supp orted by 6thick ,round pillars carved in a design of coiling dragons. Asthe holiest place in the hall, the ceiling and colored patternswere made of the fin est material available at that time. Thethrone was p laced on a terrace and is flan ked by statues of ele phan ts, Ludua n (a unicorn which could travel 18,000 kilometers a day and un dersta nd all la nguages), cranes and incense barrels .Over the throne there is the caiss on ,or covered ceiling ,which con sists of a coili ng drag on p lay ing with a ball in its mouth .This ballis known as Xua nyuanMirror ,and was supposedly madeby a Chinese emperor of remote times to serve as a remin der that thee rulers to follow were his hereditary heirs. The throne is made of nanmu and pain ted in gold .Mag ni fice ntly built and luxuriously decorated ,this hall did not serve as a p lace in which the emp eror atte nded to daily affairs. He used his hall for major eve nts such as his birthday, con ferral of title of emp ress or dis patch of gen erals to war.Behi nd the Hall of Sup reme Harm ony ,there sits the Hall ofComplete Harmony. This structure is square in shape .Each side is 24.15 meters. This was the p lace where the emp eror relaxed and greeted his courtiers before p roceedi ng to the hall of supreme Harmonyto observe rites. This was also the place where the emp eror prep ared p rayers or exam ined seeds and sowers before he atte nded an cestralsacrifices or p artic ip ated in snowing cere moni es. A gra nd cere mony was also held here onceevery 10 years for the emperor to genealogize the royal blood.There are two seda n chairs on dis play in the hall. Behi nd theHall of Comp lete Harm ony ,you will see the Hall of P reservi ngHarmony, which was used as a p lace where imp erial exam in ati onswere held. The imp erial exam in ati on was the hig nest level ofcompeting for meritorious appointment under the feudal systemdati ng back to the Sui Dyn asty. China' s last imp erialexam in ati on was held in 1904 duri ng the reig n of Emp eror Guan gxuof the Qi ng Dyn asty. To the rear of hall there is a marble rampcarved with cloud and drago n desig ns, the largest of its ki ndin the whole country . It is 16.57 meters in length, 3.07 metersin width, 1.7 meters thick and weighs 250 tons. It was quarriedin Fan gsha n County in suburba n Beiji ng. To bring this gia ntp iece of stone to Beiji ng people poured water on to the road and app lied rolli ng blocks duri ng the pr ocess.We are now sta nding before the square of the Hall of Heave nPurity. It served as a divide separating the forecourt from the inner court .This buildi ng is known as the Gate of Heave niyP urity. Emp eror Qianlong held court here. P roceedi ng furthernorth ,you can find three mai n rear halls ,i.e. the hall ofheave nIy p urity. the Hall of union and p eace and p alace ofearthly tranquility. The hall of heaveniy purity if flanked onand peace , which is indenticalto the hall of complete harmony. either side by two gates n amed after the sun and moon .In side the en closure there are 12 p alaces and halls symboliz ingconstellations. All of the other buildings are centered around the Palace ofHeaveniy Purity , which was meant to suggest that the mon arch' s po wer was en dowed by Heave n. The emp ress and con cub ines lived in the inner court.The hall of heave nIy p urity was where the emp eror lived and atte nded to daily affairs. Later the emp eror moved to live in the Palace of Men tal cultivatio n. Looki ng up you can see a p laque beari ng the Chin ese in scri pti on "be open and above-board," amanifesto to court struggle .Behind the plaque a stron gbox was stored containing a will beari ng the n ame of the would -be royal successor. This app roach of secretly selecting the next emperor was adopted by Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty. Twocopies of the will were prepared .One was stashed by the emp eror in person ,the other was p laced in side the strong box behind the plaque. After the death of the emperor, the two cop ies would be comp ared and successor would beannounced. It was in this way that have ascended the throne.Behind the Hall of heaveniy purity you will see the hall of unionEmperor Qianglong and othersIt was there that the emp eror received con gratulati ons andtributes