On July 19th 2023 , the multilingual website of the Forbidden City Palace Museum- Beijing, China, People’s Republic of China was officially released at the Digital Cultural Tourism Development Forum of the 2023 China Internet Civilization Conference! The website covers five languages: English, French, Russian, Japanese, and Spanish, and will meet the needs of audiences with different languages.
The symphony of gold and jade, the auspicious dragon shows its elegance,
the golden dream is woven, and the prosperity is reflected on the neck
Listen to the drums and recount the old dreams of the Forbidden City.
Travel through time and encounter the splendor and grandeur.
The symphony of golden drums and the rhythm of leaping
fashion and classics complement each other
to extol the glorious chapter of a thousand years
This month of August 2024 launches a new collection in Collaboration with the Forbidden City- Palace Museum- Beijing with one of Asia Largest Jewellery companies周大福珠寶Chow Tai Fook Jewellery with international Iconic Chinese Designed elements A Living Legacy. Introducing our brand-new Palace Museum Collection. Featuring a reverberating display of Chinese drums and spirited twirls of cultural dance, our House collaborates with the iconic Palace Museum to showcase the contemporary allure of Chinese heritage through modern forms.
The butterfly wings dance lightly, blooming with lively and colorful
soft patterns, flowing in various and interesting ways
Reimagining Traditions.
Inspired by the Palace Museum’s exhibition piece of Qing Dynasty imperial drums and treasures, this intricate creation is a modern interpretation of Chinese prowess. Blending a multitude of ancient Chinese gold crafting techniques and colourful gemstones, the pendant symbolises good fortune and is the ultimate expression of grandeur.
A Living Legacy.
Introducing our brand-new Palace Museum Collection. Featuring a reverberating display of Chinese drums and spirited twirls of cultural dance, our House collaborates with the iconic Palace Museum to showcase the contemporary allure of Chinese heritage through modern forms.
The Cultural Era Awaits.
Prepare to venture into the wonderous world of The Palace Museum. Home to countless Chinese treasures and untold stories, our House pays homage to this iconic wonder with the Palace Museum Collection — a series of masterpieces that brings art to life.
周大福珠寶 Chow Tai Fook Jewellery – Chow Tai Fook group is a Chow Tai Fook group is a Hong Kong–based, privately-owned conglomerate with holdings in the jewellery, property development, hotel, department store, transportation, energy, telecommunications, port, casino, and other businesses
On July 19th 2023 , the multilingual website of the Forbidden City Palace Museum- Beijing, China, People’s Republic of Chinawas officially released at the Digital Cultural Tourism Development Forum of the 2023 China Internet Civilization Conference! The website covers five languages: English, French, Russian, Japanese, and Spanish, and will meet the needs of audiences with different languages.
According to the Palace Museum, the “景福宫 Jingfu Palace” area in the northwest corner of the Forbidden City has officially started a two-year substantial renovation. This is also the first renovation of 景福宫 Jingfu Palace in more than 120 years. The currently determined scope of repairs includes the main hall of景福宫 Jingfu Palace, the East Gate Room, 景福宫 Jingfu Gate, verandah, southwest gate, cross-hall gate, courtyard walls, courtyard floors, etc. The focus is to eliminate potential safety hazards of cultural relic’s buildings. It is reported that Jingfu Palace was a retirement residence carefully built by Emperor Qianlong for himself. It is located in the northeast of the Ningshou Palace area of the Forbidden City. The palace is dotted with ancient trees and rockeries, and has unique porches and courtyards. After the Jiaqing period, it was used as a warehouse for storing antique treasures….
During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) built Jingfu Palace in the Forbidden City as his retirement retreat. The Jingfu Palace region has begun a two-year renovation project, the first in almost 120 years.
The Jingfu Palace of the Forbidden City, never open to the public since it was built more than 200 years ago, has begun renovations…
This is a group of buildings with green glazed tiles and yellow sheared roofs. It was the residence of the Queen Mother during the Kangxi period, and was rebuilt during the Qianlong period to serve as a banquet for Emperor Qianlong after his return to power. This is景福宫 Jingfu Palace located in the northeast of Yeongsugung District.
With the launch of the “景福宫 Jingfu Palace Research Conservation Project”, the architectural form, materials, craftsmanship, etc. of the cultural relics here have gradually become clear during the research process. At the same time, image collection and recording work is also underway, and the protection and repair work of the cultural heritage buildings in the景福宫 Jingfu Palace area will eventually be shown in the form of a documentary. A trailer allows you to first experience the confusion, thinking and breakthroughs in the research and restoration process, and appreciate the infinite charm of dialogue with history!
“景福宫 Jingfu Palace” area in the northwest corner of the Forbidden City has officially started a two-year substantive renovation. This is also the first renovation of景福宫 Jingfu Palace in more than 120 years.
景福宫 Jingfu Palace is the retirement home carefully built by Emperor Qianlong for himself. It is located in the northeast of the Ningshou Palace area of the Forbidden City. The palace is dotted with ancient trees and rockeries, and has unique porches and courtyards. After the Jiaqing period, it was used as a warehouse for storing antique treasures.
In 1910, 13 plaques were updated at景福宫 Jingfu Palace, and the calligraphy and paintings on the inner eaves were re-inscribed and framed. From then until Puyi announced his abdication, there was no record of renovation of景福宫 Jingfu Palace in the Forbidden City.
