Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Forbidden City Through Time
On the site of a palace dating back to Kublai Khan, the Ming emperor Yongle established the basic layout of the
Forbidden City between 1406 and 1420, basing it on the now-ruined Ming dynasty palace in Nanjing. Some es-
timates say the grandiose emperor employed a million labourers and craftspeople to build it. The palace lay at the
heart of the old Imperial City and the wall enclosing it - assembled from 12 million bricks - is the last intact sur-
viving city wall in Beijing.
The Pleasure Dome
The gargantuan complex sheltered two dynasties of emperors, the Ming and the Qing, who didn't stray from their
pleasure dome unless they absolutely had to. A stultifying code of rules, protocol and superstition deepened its
otherworldliness, perhaps typified by its twittering eunuchs. From here the emperors governed China, often errat-
ically or incompetently. Given their isolation from the rest of the country, it's amazing that it wasn't until 1911
that revolution came knocking at the huge doors, bringing with it the end of imperial rule.
Post-1911
During the imperial era, fire was the biggest threat to the palace. Most of the buildings visitors see now are
post-18th century: the largely wooden palace complex was a tinderbox and a few stray fireworks combined with a
sudden gust of Gobi Desert wind could send flames dancing through it in moments.
In more recent times, looters and political extremists have proved equally dangerous. Both the invading Japan-
ese and the Kuomintang, the Nationalist rivals to the Communist Party, took their pick of the palace's treasures on
either side of WWII. Many of the most valuable artefacts are now on display in Taiwan, where the Nationalists
fled after the communist victory in 1949.
The Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and '70s saw the palace become a target for the fanatical Red Guards. In
a sign of how central the Forbidden City is to the Chinese psyche, then premier Zhou Enlai stepped in to prevent
it being attacked, an indication of how the Forbidden City is still seen by many as representing the pinnacle of
Chinese civilisation.
Roof Guardians
蹲蹲兽
On the corners of the roofs of halls, as with other buildings in the city, you'll see a proces-
sion of mythical creatures leading and protecting the imperial dragon, which lies at the tail
end of the line. The more important the building, the more mythical beasts in the proces-
sion, with nine being the maximum.
