China Travel Guide

The first part described main attractions in Forbidden City. The part 2 will describe the exhibition halls,the nine dragon screen, doorways, pots, sculptures, decorative tiles, roofs, beams, ceilings ,windows, gargoyles, ballustrades, walls and other places of interest.

The Exhibition Halls(Chinese: 展览馆)

Some of the buildings in the forbidden city with more minor original functions have been internally converted to hold permanent, but sometimes changing, exhibitions of artefacts of various types - including clocks, ceramics, paintings and bronzes. But first, a little background.

The Imperial Studios(Chinese: 工艺美术馆)

The emperors of China retained artists and craftsmen to manufacture works of the highest quality both to please their senses and add weight to their claim of legitimacy. Under the Qing dynasty, imperial porcelain makers from JingDeZhen introduced new glazes, shapes and techniques. The imperial studios produced paintings with traditional themes such as portraiture, landscapes, birds and flowers, and religious subjects, as well as detailed representations of political ceremonies, military conquests, and imperial processions.

Unlike earlier dynasties, the Qing court also employed Jesuit artists from Europe, whose introduction of western painting techniques and aesthetics stamped the academy as a whole with a unique visual flavor.

Religious Art(Chinese: 宗教艺术)

The Qing emperors retained their sacred Manchurian traditions, performing shamanistic rituals within the seclusion of the Forbidden City. In addition, they became ardent supporters of tantric Buddhism, imported from Tibet and Mongolia. Tibetan monks, stationed at the Hall of Uprightness, were employed as artists to produce religious objects for the emperor.

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The Temple of Heaven (TianTan, Chinese: 天坛) was where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would offer sacrifices to heaven and pray for good harvests. There are 12 million people visit the magnificent and colorful Temple of Heaven every year.

The ancient Chinese believed that Heaven was the supreme ruler of the universe and the fate of mankind, and thus worshiping rites dedicated to Heaven came into being.

Introduction to the Temple of Heaven

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Great Wall(Chinese: 长城), one of the greatest wonders of the world, was enlisted in the World Heritage in 1987. Just like a gigantic dragon, it winds

up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus stretching approximately 6,700 km(3,948 miles) from east to west of China. With a history of more than 2000 years, some sections are now in ruins or even entirely disappeared. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance. A Chinese saying goes like that, "you are not a real hero until you have climbed the Great Wall".The Great Wall extends from ShanHaiGuan (the 'Old Dragon Head'), a seaport along the coast of BoHai, in the east (near BeiDaiHe resort) to JiaYuGuan Pass in GanSu Province in the west. Like a giant dragon, the Great Wall of China winds its way across grasslands, deserts and mountains.

The wall is complemented by defensive fighting stations, to which wall defenders may retreat if overwhelmed. Each tower has unique and restricted stairways and entries to confuse attackers. Barracks and administrative centers are located at larger intervals. In addition to the usual military weapons of the period, specialized wall defense weapons were used.

Although the Great Wall was originally built for protection, the wall stands as a tribute to the amazing ingenuity of the Chinese.

Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987, the Great Wall ('Chang Cheng' in chinese) is a true marvel and a testament to the long history of the Chinese Civilisation.

Today, people from all over the world visit to walk on the Great Wall of China, to stand on a watchtower and view the wall snaking into the distance. This treasure is now protected so that future generations can see the Great Wall with the same wonder and amazement as we do now.

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The Summer Palace(Chinese: 颐和园) is located on the western edge of Beijing, between the fourth and fifth ring roads, close to the western hills, 12km from central Beijing. It is not expensive to get there by taxi and does not take long. Use a map to tell the driver you want to be taken to the north gate if you would like to follow our suggested route through the park, or ask your hotel receptionist to add 'north gate' to 'Summer Palace' written in chinese script on a piece of paper to show the taxi driver.

The Summer Palace is the largest and best-preserved imperial garden in China. Its chinese name, YiHeYuan, translates as 'Garden of Nurtured Harmony' or 'Garden for Maintaining Health and Harmony'.

As its name implies, the Summer Palace was used as a summer residence by China's imperial rulers - as a retreat from the main imperial palace now known as the Palace Museum (or 'Forbidden City') - a pleasureground in the countryside, yet near to the city.

The Summer Palace is virtually a museum of traditional Chinese gardening that uses rocks, plants, pavilions, ponds, cobble paths and other garden styles to create a poetic effect between different scenes. When you stroll around the Summer Palace, you will constantly find the area changing.

The gardens that became the Summer Palace date from the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). In 1750, Emperor QianLong (1736-1796) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) added substantially to the gardens of the Summer Palace. His appointed designers reproduced the styles of various palaces and gardens from around China. KunMing Lake was extended to imitate the West Lake in HangZhou.

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Forbidden City or Palace Museum (Chinese: 紫荆城 or 故宫) , at the center of the ancient city of Beijing, was home to 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Today, the Forbidden City is a public museum and World Heritage site, attracting millions of tourists from around the world.

In the early 1400s, the third Ming Emperor, YongLe, moved the capital of China to Beijing. In 1406, he began construction of a new 'Forbidden City' that would include the imperial palace complex.

The Forbidden City, located at the exact center of the ancient city of Beijing, was the home and center of power for 24 emperors during the mid to latter Ming and Qing dynasties.

The Forbidden City is an extremely formal place. It is almost symmetrical and hierarchically arranged so that all the important buildings run down the center, north-south. In keeping with geomancy, the main gate is in the south and the northern side is "protected" by the artificial Coal Hill. The palace contained many diversions and beautiful women, but in the summer months the emperors gladly retired to summer palaces north of Beijing—perhaps visiting the Fragrant Hills.

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