20. Forbidden City and Cloisonn Factory 


ForbCity Golden Water River
Golden Water River encircling the Forbidden City

Day 15

The Forbidden City, now called the Palace Museum, is located in the central part of BeiJing. For nearly half a millennium, it was the imperial palace of the 24 emperors of Ming and Qing Dynasties, who ruled the whole of China. 

Construction was begun in 1406 and continued over much of these five centuries. The City occupies over 720,000 square meters of which about 150,000 are in buildings. The surrounding walls are 10 meters (33 feet) high and 3428 meters (11,244 feet) long, with free-standing and individually striking towers at the corners. It is surrounded by a moat 52 meters (171 feet) wide. The City displays the splendor in which China's emperors lived. One emperor was so paranoid of attack, he ordered his courtyard layered with 15 courses of cris-crossed brick so his enemies could not tunnel in.

The Forbidden City has many beautiful halls and rooms, quiet pathways, secret places where important matters were discussed, an Imperial Garden for the emperor and his family and open squares. There are buildings for exclusive use of the emperor, one for his concubines, one for his interpreters, one for servants, etc. Interpreters were needed because of the many dialects spoken in China. 

Our visit to a Cloisonn factory followed. BeiJing was the birthplace of Cloisonn during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The best was made during the XuanDe period (1426-1456) of the Ming dynasty. During the JingTai period (1426-1456) of the Ming, handicraftsmen developed a dark-blue enamel which gave Cloisonn a gorgeous, solemn look. It is still in use. During the QianLong period (1736-1795) of the Qing Dynasty, the skill of making Cloisonn reached its pinnacle when they began to use pure copper for rough casts. 

In Beijing, most shops in hotels as well as tourist stores sell Cloisonn articles, which can be as big as sacrificial utensils, screens, tables and chairs, and as small as chopsticks, earrings, candy boxes, toothpicks and smoking tools -- works of art as well as being useful. Recently, a multi-coloring technique has been developed, resulting in even more refined and gorgeous products.

We watched men and women performing very intricate work on statues, vases and other objects. There was a very nice showroom connected to the factory where we were invited to browse -- and, of course, we did. 

A cloisonn vase

Cloisonne mfr
Cloisonn manufacturing began in BeiJing

The Summer Palace was next on today's tour. It belonged to one of the emperors from the Qing Dynasty and has the best-kept royal garden in BeiJing. The Summer Palace was first named the Garden of Clear Ripples -- that was burnt by the allied forces of Great Britain and France in 1860. Reconstruction started 25 years later and was completed in 1895 and the name was changed to YiHeYuan (Garden of Good Health and Harmony). The palace building was burned down again and rebuilt in 1903. 

The prominent features are Longevity Hill and the KunMing Lake. The total area is 290 hectares, and the buildings include over 3,000 bays. 

The FoXiang Tower and PaiYun (Dispursing Clouds) Hall, specially built for the Empress Dowager Ci Xi to receive her birthday greetings, rise majestically on top of the hill. Other structures are scattered somewhat randomly on the hill, enhancing the majesty of these two main buildings. In front of the hill, KunMing Lake stretches out like a mirror. The garden gives a feeling of imperial dignity. 

ForbCity Qianqing Hall 1
QianQing Hall in the Forbidden City

The Eastern Palace Gate is the main entrance to the Summer Palace. The opening in the center was for use of the emperor and empress exclusively. The two side openings were for the use of princes and court officials. Eunuchs and soldiers used side gates to the south and north. 

RenShou (Benevolence and Longevity) Hall was originally named QinZheng (Be Diligent in Administration) Hall. It was given the present name during the reign of Emperor Guang Xu. The hall was used by Empress Dowager Ci Xi and Emperor Guang Xu to give audiences. As a historical note, in 1898, Emperor Guang Xu met Kang You Wei, leader of the reformists, in this hall and appointed him a high-ranking court minister but the reform movement failed in 100 days. 

ForbCity Qianqing Hall 2
Inside QianQing Hall 

Grand Opera Tower, the imperial theater in the DeHe Garden, is the largest of its kind in China today. It is 21 meters (69 feet) high and has three floors. There is an opening is in the ceiling of the first floor allowing a winch to lower performers and props down onto the first floor. Performances could occur on the three floors simultaneously.

Marble Boat, also known as QingYanFang, was made with huge stone blocks in 1755. The 36-meter (118 feet) long immovable boat was placed in the lake to symbolize the steadfast rule of the Qing Dynasty. 

SumPal Marble Boat
QingYanFang (Marble Boat) at Summer Palace

The Forbidden City and Summer Palace together are too much for one day. There were many other things to see, but we just did not have time.

On the grounds of the Palace, there is a hotel with a very nice restaurant, where we had lunch. Have I mentioned that the local beer was very good 

ForbCity Baohe Hall steps
9-dragon steps to BaoHe Hall, Forbidden City

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