Forbidden City books – Luna Crescent

#北京 #中國 #China #Beijing | #紫禁城 #ForbiddenCity #December2023 | #ForbiddenCityDairies -The Palace Museum #ForbiddenCity Collections of Chinese intangible cultural heritage. 4th to 12th December 2023….. First Snow of 2023..

December 13, 2023 kevinjamesngLeave a comment

On July 19^th 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 Qianlong, Yao Wenhan, etc., Chongqing Empress Dowager’s eighty-year longevity picture is posted (partial). This picture depicts the grand occasion of Emperor Qianlong’s 80th birthday celebration held for his mother, Empress Dowager Chongqing, in the Cining Palace in the Forbidden City where she lived in November of the 36th year of Qianlong’s reign (1771). In the palace, the Queen Mother was sitting on the throne enjoying the banquet, and Emperor Qianlong was sitting sideways to accompany her. In the east and west rooms were Emperor Qianlong’s concubines and Prince Fujin, etc., and on the platform outside the palace were the princes and grandchildren. At this time, the person in charge of the Sixth Palace was the imperial concubine Wei Jia, the biological mother of Emperor Jiaqing Yong Yan, who was posthumously named Queen Xiaoyi. This picture is the only existing painting that truly shows the emperor and his family congratulating the Queen Mother on her birthday. It has precious historical value.

Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, anonymous, all nations come to court. In order to promote the majesty of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong ordered the court painters to create several works that reflected the envoys from various countries coming to the Forbidden City to congratulate them on the New Year. This picture is one of them. The coming of all nations to court was both a family and a state matter for Emperor Qianlong. Therefore, he not only ordered the court painters to depict the lively scenes of envoys from the surrounding vassal states of the Qing Dynasty and Western countries paying homage to him, but also ordered the painters to depict the lively scenes in the paintings…

On the 7^th December 2023 The warm sun is shining, gently touching the painted pillars and caressing the railings. Today 大雪 , together with the spine beasts, we are looking forward to a heavy snowfall that will decorate the Forbidden City!

Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, unknown, scroll of all nations coming to court (detail). This picture is part of the axis of “The Map of All Nations Coming to Court”. It shows the elderly Emperor Qianlong embracing the descendants of the royal family, sitting in the Ningshou Palace area that was rebuilt for him to take care of himself after returning to power, and receiving New Year’s congratulations from envoys from various countries. For Emperor Qianlong, the dynasty was important, but the prosperity of his descendants was also a top priority. Emperor Qianlong had a total of twenty-seven children in his life. In the forty-ninth year of Qianlong’s reign (1784), his great-great-grandson was born, and he was very excited about the five generations living under the same roof. Afterwards, he added the inscription “Five Blessings and Five Dynasties Hall” to the Gyeongbokgung Palace in the Forbidden City to commemorate his wishes, and then engraved “Five Blessings and Five Dynasties Hall Ancient and Rare Emperor Treasure” to express his contented imperial life. There is no date of creation for this painting, but according to the records of the Qing Palace Construction Office, it was painted in December of the 44th year of Qianlong’s reign (1779), so the infant in his arms at this time must be his great-grandson.

Qing Jiaqing, anonymous, Emperor Jiaqing’s ancient costumes and entertainment scroll. This picture depicts Emperor Jiaqing and his concubines dressed in traditional Han costumes, relaxing and entertaining in the courtyard. Although it is a picture of a couple having fun, Emperor Jiaqing not only occupies the main position in the painting, but is also taller than his concubines who are also seated and even the standing waiters, highlighting his supreme status as the king of a country and the head of a family. The waiter came towards them with a scroll of calligraphy and painting in his hand. The gathering of couples was about to begin in the imperial garden where peonies and magnolias were in full bloom, forming an enviable scene of love.

The 40th Anniversary Exhibition of the Palace Museum Publishing House” will be officially opened to the public on December 9 in the Wenhua Hall of the Palace Museum! This exhibition unfolds the 40-year development history of the Palace Museum Press in five units, and for the first time adopts the innovative exhibition format of “books + cultural relics”. In the exhibition hall, there are not only the “Forbidden City Book Mountain” and the “Forbidden Book City” built with thousands of fine books, but also 22 precious cultural relics, including fine porcelain from the five famous kilns of the Song Dynasty, and the Qianlong Jasper Dragon Button from the Qing Dynasty. “An ancient rare treasure of the emperor” and other exquisite cultural relics. The exhibition will last until February 25, 2024. The general audience can make an appointment to visit through the “Forbidden City Museum” applet

Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty, anonymous, empress Xiaoshencheng’s lotus scroll. Daoguang Emperor Minning had four queens in his life, the second of whom was Queen Xiaoshencheng. She is the daughter of Shu Ming’a, the third-class Chengen Gong. She entered the palace during the Jiaqing Dynasty and married Minning, who was the prince at the time. In the 13th year of Jiaqing (1808), Emperor Renzong granted her the title of successor to the Jin Dynasty. In the second year of Daoguang (1822), she was canonized as queen. She was the eldest daughter of Emperor Daoguang, Princess Duan Ming Lun, but unfortunately she died in infancy. This picture shows Empress Xiaoshencheng holding a folding fan and wearing seasonal flowers as headdress while admiring the flowers and scenery in the picturesque imperial garden. A pair of mandarin ducks in the lotus pond made her stop and watch. Obviously, the flowers in the garden could not touch her heart as much as the loving mandarin ducks.

Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty, anonymous, Xiao Quancheng, Queen Xuan Palace’s spring mist scroll. This picture is a portrait of Empress Xiao Quancheng holding the prince’s hand. Empress Xiao Quancheng (1808-1840) entered the palace in the early years of Daoguang and was given the title of Quanbi. She gave birth to the third and fourth daughters of Emperor Daoguang. In the eleventh year of Daoguang (1831), when she was twenty-four years old, she gave birth to The fourth son of the emperor was Emperor Xianfeng. In the thirteenth year of Daoguang’s reign (1833), she was granted the title of Imperial Concubine by the Jin Dynasty. In October of the fourteenth year of Daoguang (1834), she was officially appointed by Emperor Daoguang as the third queen after Queen Xiao Shencheng. When she passed away, Yi𬣞 was just over nine years old. The prince she is holding in the picture may be the still young Yi𬣞. The mother and son are holding lotus leaves and lotus flowers respectively, implying the inseparable affection between flowers and leaves.

In order to implement the spirit of the “Opinions on Promoting the Work of Ancient Books in the New Era” and deepen the protection and revitalization of ancient literature and cultural relics, the Palace Museum, on the basis of sorting, protecting and researching the engraving cultural relics in the museum’s collection, has established a monastery in the southeast of Taihe Gate. The ” 九牌馆 ” was opened in the building and the court room , and the ” 吉光片雨 – Exhibition of Qing Dynasty palace engraving cultural relics collected by the Palace Museum” was held at the same time, with more than 15,000 pieces (groups) of cultural relics displayed in a warehouse-style display. This is the first time the Palace Museum has held a special cultural relics exhibition of this type since its establishment. The exhibition will be officially open to the public from October 31, 2023, in the Southeast Chonglou and Chaofang Engraving Hall inside the Taihe Gate of the Palace Museum.

Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty, anonymous, the scroll of Emperor Daoguang’s joyful autumn garden. This painting depicts the scene of Emperor Daoguang having fun in the courtyard with his concubine, elder brother and princess. With Emperor Daoguang in the open pavilion was the 26-year-old imperial concubine, Queen Xiao Quancheng, the mother of Emperor Xianfeng. At this time, she was dignified in appearance and had just been promoted to imperial concubine due to the death of Empress Xiao Shencheng. She was in charge of the affairs of the Sixth Palace and assumed the power of the empress. Therefore, she was qualified to sit with Emperor Daoguang, but according to regulations, she could not sit side by side with the emperor, so she could only sit respectfully to the side. In front of the pavilion are the lively princes, princesses and elegant concubines. In the happiness of his family, Emperor Daoguang couldn’t help but write the title of the picture “Happiness Overflowing the Autumn Garden” in his own handwriting…..

On the 11^th December 2023 Overnight, the inside and outside of the palace were wrapped in white. The glazed golden roof is covered with jade dust, and the red walls and corridors are covered with silver stars. Looking far into the distance, Danchen and green tiles meet the snow, which is the same color as the sky.

There is flying snow on the red steps, and the green branches are cold and crisp. Under the city full of silver, dots of red and golden stars are scattered among them, forming a moving picture of the Forbidden City in winter.

The white snow is the base, the yellow eaves are the lines, and the dots of vermilion dance like musical notes, like falling jade beads on a plate, composing a majestic movement of snow falling on the Danchen!

The cold stamens are rustling, and the flying feathers are fluttering. The winter elves break the tranquility among the ice and snow, adding infinite vitality…

Qing Xianfeng, Anonymous, Mei Guifei, Chun Guiren and other carnival scrolls. This picture depicts Emperor Xianfeng’s concubine Mei, the noble concubine of the spring, and Qi Chang enjoying their summer fishing activities. There is a yellow paper tag with their name stuck next to each person. Among them, the highest-ranking concubine Mei Guifei is among them, with a look of joy on her face. Their eyebrows are slender and their lower lips are a little bright red, which is the typical makeup of court women in the late Qing Dynasty. As a concrete realistic painting, this picture provides relatively precious image data for studying the costumes of concubines and palace entertainment life in the Qing Dynasty….

