The Forbidden City
1 min readThe Forbidden City used to be the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties.It is nearly 600 years old,with constructions start- ed in 1406 and completed in 1420. The principles of Feng Shui,the ancient Chinese system of geomancy,governed the whole process.
Yellow is the color of the Emperor.Thus almost all roofs in the Forbidden City bear yellow glazed tiles.There are only two exceptions.The library at the Pavilion of Literary Profundity had black tiles because black was associated with water,and thus fire-prevention.Similarly,the Crown Prince’s residences have green tiles because green was associated with wood,and thus growth.
The Imperial Garden is the last part of the Forbidden City on the central north-south axis when heading northwards,be- fore the North Gate.It was built in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty.It covers an area of about 12,000 square meters and was the private qarden of the imperial family.lt was the most typical imperial gar- den in China.
Imperial cuisine was served mainly to the emperors,their wives and concubines,and the royal families.The characteristics of the Chinese imperial cuisine are the elaborate cooking methods and the strict selection of raw materials,which are often extremely expensive,rare,or complicated in preparation.The most famous Chinese imperial cuisine restaurants are both located in Beijing:Fang Shan in Beihai Park and Ting Li Guan in the Summer Palace.