The scope of repairs currently determined includes the main hall of景福宫 Jingfu Palace, the east gate room, 景福宫 Jingfu Gate, verandah, southwest gate, hall door, courtyard wall, courtyard floor, etc. The focus is to eliminate safety hazards of cultural relics buildings, such as the three arched roofs. “Troughs,” or gutter repairs.
While景福宫 Jingfu Palace is being renovated, the National Palace Museum will also carry out digital recording, research and systematic application of the national intangible cultural heritage “Official Ancient Architecture Construction Techniques”, and will use three-dimensional laser scanning, close-up photography results combined with traditional manual measurements to complete the work Surveying and mapping of the current status of cultural relic buildings, and conducting architectural survey and current survey of information such as shape, materials, construction techniques, etc. to build a digital景福宫 Jingfu Palace.
On July 19th 2023 , the multilingual website of the Forbidden City Palace Museum- Beijing, China, People’s Republic of Chinawas officially released at the Digital Cultural Tourism Development Forum of the 2023 China Internet Civilization Conference! The website covers five languages: English, French, Russian, Japanese, and Spanish, and will meet the needs of audiences with different languages.
The multilingual website of the Palace Museum is committed to establishing an international website that is concise, clear, easy to use for overseas audiences, and fits the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, including tour guides, information, panoramic tours, online exhibitions, collection appreciation, cultural topics, etc. Rich immersive content describing of the most detail collection that housed within the Forbidden City collection….
Qing, anonymous, baby play picture album page. The “Baby Play Pictures” album was created by a court painter. This page is one of the pages, depicting a scene of five children picking lotus flowers and playing in the water by a lotus pond, with the sun burning like fire in June. The author uses meticulous and rigorous brushwork and rich and gorgeous colors to humorously portray the naive, cute, lively and interesting image of the child. In particular, the staggering and unsteady steps of the child wearing crotchless pants when walking ashore are vividly depicted, showing the author’s keen observation. The expressive power of describing God through form.
The “embroidery patch” in the picture is also called “embroidery patch”, which refers to sewing a single piece of embroidered fabric onto the surface of the garment. The official costumes of the Qing Dynasty followed the embroidery ceremony system of official uniforms of the Ming Dynasty, and were standardized and expanded. According to the “Qing Dynasty Huidian”, civil servants should wear bird patterns, military officers should use animal patterns, and what kind of animal patterns should be used for each of the first to ninth ranks is also clearly stipulated.
Clothing habits in real life also affect the world of opera. Among the costumes and official clothes collected in the Forbidden City (Figures 7-9), there are many kinds of ornaments with exquisite patterns….
During the reign of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty, Shen Quan, Shen Shijie and Shen Shiru posted pictures of infant play. This painting contains auspicious meanings and was jointly painted by court painter Shen Quan and others. It depicts a scene of children paddling and playing in a pond with blooming lotus flowers. The lotus in the painting is not only a real scene, but also contains symbolic meaning. Through the plot of a boy playing with lotus, the homophonic pronunciation of “lotus” and “lian” is used to express the good wishes of having children in succession and having many children and grandchildren. This picture was originally a hanging painting on the wall of a palace. It not only decorated the interior space, but also conveyed the wish for many children and good fortune.
The moon flower of the eleventh month of the lunar calendar is the camellia blooming in the winter scenery of southern China. Camellia is a traditional famous flower in my country. It was first recorded in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Because of its large and plump flowers, rich and bright colors, and its frost and snow resistance, it has been praised by literati in the past dynasties. Su Che even compared camellia with plum and chrysanthemum, two famous flowers, “the fragrance is gentle and fragrant, and the chrysanthemum is light on the cliff, and the plum blossoms are as beautiful as the mountains.
25th December 2023 At this moment,
During the reign of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty, Shen Zhenlin, a hundred sons presented an auspicious picture. According to the records of the Construction Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Qing Palace, on September 12, the 11th year of Tongzhi (1872), Emperor Tongzhi held a grand wedding ceremony in the Forbidden City. Previously, Emperor Tongzhi ordered the court painters Shen Zhenlin, Liang Derun, Zhang Kai and others of the Ruyi Pavilion to paint the “Picture of a Hundred Sons Presenting Auspiciousness” respectively on April 10th of that year, and hung it on the “﹁” on the entrance and exit of the Dongnuan Pavilion in the Kunning Palace Cave. “The curved ruler not only enhances the festive atmosphere of the wedding room, but also expresses the hope for the prosperity of the children through the pictures of a hundred children playing. This picture was carefully drawn by Shen Zhenlin, the leader of the Ruyi Pavilion. The main pattern of the painting is the Chinese character “囍” written in double hook lines. The two sides of the character “囍” are also painted with graceful floating silk ribbons, making the composition of the picture fuller and more varied. ; The outer surface of the character “囍” is painted with red cinnabar, which symbolizes joy and auspiciousness; the hollow space of the character “囍” is filled with the image of a hundred sons, and the ink calligraphy “a hundred sons are auspicious” is used to highlight the meaning of the painting.
Qing Tongzhi, red Baizi pattern damask quilt fabric. Not only did the emperors of the Qing Dynasty post the “Hundred Sons Picture” in the wedding room of the Forbidden City or in important palaces when they got married, they also often ordered the “Hundred Sons Picture” to be used as a decorative pattern on many handicrafts or daily necessities. , expressing the beautiful hope for the continuation of life. This is the damask fabric used by the royal family in the Qing Dynasty to keep warm and keep out the cold. In terms of pattern design, weavers cleverly express the auspicious and festive creative theme through the child’s lively and active posture, joyful demeanor and healthy and cute appearance: for example, the image of a child wearing a crown on his head holding a high crown in his hand means ” “Add official (crown) on top of official (crown)”; it looks like a boy playing with a lotus in his hand, which means “the lotus will give birth to a noble son”, etc. In addition, the fabric is also interspersed with auspicious patterns such as cranes, deer, chrysanthemums, pine and cypress, and Ganoderma lucidum that symbolize longevity, further expressing the pursuit and expectation of a happy life.