The river body is smooth, the eaves and ridges are smooth, and the viewing pillars are in order. The captivating sky and earth trace the changes, and the charm of six hundred years becomes more apparent.

Images and visuals are from – Forbidden City –Palace Museum Beijing- China –People’s Republic of China…..

#北京 #中國 #China #Beijing | #紫禁城 #ForbiddenCity #October2023 | #ForbiddenCityDairies -The Palace Museum #ForbiddenCity Collections of Chinese intangible cultural heritage. Collection 11th towards 16th October 2023 …..

October 18, 2023 kevinjamesngLeave a comment

On the 11^th October the anniversary of Daily palace, tonight’s good night comes from the 98-year-old Palace Museum…..

The wind blows and the rain blows, the stars move, and the ancient city remains undefeated through the prosperous years. Today is the 98th anniversary of the founding of the National Palace Museum . The Forbidden City carries the ancient memories of history, and has witnessed and accompanied everyone to open new chapters in life over the long years. On the 98th birthday of the Forbidden City, let us look back on every detail of our visit to the Forbidden City, relive our exclusive memories with the Forbidden City, and jointly protect this precious world cultural heritage!

Let’s read the calendar together During the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, bright yellow satin and flat gold embroidery with dragon and phoenix patterns on the backrest, bedding, and greetings. The Qing Dynasty palace mostly used hardwood furniture. Hardwood furniture is valuable and strong, but it can cause discomfort when sitting or lying down for long periods of time, especially in winter, so soft cushions are needed. The wooden kang is larger, and the mattress, backrest, and handstands are often used together. They are filled with cotton on the inside and wrapped in brocade and other fabrics, making them soft and comfortable. The soft cushion in the picture is embroidered with flat gold, using real gold threads embroidered on the surface of the fabric. Mattress, backrest and handrails are essential items in home life. Although they are trivial details, they are related to personal feelings and can reflect the taste of life, so they are valued by people at the time. Emperor Yongzheng put forward specific requirements for the design of cushions, backrests and hand patterns.

“The Qiang Guan is covered with frost all over the ground.” The autumn wind blows the camel bells, and also blows away the confusion at the end of the eyes of homesick travelers.

[Clothing] Camel gray tufted kui pattern dark flower diameter gauze small simple robe, camel ground dragon and phoenix Ganoderma lucidum Ruyi pattern brocade, beige ground flower pattern woven gold brocade, camel gauze short-waisted women’s socks
[Accessories] Topaz sword head with hooked grain pattern, light camel satin embroidered scratching chrysanthemum pattern waist round purse, gauze head flower
[Daily necessities] Topaz double ear-shaped movable ring bottle with lid, yellow tapestry fan with vines, flowers and butterflies and mahogany carved handles

日面宫# , tonight’s good night comes from Zhu Yunming’s cursive chrysanthemum poem ceremony.

In the Qing Dynasty, the kang blanket was embroidered with red cloth with Chinese characters, dragons and phoenixes, and colorful cloud patterns for generations. The carpet cultural relics in the Palace Museum are divided into carpets, kang rugs, and tapestries according to their uses. The center of this kang rug has a dragon and phoenix character “囍” pattern, and the edges are patterns of bats, gourds, plum blossoms, longevity peaches, and the character “囍”, which symbolize wealth, longevity, and descendants for generations. This kang rug uses Cantonese embroidery stitching and may come from Guangdong. It was a tribute specially purchased for the emperor’s wedding. According to Emperor Guangxu’s “Red Wedding Ceremony”, the East Nuan Pavilion of Kunning Palace used a red felt kang blanket embroidered with dragon and phoenix “囍” patterns.

Forbidden City Autumn Fashionable Color – Fragrant color
“The fragrance of ripe rice is ten miles west. The hibiscus fences fall with long bamboo silk. The hanging mountain fruits hang green and yellow.” In the scene of a good harvest, where does the autumn fragrance come from?

[Clothing] Women’s robe with fragrant yarn embroidered with eight groups of peony and Kuifeng patterns, fragrant satin soap boots with rice beads, fragrant satin velvet mouth with peony pattern oval purse, fragrant silk embroidered flower pattern handkerchief [Accessories] inlaid with pearls and
jade Belt buckle, yellow tourmaline bracelet with pearls and emerald ornaments
[daily necessities] jade flower handle cup, tea powder glazed string pattern bottle, tea powder glazed flower

Qing Dynasty, with dragon and phoenix characters on the mattress. The emperors and empresses of the Qing Dynasty often sat on the kang when they lived in the house, and kang blankets and mattresses were laid on the kang for convenience. According to Emperor Guangxu’s “Red Wedding Ceremony” records, when Emperor Guangxu got married, eight large red satin mattresses embroidered with dragons and phoenixes with “囍” patterns were prepared in the East Nuan Pavilion of Kunning Palace. This cushion was originally stored in Kunning Palace. From the embroidered pattern of dragon and phoenix with the character “囍”, it can be seen that it was used during the wedding of Emperor Guangxu.

