The Forbidden City：Symbol of Ancient Chinese Civilization
The Palace Museum in Beijing was previouslyknown as the Purple Forbidden City，when it was the imperial palace of both Ming and Qingdynasties.It is the largest and best preserved group of historic buildings in China.In 1987，it was included in the ranks of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.The site occupies a total of 720，000 square meters，and includes buildings with some 8，700 rooms.The entire assemblage is surrounded by an imposing protective wall，with watchtowers at the four corners.A moat outside the wall is 52 meters wide and completes the defensive structure of the Palace.The architectural style of the palace itself is majestic and robust，giving an appearance of great strength.It is a masterpiece of ancient Chinese architecture.
The Forbidden City we see today was mainly builtin the Qing Dynasty.In 1644，when Emperor Shunzhiarrived in Beijing，most parts of the Forbidden City hadbeenburntdownbythepeasantarm y.A f t e r several decades of war，production all over the country underwent heavy wreckage.Thus the emperors of the Qing Dynasty executed many measures to revive the economy.From the middle years of Kangxi（reigned1662–1722）to the Yongzheng reign（1722–1735）and Qianlong reign（1735–1796），economy fourished and the era was named“flourishing era of Kang and Qian.”The flourishing era of Kang and Qian was the last time under control for China’s feudal society.The community was stable and rich，with a population over 10 billion for the first time in history.The Qing Dynasty was one of the most powerful empire in the world then.Profit from the flourishing economy，in the thirty-fourth year of Kangxi reign，the reconstruction of the Forbidden City was nearly finished.Emperor Qianlong started large-scale expansion of the Forbidden City during his sixty years reign.From the 18th century till today，the Forbidden City remained what it looked like since then.
Four large gates define the perimeter of the Palace.Onthesouththe off icia lentrywayiscalledthe Wu Men，or Meridian Gate.It is colloquially called the Five-Phoenix Tower.Shaped like an upside-down square“U，”it includes a primary building in the center large enough to hold nine rooms.Imposing wings flank this central portion with successive tiers of eaves.North of the Wu Men are five arched bridges exquisitely carved from white marble，leading to the Taihe Men.The eastern gate is called Donghua Men;the western gate is called Xihua Men;the northern gate is called Shenwu Men.The palace building arrangement divides the entire complex intoexternal and internal portions.
Three large Halls are the core structures in the“external”portion.They are where the feudal Emperors exercised power，holding lavish ceremonies.The TaiheHallisbuiltonawhitemarbleplatformthatstandsaroundfive meters high.Carved railings surround it on all four sides，with pilasters thath old carveddragonsandphoenixes among clouds.Three tiers of stone steps rise before and behind this platform，withthe central tier carved with coiled dragons dancing among billowing waves：this is known as the Imperial Way.In the center of the Hall is the symbol of feudal imperial power，a throne of gilded lacquer with dragons carved into it.The Taihe Hall has ochre-colored walls and golden eaves and is one of the Palace’s most magnificent structures.Behind it are the other two main halls of the external part of the Palace，known as the Zhonghe Hall and the Taihe Hall.