There are not only square embroidery patches used by civil and military officials, but also round and oval shapes, such as the dragon and python patches used by emperors, clan members, and others, as well as the “flower patches” on the clothes of concubines and official family members. . In addition to making a single piece of patchwork and sewing it separately, the special patterns of patchwork can also be directly embroidered on the clothes, called “back chest” or “chest back”.
Auspicious creatures, auspicious words, and flowers of the four seasons are wrapped in circular patterns, adding beauty to clothes and joy to life.
Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty, yellow satin embroidered gourd and hundred son picture pillow. The emperor used exquisite materials, and the patterns on this royal pillow all have auspicious meanings: for example, the gourd pattern is embroidered on the edge, which is homophonic to “Fu Lu”; the front of the pillow is embroidered with a boy pushing a wooden three-legged golden toad, which represents the Taoist “bang play” The allusion of “Golden Toad” means prosperity of wealth; the embroidered boy carries a long halberd with a chime on his shoulder, which uses the homophonic pronunciation of “halberd” and “chime” to express abundant auspiciousness and good things. Although “a hundred sons” is only an imaginary number, the emperor’s wish to sleep on it and realize many children, happiness and peace is sincere…
Guangxu, Qing Dynasty, red Nasha Baizi chart account. Nasha, also known as Naxiu, commonly known as stamped yarn, has a history of more than 2,000 years. It was very popular among the Qing royal family due to its strong decorative effect. Many royal garments, such as court robes, cloaks, dragon gowns, etc., are made of this kind of craftsmanship. The gauze tent shown in the picture is mainly in festive red color, with “囍” characters and traditional baby play patterns embroidered on it. The purpose of hoping for happy events and pursuing many children and blessings is obvious. It should be to celebrate the wedding. Made to order. The gauze tent was originally hung in the east room of Chuxiu Palace, one of the six west palaces in the Forbidden City. Empress Dowager Cixi once lived here after entering the palace in the second year of Xianfeng (1852). Four years later, Emperor Tongzhi Zaichun was born in the back hall of Chuxiu Palace.
The yellow-bellied tit is a unique bird species in China and a first-level protected bird in Beijing. Although it is small in size, the bright yellow color on its belly is very eye-catching, and its swollen little body looks soft and cute. They like to jump between branches or fly between the canopy. Except for the breeding period when they move in pairs or alone, in other periods they mostly move in groups on tall broad-leaved trees or coniferous trees, sometimes in mixed groups with other birds such as great tits. In the Forbidden City, it is easier to see groups of yellow-bellied tits in areas with trees in autumn and winter. When the weather gets warmer in the following spring, most of them leave and fly to the mountains to breed. Before winter comes, they fly to the hospital again to overwinter.
On December 28, 2023, the “Long March of National Treasures – Commemorative Exhibition of the Southward Relocation of the Forbidden City Cultural Relics” jointly launched by the Palace Museum and People’s Daily’s “National Humanities and History” magazine opened at the Shanghai History Museum. The exhibition mainly focuses on the historical materials and research results of the relocation of the Forbidden City cultural relics to the south. It returns to Shanghai, the first stop city for the relocation of the Forbidden City cultural relics to the south. Through “the national treasure’s journey southward in the beacon smoke”, “the reappearance of ancient relics in Shanghai for four years” and “the cultural context continues to flourish”. The three units “Endless” reproduce the historical memory of the relocation of cultural relics from the Forbidden City to the south, leading the audience into a time and space dialogue spanning 90 years. This exhibition will last until March 29, 2024.
29th December 2023 It’s the last Friday of 2023! The blank space in the future is waiting for you to fill it with your wishes for 2024….
Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, red satin embroidered door curtain with a picture of a hundred sons. The Qing royal family’s most fervent wish was to “integrate the family and the country” and have many children and grandchildren to protect the country forever. Therefore, the royal family often uses auspicious paintings to express their pursuit of prosperity, health and longevity for their children. This phenomenon can be seen everywhere in the decoration of royal objects. This door curtain was originally hung in the Chuxiu Palace, and represents various game activities of children in rockeries, lakes, pavilions, pavilions, and waterside gardens, playing chess, and traveling in cars. The embroidery workers used exquisite craftsmanship to freeze the children’s joy and the royal family’s hope for descendants on this door curtain, which is both a practical product and a work of art.
Purple Forbidden Yaji- January wallpapers are now online. As the New Year is approaching, appreciate the tranquility of the snow-capped mountains, the lifelike bamboo sparrows in the painting, and the vigorous dragon pattern on the bottle. Go to the official website to download high-definition wallpapers in various formats and sizes,
“Little cat head” and “pointy cat ears”, this is not a cute kitten, but a “ding” that means everything!
“Ding” is a typical pictographic character, with the bottom being the tripod’s feet, the middle being the tripod’s belly, and the top “cat ears” being the two ears of the tripod. Originally, the tripod was used as a food vessel, and people used it to cook or hold food. Later, the tripod gradually became one of the most important ritual vessels for noble banquets, sacrifices and other ritual activities. Together with the bronze bell, it formed the “bell ringing tripod food”. It is said that Yu cast the Jiuding, which symbolizes the Kyushu, so the Jiuding has become an important weapon of the country, symbolizing the supreme power.
