Currently on 16th May 2022 on Beijing – China – People’s Republic of China in a critical month period during the critical period of Beijing’s epidemic prevention and control, can those wishing to visit the Forbidden City and see exhibitions have to be sealed again in which the announcement was made on the 11th May 2022 the Forbidden City Palace Museum Management “Dear audience: According to the latest situation of epidemic prevention and control in Beijing, in order to further reduce the risk of social spread of the epidemic caused by the flow of people, the Palace Museum will be temporarily closed from May 12, 2022 until further notice. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation….!
On 23rd May 2022 showing A little bit of color hidden in the Forbidden City…. Today, I will “walk” around the Forbidden City with you to find the beautiful colours hidden in the Forbidden City…
The Forbidden City is temporary closed. I believe many friends who like the Forbidden City and the Forbidden City exhibition will regret not being able to come to the Forbidden City, but don’t worry, the official website of the Forbidden City will definitely make everyone’s eyes shine, and you may find a lot of things that you haven’t discovered before. Little details….
Today, I will “walk” around the Forbidden City with you to find the beautiful colours hidden in the Forbidden City~
Speaking of the colours in the Forbidden City, we must mention the Hall of Supreme Harmony….. This hall, commonly known as the “Golden Luan Hall”, is located in a prominent position on the main axis of the north and south of the Forbidden City. . In the 41st year of Jiajing (1562), it was renamed Huangji Hall. Finally, in the second year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1645), it was officially renamed the “Taihe Hall” as we know it now. The Hall of Supreme Harmony has been burnt down and rebuilt many times since its completion. The Hall of Supreme Harmony you see now is actually the shape after the reconstruction in the 34th year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1695).
Speaking of the decoration of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, it is really beautiful and unique. There are dense buckets, and the indoor and outdoor beams are decorated with Hexi colored paintings. The upper part of the doors and windows is inlaid with a rhombus pattern, the lower part is embossed with a cloud-dragon pattern, and a gilt copper leaf engraved with a dragon pattern is installed at the joint. The appearance alone makes people feel that this beautiful palace is full of beautiful and solemn colours then why does the Hall of Supreme Harmony give everyone such an impression? Very important role ….
Speaking of Hexi color painting, everyone may have heard of it, so what kind of expression is it? Hexi color painting is the highest grade of architectural color paintings in the Qing Dynasty. It consists of three parts: Fangxin, looking for head, and hoop head. With connecting herringbone curves as intervals, it is painted with dragon and phoenix patterns, and the main lines are powdered and gilded. , and the ground is lined with green and red, and the colours are gorgeous, which can be said to be “resplendent” in the true sense…..
Of course, the Hexi color painting is not unique to the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The Qianqing Palace and the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the Forbidden City, the Renshou Hall and the Hall of Paiyun in the Summer Palace, and the Hall of Prayer for the New Year of the Temple of Heaven are all painted with Hexi color paintings. Why did Hexi color painting occupy such an important position in the palace architecture of the Qing Dynasty? In fact, it also has a very strong cultural background and meaning. Before the Hexi color painting came into being, the architectural color paintings mostly used religious and folk patterns as the basic themes, the application of dragon and phoenix patterns was extremely limited, and the content of the color paintings mainly implied divine power and auspiciousness. With the passage of time, the idea of imperial power began to strengthen ideologically, and color paintings with the theme of the dragon pattern symbolizing imperial power began to appear to show the rank and status of the building…..
Of course, in addition to its unique connotations, Hexi Caihua also has a very special decorative technique, that is, a large number of gold stickers are used. Before the appearance of Hexi color painting, the use of “gold foil” was very limited, and it was only used to embellish the prominent position of the color painting. In the Qing Dynasty, Hexi color paintings far surpassed the previous color paintings in the use of gold foil, turning gold, which is only used for embellishment, into one of the main colours, and the area is second only to the two colours of blue and green. One of the reasons for choosing gold is because of all the colours; gold is the easiest color to express luxury and solemnity.
But what is interesting is that although the palaces of princes and ministers have strict hierarchical regulations on the application of color paintings, there is no clear hierarchical system for color paintings in the palace. However, there is a clear difference from the color painting itself, which can be seen from the category of Hexi. For example: Dragon and Seal, which are generally used in Palaces where the emperor ascends the throne, manages affairs, and lives, such as the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Qianqing Palace, etc.; Dragon and Phoenix and Seals are used in Palaces where emperors and concubines live, such as Kunning Palace, etc.; Dragon grass and seal: used for important gates and palace gates of the Imperial City and the Forbidden City. You may wish to take a closer look at these beautifully colored Hexi colored paintings and see where their corresponding palaces are located……
Imagines credits are of the Forbidden City –Imperial Palace –Beijing – China- People’s Republic of China also from the Series Weibo北京卫视上新了故宫 Treasures in the Forbidden City…
Luna Crescent 