The Palace Museum of Beijing

The Palace Museum of Beijing was formerly known as the Forbidden City. It was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, where 24 imperial came to the throne. It covers an area of 7.2 square kilometers and construction area of 1.5 square kilometers. 9000 rooms are available. It is currently the lar gest and the most complete ancient palace in the world. The Palace Museum of Beijing has rectangular plane and symmetrical axis layout. Axis is distributed with palace gate, three front and rear halls and other high-grade buildings. On both sides of axis are east and west palaces and courtyards serving daily life of royal family. The Palace Museum of Beijing is surrounded by tall walls and wide moat. Its spectacular construction is full of royal and noble charms, which presents dignif ed and beautiful atmosphere.

The Palace Museum of Beijing towers in the center of Beijing. It largely adopts bright yellow glazed tiles to cover the top. The Palace Museum of Beijing makes a contrast with grey tiles of ordinary buildings to highlight the dominant position of the supremacy in the city. It embodies Feudal Ethics of imperial power.

According to the legend, a Ming emperor dreamed of a refined building with nine beams, 18 pillars and 72 ridges. When he woke up next day, he immediately issued the edict that royal craftsmen should set up this building within nine days, otherwise they will be killed! Eight days later , craftsmen were at a loss what to do. A old man selling grasshopper cage came from afar . He asked a craftsman: “Do you want to buy grasshopper cage?” The craftsman sighed to answer: “I will die soon. I have no stomach for that!” But the old man smiled: “This is not ordinary grasshopper cage”. And then he sent a grasshopper cage to the craftsman. When the craftsman carefully looked at grasshopper cage, he found it was intricate with nine beams, 18 pillars and 72 ridges. The happy craftsmen rushed to search for the old man, but the old man went elsewhere. Craftsmen reached a conclusion: The old man is Lu Ban! Legend of Turret was built in the Forbidden City. Among many buildings of the Forbidden City, the turret is the most unique and the most beautiful.

Hierarchy system of ancient Chinese architecture

Many elements and shapes of ancient Chinese architecture are closely related to hierarchy. For example, in the painting system, colored paintings laced with gold dragon and imperial seal are the most dignified, i.e., painting in three front and rear halls of the Palace Museum of Beijing. The ridges of ancient buildings see re f ned shape of humans and animals, which are called as “immortals and beasts”, and types and quantities are closely related with the hierarchy . The “immortals and beasts” of Hall of Supreme Harmony have the highest position, which are totaled 11, namely, fairy riding a chicken (phoenix), dragon, phoenix, lion, hippocampus, suanni , f sh, xiezhi , bull and hangshi .

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