31st December 2023 Bid farewell to the last sunset of the year and head towards the grandeur of the new year. Goodbye, 2023…
1st January 2024 Hello January! Hello, the first ray of sunshine in 2024!
2024 has arrived as promised, and the Palace Museum welcomed the first batch of visitors in the new year. The leaders of the hospital arrived in front of the Meridian Gate early, presented the brand new 2024 “Forbidden City Calendar” to the first visitors to the hospital, and sent New Year blessings to everyone. In the new year, the Palace Museum will continue to accompany you. I wish you happiness and good health in the new year and all seasons!
2nd January 2024 good morning! Welcome the first working day of 2024 with full energy..
Spring and Autumn Period, bronze dragon-eared gui. Bronze Gui is not only a container for holding food, but also a ritual vessel for feasts and sacrifices. It appeared in the Shang Dynasty, became popular from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period, and gradually disappeared during the Warring States Period. Gui can be either round or square. In the early stage, it had no ears. In the later stage, it appeared with two, three or even four ears. They often appear in even numbers and are used in conjunction with odd-numbered tripods. Usually the emperor has nine tripods and eight guis, the princes have seven tripods and six guis, and the ministers have five tripods…
Warring States Period, jade carved dragon-shaped pendant. The jade pendant is in the shape of a sheet, in the shape of a dragon, with the same pattern on both sides. The dragon bends down and looks back. There is a large bird on its tail, and a small bird is carved on the inside and outside of its neck and tail. The dragon’s body is fully decorated with grain patterns and has a round hole in the middle. This vessel was unearthed from a Chu tomb during the Warring States Period in Yanggong Township, Changfeng County, Anhui Province. A total of two jade pendants were unearthed at the same time. They were similar in shape and were placed on the left and right sides of the human pelvis. They should be part of a group of jade pendants. Its size reaches more than 20 centimeters, and its body is large and finely crafted, showing the noble status of the owner of the tomb. This conjoined dragon and phoenix pendant is a unique shape among the jade wares of the Warring States Period. It has exquisite curves and exaggerated techniques, reflecting the rich imagination of the maker…
Han Dynasty, jade carvings with three dragon patterns. The shape of the jade is slightly circular, flat body, with the same decoration on both sides. The carving is three intertwined dragons, and is partially decorated with low relief and incised fine lines. The seemingly complicated interspersed changes without losing the neat geometric rhythm reflect the beauty of smart curves. This type of jade ornament is more common in jade wares of the Han Dynasty and is a kind of ornament. This jade is of bright white quality and meticulously carved. It is a piece of high craftsmanship…
Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, scholars who passed the tribute examination in their hometowns were sent to Beijing by their prefectures and counties to participate in the provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites, which was called “Fa Jie” or “Jie” for short. Therefore, experts believe that this is an institution that handles examination procedures for candidates. People dressed as Confucian scholars gathered around an old man. With his focused expression, he might have just handed over the materials and were inquiring about the exam information! In addition, some scholars believe that this place was a pawn shop, bookstore, fortune-telling stall, etc.
On July 19th 2023 , the multilingual website of the Forbidden City Palace Museum- Beijing, China, People’s Republic of Chinawas officially released at the Digital Cultural Tourism Development Forum of the 2023 China Internet Civilization Conference! The website covers five languages: English, French, Russian, Japanese, and Spanish, and will meet the needs of audiences with different languages.
The multilingual website of the Palace Museum is committed to establishing an international website that is concise, clear, easy to use for overseas audiences, and fits the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, including tour guides, information, panoramic tours, online exhibitions, collection appreciation, cultural topics, etc. Rich immersive content describing of the most detail collection that housed within the Forbidden City collection….
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Shouhuang Palace held a wedding ceremony in the wedding tent was temporarily . The wedding tent was temporarily built in the Shouhuang Hall. When the emperor and queen saluted in front of the ancestors’ holy faces, they had to change the dragon robes they wore when leaving the palace into sacrificial robes. This is the place for changing clothes. In order to build the wedding tent, the palace specially made hot samples, that is, three-dimensional models. The sample shown in this picture is still well preserved. It can be seen from the roof pattern that the diamond-shaped opening is decorated with dragon, phoenix and “囍” patterns.
清宁强英 – Exhibition of Glass Collection from the Palace Museum” jointly organized by the Palace Museum and the Guardian Art Center will open on December 23, 2023 at the Beijing Guardian Art Center. This exhibition is the fifth major special exhibition jointly launched by the Guardian Art Center and the Palace Museum. It is also the first large-scale display of Chinese and Western glass cultural relics and related research results from the 17th to the 20th centuries outside the museum. The exhibition selects more than 120 pieces (sets) of glass cultural relics collected by the Forbidden City, and uses three units: “Yao Yan Reflects Color”, “Into Fire and Flowing Gold” and “Flowing Scenery and Ningxia” to display the color, shape, shape, and color of fine glass products in all aspects. Decoration, craftsmanship and their use in courtly life. Presenting to the audience a visual feast that brings together Eastern and Western craft cultures and blends traditional and modern aesthetic styles.