from imp erial officials on major cale nder occasi ons ,A total of 25 imp erial seals are stored there. In the hall, you will see a plaque with the handwritten inscription of "we wei," exhort ing Taoist doctri nes.Further northward is the Palace of Earthly Tranquillity, which once served as the living room of the empresses' . The hall waslater conv erted into a sacrificial p lace .Through thewin dow panes on the easter n wall you can see the royal beddecorated with drag on and p hoe nix desig ns. This hall has alsoserved as the bridal chamber of mon archs.The Gate of Earthly Tranq uilliity leads to the Imp erial garde n (known to westerners as Qianiong' s Garden ),which was used bythe emp eror ,the empr ess, and the con cub in es. A magni fice ntstructure sta nds in the middle. It is called the Qin 's an(Im perial P eace) Hall. It is the only build ing in the P alaceMuseum that was built in Taoist style. It served as a shri neto the Taoist deity. The garden covers a space of 12,000 squaremeters ,and is 130 meters from east to the west and some 90meters from north to the south. There are a doze n halls,vera ndahs, p avilio ns and waterside houses in the garde n . Oneach of the fur corner there is a pavilion dedicated to the fourseasons which is different in construction style and shape. Thegarden also features an imp erial Ian dsca pe. With rare trees andexotic rockery, the Imp erial Garde n served as a model for China's imp erial p arks .In all ,a total of 10-strong building styleswere app lied.The tall buildi ng we are now p ass ing is the gate of military p rowess, the back door of the Palace Museum. Our visit is now drawing to a conclusion but the architectures of the Palace are not . On the other side of the road is the 43-meter-hig n CharcoalHill , pro vidi ng n atural p rotecti on for the Forbidde n City.This was also an embodime nt of Chi na' s con structi on style-putting a pool in thefront and a hill in the rear. Now let' s climb up to Wan chu n (Everlasti ng Sp ri ngs ) P avilli on where we'll have a great view of the Palace Museum.Whatstrikes one first in a bird's -eye view of Beijing proper is a vast tract of golde n roofs flashi ng brilliantly in the sun with purple walls occasi on ally emerg ing amid them and a stretch ofluxuriant tree leaves flanking on each side. That is the formerImp erial P alace, popu larly known as the Forbidde n City, from which twenty-four emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties ruledChi na for some 500 years--from1420 to 1911. The Mi ng EmperorYong Le, whousurped the throne from his nephewand madeBeijing10,000 artists and a milli on workme n toiled for 14 years from 1406 to 1420. At present, the Palace is an elaborate museunthat presents the largest and most complete ensemble of traditional architecture comp lex and more tha n 900,000 p ieces of court treasures inall dyn asties in China.Located in the cen ter of Beiji ng, the en tire p alace area,rectangular in shape and 72 hectares in size, is surrounded by walls ten meters high and a moat 52 meters wide. At each corner of the wall stands a watchtower with a double-eave roof covered with yellow glazed tiles.The main buildings, the six great halls, one following the other, are set fac ing south along the cen tral no rth-south axis from the Meridian Gate, the south entrance, to Shenwumen,the great gate p ierc ing in the n orth wall. On either side ofthe capital, ordered its construction, on which approximatelythe p alace are many comp aratively small build in gs. Symmetrically in the no rtheaster n secti on lie the six Easter n P alaces and in the no rthwester n secti on the six Western Palaces. The P alace area is divided in to two p arts: the Outer Court and the Inner P alace.The former con sists of the first three main halls, where the emp eror received his courtiers and con ducted grand cere monies,while the latter was the livi ng quarters for the imp erial reside nee. At the rear of the Inner P alace is the Imp erialGarde n where the emp eror and his family sought recreatio n.The main entranee to the Palace is the Meridian Gate(1), which was so n amed because the emp eror con sidered himself the "Sonof the Heave n" and the P alace the cen ter of the uni verse, hence the no rth-south axis as the Meridia n。