Exhibition location: Guardian Art Center Exhibition time: December 23, 2023 to March 10, 2024
Encounter Ancient Characters in the Forbidden City -Today, Xiaoji will take you to learn about the food in the oracle bone inscriptions – “millet”. The lower part of the character ” millet ” represents the roots of the plant, the middle represents the branches, and the forks at the top represent the ears, which vividly depicts the appearance of millet. The origin of millet is in China. It is one of the oldest crops in our country and is listed as the leader of five grains. Its seeds are light yellow and are called yellow rice after peeling. They are slightly larger than millet and can be used to make food and are often used to make wine. It is an important grain in northern my country.
1st December 2023 – In the winter of the world, the feathers are flying. The end of the year is approaching, looking back and looking forward to it. What gains and changes have you made this year? Hello December. fall in love with the forbidden city….
Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty, anonymous, Yinzhen Xingle scroll. The concubines took care of their husbands and raised their children, were virtuous and filial, and became a model for women all over the world to follow. This month’s content not only presents the leisure activities of the concubines in the palace, but also shows the Qing royal family’s eager desire to have descendants around their knees. This picture shows Yinzhen wearing blue casual clothes and sitting indoors with a majestic expression. The concubines stood outside neatly dressed and elegantly behaved. Even in casual occasions like the courtyard, they who have received strict palace training and regulations do not dare to talk and laugh casually in front of their husband, who is the emperor.
This month’s dailyforbidden City will launch the theme of amboozhenxin , inviting you to appreciate the different forms of bamboo among the treasures of the Forbidden City. Good night tonight comes from the Song Dynasty Baitou Cong Bamboo Illustration Page.
Qing Qianlong, Chen Mei, Yue Man Qingyou picture album page. According to Emperor Qianlong’s decree, the court painter Chen Mei drew the album “Yueman Qingyou Tu”, which shows the life of court women. This picture is one of them, depicting beauties begging for tricks under the plane trees in July. “Wanshu Miscellaneous Notes” written by Shen Bang in the Ming Dynasty said: “On July 7, a bowl of water was poured into the sun. Each of them dropped a small needle on the water surface, and slowly looked at the shadow of the sun on the bottom of the water. It could be scattered like flowers, moving like clouds, as thin as a thread, or as thick as a thread. Like vertebrae, because of the skill of divination by women.” The picture shows the women gently putting the small needle into the bowl and observing it carefully. Ingenuity was the common wish of women from all walks of life at that time, even noble ladies who had no worries about food and clothing were no exception….
Swamp tits are small in size, lively and agile in movement. Although the word “swamp” is in the name, they do not actually live in swamps. They mainly live in forest areas and often move in the canopy of coniferous forests and mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests. , or cling to branches to feed on insects, and often go to bushes to peck at them. It is generally more common near water sources or humid forest areas. It is also found in parks, orchards and other environments in winter. The male and female swamp tits are of the same color. The top of the adult bird’s head to the back of its neck is metallic black. The cheeks, ear feathers and sides of the neck from the side of the head below the eyes are all slightly grayish white. There is a black feather at the base of the lower beak. From a distance, it looks like He has a black goatee-like beard. Except for the breeding season, swamp tits mostly gather in small groups and also mix with other tits
Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, unknown, Hongli Weihu obtained the deer picture scroll. This scroll is the only existing painting showing the imperial concubine following the emperor on a hunt on horseback. The picture depicts the Mulan Paddock in autumn. The imperial concubine follows Qianlong Emperor Hongli, who is drawing his bow and aiming, and offers him an arrow at a critical moment. In the end, the running deer is hit by an arrow and dies with the close cooperation of “the husband sings and the wife follows”. The princess’s hairstyle and clothing in the picture all have exotic characteristics. It is speculated that she may be Rong Fei from the Uyghur ethnic group, the legendary Xiang Fei. She entered the palace at the age of 27 and was favored by Emperor Qianlong. Her living habits and religious beliefs also received the emperor’s respect and special care.
“Qiu Hong” is a famous guqin piece handed down from generation to generation. According to legend, it was composed by Guo Chuwang, a master of the Zhejiang guqin school in the Southern Song Dynasty. The whole song is divided into thirty-six sections, making it one of the longest Qin pieces after “Guangling San”. This song uses the image of Qiu Hong flying high and marching southward, embodying ideal connotations such as “huacai” and “faithfulness”. The melody is bold and simple, the rhythm is ups and downs, and the fingering tone is high and ancient, which makes people listen. Later, I had the feeling of reaching Pingsha and thousands of miles in one fell swoop.
Horizontal axis (part) of four events of the Qing Dynasty Qianlong, Anonymous, Emperor Qianlong’s Banquet. This picture shows the concubines accompanying Emperor Qianlong to attend the banquet held by Mulan Qiuyi, and watched the lively and exciting performances of the “Four Events”, namely “Horse Fraud”, “Shibang”, “Sumo” and “Jiaojun”. As the female relatives of the harem, although they cannot attend the main venue, they can still escape to the yurt camp behind the mountain and experience the same banquet atmosphere as the main venue. Whether he was hunting in the east or north, or going to the south of the Yangtze River, Emperor Qianlong would always take his concubines with him. Mountains and water, everywhere you go, there are scenery, which undoubtedly adds endless fun to the concubine’s closed inner court life…..
On the 3rd of December 2023, in China, People’s Republic of China National Constitution Day When the court meets the Forbidden City, when the rule of law and culture meet, what kind of brilliant sparks will be produced?
On December 3, the Palace Museum and the Beijing Second Intermediate People’s Court jointly held an event themed “Carrying forward the spirit of the Constitution and building a China governed by law” to welcome the 10 National Constitution Day . Hundreds of children from Jingshan School and Banchang Primary School were invited to attend the event. Take an interesting “Constitutional Education Class”. Under the leadership of the teacher, the students searched for the legal beast Haechi in the Forbidden City, learned the history of the Forbidden City along the way, and passed on the memory of the nation under the influence of culture. They listened to the lectures on the Constitution, recited its articles, made handwritten newspapers on the spot, and had discussions with the Constitution. Intimate contact and immersive experience of a journey to find the roots of traditional legal culture and a journey of exploration of the spirit of modern rule of law.
明中都Mingzhongdu The Ming Zhongdu is located in Fengyang County, Chuzhou City, Anhui Province, China, People’s Republic of China. It was the first capital built by the founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang in his hometown of Fengyang. The construction project was presided over by Li Shanchang, the first civil servant of the Ming Dynasty.
The central capital of the Ming Dynasty was first built in the second year of Hongwu (1369) and was stopped in the eighth year of Hongwu (1375). It took a total of six years to build. The Ming Dynasty capital covers an area of more than 50 square kilometers and has three inner, middle and outer cities. Its inner palace city (imperial city) is 120,000 square meters larger than the Forbidden City in Beijing.
Why does the 600-year-old Forbidden City remain as new as ever? Innovatively telling the story of eternal youth in the Forbidden City, let’s have a conversation that transcends time and space! 六百岁故宫何以历久弥新？创新讲述紫禁城青春永驻的故事 来一场超越时空的对话！
The Ming and Zhongdu were designed in strict accordance with the “Book of Rites of the Zhou Dynasty: Kao Gong Ji”, with layout features such as the front dynasty and the back sleeping quarters, the left ancestor and the right commune, and a north-south central axis running through the entire city. When Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict to build the Central Capital in Fengyang, he mobilized skilled craftsmen, soldiers and civilians from all over the country, no less than a million people, to build cities, palaces and palaces like the capital city system, which occupied an important position in the history of the development of ancient Chinese capitals.
Beijing Forbidden City in comparison with the 1062 meters long Odyssey Class – Beijing, China, People’s Republic of China.
明中都Mingzhongdu Forbidden city first Ming Dynasty Forbidden CityFengyang County, Chuzhou City, Anhui Province in comparison with the 1062 meters long Odyssey Class – Beijing, China, People’s Republic of China.
The rise and fall of Zhongdu
The Ming Dynasty was established in 1368. In the same year, the Ming army launched its Northern Expedition and occupied most of the Yuan Dynasty , ending the Yuan Dynasty’s rule across the country. The political situation has undergone tremendous changes. After analyzing the pros and cons of establishing capitals in Guanzhong, Luoyang, Bianliang (Kaifeng), and Peking, Ming Taizu believed that Nanjing was too far away from the Central Plains to control the country; Bianliang also suffered from poor people’s livelihood and was a A place surrounded by enemies. Therefore, in September of the second year of Hongwu, an imperial edict was issued to choose Linhao (today’s Fengyang) to build the central capital, “ordering officials to build cities, palaces and palaces as in the capital.”
The construction project of Zhongdu was presided over by Li Shanchang. In the third year of Hongwu, the ground was started and the construction of the palace city began. By the sixth year of Hongwu, the palace city and forbidden city walls and palaces were basically completed, and the construction of the outer city of Zhongdu also started. On Dingsi in April of the eighth year of Hongwu (1375), Zhu Yuanzhang “went to Zhongdu in person to inspect his merits and reward his hard work.” On the same day, he ordered the construction of Ming Zhongdu to be stopped on the grounds of “labor expenses”. Down, no other buildings in Zhongdu will be built, and unfinished projects will continue. After that, from October of the eighth year of Hongwu, the auxiliary buildings of Zhongdu City were renovated and the imperial tombs were built. In the 26th year of Hongwu, the outer city gates of Zhongdu were built. By the 30th year of Hongwu, the construction of Zhongdu City was completed.
After Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty stopped building Zhongdu, Zhongdu was not used as the capital. However, because it was the imperial hometown, the emperor’s relatives often trained troops in Fengyang and lived in the palace of Fengyang Zhongdu. Later, because Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing, Beijing was far away from Fengyang. Princes no longer often lived in Zhongdu as in the Hongwu period. The palaces in the imperial city gradually became deserted, but there were still a large number of residents living in Zhongdu, and there were also many people stationed there. The army and government offices guarded and managed the central capital.
Current status of the Ming and Zhongdu palace city ruins
A schematic restoration of the Tushan Gate city platform in the Ming Dynasty (painted by He Lejun of Nanjing University)
On March 31, 2022, the high-profile “Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries in the Country in 2021” was announced. The Ming Zhongdu Site stood out from the 20 archaeological excavation projects that were shortlisted for the final evaluation and was successfully selected.
Ming Zhongdu was the capital city built by Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang in his hometown of Fengyang. In the second year of Hongwu (1369), construction was ordered. Six years later, when construction was stopped on the grounds of “labor expenses”, the capital had begun to take shape. The city site consists of three layers of city walls, covering an area of 50 square kilometers. City walls, palaces, temples, central government offices, military facilities, together with road networks, water systems, kiln sites, stone quarries and other relics from the time of city construction, together constitute a huge group of Ming Zhongdu ruins. In 1982, its core part, the Ming Dynasty Imperial City, was announced as the second batch of national key cultural relics protection units, and in 2017, it was announced as the third batch of national archaeological site parks.
A schematic restoration of the palace in the former court area of the Ming and Zhongdu capitals (illustrated by Li Wei of the Forbidden City)
The distribution of palaces and ancillary buildings in the former dynasty area of the Ming and Zhongdu
The huge stone foundation unearthed from the front hall of the palace foundation site
Large scale stone structure at the palace foundation site
In 2013, taking the construction of the ruins park as an opportunity, the Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology formulated the “Archaeological Work Plan for the Ming Zhongdu Site”. In 2014, the archaeological exploration work of the Ming Zhongdu Site was launched, and the excavation officially began in 2015. In 2017, with the approval of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology cooperated with the Palace Museum and other units to conduct excavations in accordance with the excavation principles of “minimum area”, “minimum destruction” and “exhibition first” and in accordance with “layout, regulation, technology and process”. “Four academic goals, combining “field archaeology”, “digital archeology” and “technological archeology”, carried out continuous archaeological work on the Ming Zhongdu site and achieved a series of important gains. Through exploration and excavation, the layout of the city site has become increasingly clear, and the shapes and structures of individual building remains such as Chengtianmen, Donghuamen, and Waijinshuiqiao have been gradually revealed. On this basis, in 2021, we focused on excavation work on the Tushan Gate site and the core palace foundation site in the Qianchao District, with a total excavation area of approximately 2,100 square meters.
1. It is revealed that the Tushan Gate is a single-door arch-type city gate. The bottom of the city platform is about 39.5 meters wide from north to south and about 23 meters deep from east to west. It has a rammed earth inner and outer brick structure. The rammed earth core is made of one layer of bricks and one layer of soil. “Jiawaza” ramming method. On the north side of the city platform, an east-west horse path is set up against the north wall of the city platform. It is also a structure filled with rammed earth on the inside and bricks on the outside. The south side of the city platform and the outer city wall are connected by a brick wall. The city platform, horse paths and brick city walls are all located on a rammed earth platform with foundation trenches dug underground, and there is a clear construction sequence. The foundation trough and platform rammed earth also adopt the ramming method of one layer of bricks and one layer of soil. There are also ground nails at the bottom of the foundation trough of the city platform.
2. After accumulated excavations from 2015 to 2021, the layout of the palace foundation and some ancillary buildings in the former area of Guancheng was clarified by exposing the rammed earth platform foundation and its internal slats, in order to further explore the bay scale and construction sequence of the building. , construction technology, etc. laid the foundation. From the information revealed in the western half, it can be seen that the palace has a “work”-shaped layout of the front and rear halls plus a cross hall. Both the front and back halls have “Ninety-Four” bays, and the front hall leads to Baoxia. The hall is three rooms wide and seven rooms deep. On the west side of the apse are auxiliary buildings that may be corridors, gatehouses and Chonglou. The structure of the main hall, front and back halls plus a passage hall is relatively close to the palace architectural shape in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. The combination of ancillary buildings on the west side of the apse is very similar to the building combination at the same location in the Forbidden City in Beijing.
3. Excavations show that the palace is located on a rammed earth platform with a high front and a low back, similar to the practice of the Imperial Ancestral Temple in Beijing. The outer edge of the southern part of the platform is covered with a stone Xumizuo. A varying number of steps are found on the front and sides. The ground from the apse to the north is level with the top surface of the platform. The platform base is constructed one by one from various types of rammed earth, and a dense and neat platform is built using the “stone-clipping” method of one layer of stones and one layer of earth. There are many types of stone slabs, such as single type, two-piece type and four-piece type, which are constructed at the same time as the surrounding rammed earth. There are still foundation stones close to their original positions beside some of the stone walls. Among them, the giant stone foundation unearthed from the front hall has a side length of nearly 2.8 meters, a foundation surface length of 2.5 to 2.6 meters, and a basin diameter of 1.8 meters. Its volume is the largest at present. The foundation stone of a palace building is the largest I have ever seen. A rectangular loess platform with a length of 5.7 meters and a width of 4.9 meters was found in the middle and rear of the front hall. It was built earlier than the palace site and the palace wall. It is the location of the dragon throne in the palace and is exactly at the geometric center point of the entire palace.
Contents of this issue: The Ming Zhongdu ruins are located in Fengyang County, Anhui Province. More than 600 years ago, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, decided to make Fengyang the capital of the world, named Zhongdu. Historians and architectural historians believe that during the construction, blueprints and model models were drawn for the reconstruction of the Nanjing Palace and the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing.
Contents of this issue: The mystery of Ming Zhongdu has been deciphered beneath the surface of Jingdezhen, five hundred kilometers away. In 1990, the Jingdezhen Ceramic Archeology Institute unearthed an exquisite white porcelain water pipe, 26 centimeters high. Combining literature and stratigraphic analysis and comparison with physical objects, archaeologists in Jingdezhen confirmed that this unusual glazed building component was a sewer pipe produced for the construction of Fengyang Ming Zhongdu.
Contents of this issue: In the six years from 1369 to 1375 AD, a new capital city began to take shape in Fengyang, Zhu Yuanzhang’s hometown. Zhu Yuanzhang completed the national project of Zhongdu with extremely high standards, striving for excellence in every link. Seeing that his wish to “move the capital to Zhongdu” and “fix the tripod” is about to be realized.
Contents of this issue: In 1375 AD, shortly after Zhu Yuanzhang returned to Nanjing, he suddenly stopped the construction of the Central Capital on the grounds of “labor expense”, which shocked both the government and the public. The super project, which had devoted all the efforts of the whole country, came to an abrupt end just when it was “about to be completed.” As for the real reason, historical records are very vague.
The importance of new archaeological discoveries in Zhongdu during the Ming Dynasty:
1. New archaeological discoveries promote in-depth understanding of the Ming Zhongdu ruins
Because historical records are unclear. Archaeological exploration and excavation of key locations have continuously improved our understanding of the overall planning and layout of the capital in the middle Ming Dynasty. The excavation gradually clarified the scale and shape of each individual building, and explored information such as its construction process, order, and materials. It also gained an in-depth understanding of the construction, abandonment, and evolution processes of each group of buildings.
2. The excavation has filled a number of academic gaps.
1. The “3+2” layout of the Chengtianmen site discovered by archaeological excavations in recent years filled in the transitional link for the evolution of the second gate of the capital from three gates to five gates. It is the prototype of Beijing’s iconic “Tiananmen”.
2. For the first time, the architectural layout of the main hall of the former dynasty area during the Ming and Qing Dynasties is completely revealed. It fills the gap in the archeology of the capital palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties when other city sites such as Nanjing and Beijing do not have the conditions for excavation.
3. The discovery of the loess center point in the palace is extremely rare in excavations in the capital. It is located at the geometric center point of the entire palace city and is the location of the emperor’s dragon throne. It has strong symbolic significance and provides precious materials for studying the planning, site selection, and construction sequence of ancient capitals.
4. The huge stone foundation discovered at the palace foundation reflects the grand scale of the building. Its size is the largest stone foundation found in ancient Chinese palace buildings so far.
3. The excavation has supplemented key materials for the transformation of China’s ancient capital system from the Song and Yuan Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Documents record that Zhu Yuanzhang visited Kaifeng in person before the construction of Zhongdu in the Ming Dynasty. When he conquered the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, he also measured the palaces in the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, including the Zhongdu of the Jin Dynasty. In November of the second year of Hongwu, he read the Yuan palace map. Therefore, the planning of the Ming Zhongdu reflected elements of the Song and Yuan capital systems. For example, the palace city is generally located southward in the capital, the T-shaped square is set up, and the outer Jinshui River route is similar to the planning of Dadu in the Yuan Dynasty. The triple city wall ring, the five-gate system on the central axis, and the I-shaped palace are all directly or indirectly inherited from Kaifeng in the Northern Song Dynasty. city planning concept.
Mingzhongdu was the first capital city in the Ming and Qing dynasties that truly embodied the capital system. Its planning was influenced to a certain extent by King Wu’s New Palace, but in turn it had a more profound impact on the subsequent transformation of Nanjing’s palace city and the capital construction of Beijing. The shape of the city gates in the northern and southern capitals, the setting of palaces and courtyards, the symmetrical layout of left ancestors and right shrines, and the internal and external Jinshui River system were all deeply influenced by the Ming and Zhongdu, and were deeply influenced by the planning of Ming Dynasty palaces and mausoleums in various cities.
The excavation of relevant sites along the central axis of the Ming and Zhongdus has revealed that they connect Song Kaifeng, Jin Zhongdu, Yuan Dadu, Ming Nanjing and Ming Beijing, filling key gaps. This connection also reflects the transmission of Chinese cultural genes from generation to generation. and the continuous characteristics of Chinese civilization. At the same time, it also has practical significance for promoting the study of the central axis of Beijing during the Ming and Qing Dynasties and its application for world cultural heritage.
4. The excavation of various buildings in the Ming and Zhongdu has added important reference materials for the study of architectural history.
The excavation of the palace foundation provides a reference for studying the palace layout of the Forbidden City in Beijing in the early Ming Dynasty, and finds the origin of the practice of the Imperial Ancestral Temple in Beijing.
The discovery of the craftsmanship, practices, construction sequence, and building materials of various types of buildings provides key basis for the restoration research on architectural construction in Zhongdu during the Ming Dynasty, and also provides reference materials for the research on other similar buildings.
The excavation of engineering relics such as kiln sites and scientific and technological research on building materials are also of great value in exploring the organization and implementation of engineering construction, and the production and circulation of building materials.
Since 2017, commissioned by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Palace Museum Archeology Institute has cooperated with the Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology to carry out archaeological work on the Ming Zhongdu ruins, and has participated in the completion of the Waijin Water Bridge, the moat, Xihua Gate, Tushan Gate, the core palace area, etc. Excavation work was carried out and a comprehensive survey was conducted on the Ming Zhongdu City Site and the Ming Emperor’s Mausoleum. At the beginning of 2019, the Mingzhongdu Archaeological Work Station jointly built by both parties was officially put into use.
The archeology of Zhongdu in the Ming Dynasty is one of the focuses of the archeology outside the Forbidden City, and it is also one of the important academic topics that the Forbidden City Archeology is dedicated to the archaeological research of palace-related remains. The archaeological discovery and research of the palace city of the Ming Dynasty is of great significance for deeply revealing the spatial form, structural layout, and regulatory ideas of the Forbidden City in Beijing. In the future, we will fully rely on the platform resource advantages of the Palace Museum, actively give play to the palace archaeological characteristics of the Palace Museum, continue to participate in and undertake various archaeological work on the site of the Ming Zhongdu, and base on the perspective of comparative research on the three capitals of the early Ming Dynasty, based on the archeology of the Ming Zhongdu Guided by the academic goals of the Ming Dynasty, the protection of cultural relics and archaeological work in Zhongdu of the Ming Dynasty will continue to be deepened.