Knots are the flowers that decorate the flowers. The mother-in-law is composed of a skeleton, an inner tube, and an exterior mother-in-law flower. The shapes of the flowers are various, including vase-shaped, olive-shaped, long angular, round, etc. They are called knots, hairpins, green strips, etc. according to the yellow strips they are attached to. Among them, the knot is decorated on the lower middle part of the front of the knot. Since most of the knots are equipped with hanging rings on both sides and the bottom edge of the back, beads can be hung; round hairpins are decorated on it, and long angular hairpins are decorated on the left and right sides of the knots..

Qing Dynasty, wood inlaid material, stone, gold and peach leather saddle. The saddle is made of wood, with an asphalt surface and painted with patterns such as butterflies and lotuses. The edge of the saddle is inlaid with rubies, turquoise, coral and other jewels. The attached yellow strips have the words “Happy Saddle” and “Branded Bundle” written on it. , it can be seen from this that it is a wedding saddle specially used for weddings. When the stipulated time came on the day of the emperor’s wedding, the eunuchs used ceremonial carriages to carry the queen to the Kunning Palace in the middle palace. When the queen entered Kunning Palace, the eunuch arrived in advance..

Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, bright yellow silk embroidered with clouds, bats, dragons, phoenixes and 囍 patterns. The napkin is a napkin. The emperor and empress wore it on their chests to avoid staining their clothes when they ate. The main color of this piece of clothing is bright yellow, with red, blue, white, and green colors in between. There is a yellow “囍” pattern in the center, dragon and phoenix patterns on both sides, and the edges are decorated with cranes, bats, deer, and the Chinese characters “Shou” and “Shou”. “囍” character pattern, etc. This bodice was specially made for the weddings or longevity celebrations of emperors and empresses of the Qing Dynasty.

Before the Han Dynasty, there were pre-Qin stone drums and Qin Shihuang carved stones. It was not until the Eastern Han Dynasty that rectangular standing stones with inscribed characters and a certain shape appeared, which were the stele with the meaning of later generations. With the development of the times, the meaning of stele gradually expanded to include stone inscriptions, such as stone inscriptions, epitaphs, cliff inscriptions, statue inscriptions, stone monument inscriptions, etc.

Most of the steles handed down from the Han Dynasty are rubbings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with only a few rubbings from the Song Dynasty. The “Xiyue Huashan Temple Stele” of the Eastern Han Dynasty was destroyed in the Ming Dynasty, and only four rubbings survive: the Huayin and Siming editions collected by the Palace Museum, the Shunde edition collected by the Cultural Relics Collection of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Nagagaki edition collected by the Taito Ward Museum of Calligraphy in Tokyo, Japan. . Two of them, the Huayin version and the Shunde version, are on display in the first unit of this Song Tuo Charm exhibition, “Xiyue Huashan Temple Stele and Han and Tang Stele Inscriptions

Ming Dynasty, Zigang style sapphire cup. After the sitting ceremony was completed, the emperor and empress performed the ceremony of union. Before the ceremony, the queen redressed and dressed up. In addition to changing into court robes and gown, she also had to comb her long hair, which is a symbol of an unmarried girl, into the “two hairs” of a married daughter-in-law. At the end of the lunar month, the emperor and empress sat on the mattress, drinking and eating. Under the eaves outside the house, the banner couple sang a song of celebration in Manchu to wish the emperor and empress good luck on their wedding, and the wedding ceremony was completed. This sapphire cup has two connected tubes. A phoenix is carved between the two tubes as the cup handle. The rim of one side of the cup is engraved with the inscription “Zigang Zhi”, and the rim of the other side is engraved with the inscription “Henan Cup”.

Qing Dynasty, clay paint and yellow wine jar. Wedding ceremonies are grand and lively, often with wine added to the fun. This wine jar is made of clay and painted with colorful paint. The body of the jar is painted with auspicious patterns of dragons and phoenixes. There is the word “囍” on the jar body and sealing mud. The jar is filled with rice wine produced in Zhejiang. In ancient China, the best rice wine was brewed in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. This wine may have been specially produced by local officials as a tribute to the emperor’s wedding.

Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty, yellow ground pastel magpie plum bowl. In preparation for the wedding in the 11th year of Tongzhi (1872), the palace issued a firing list and official instructions to the Jingdezhen Royal Kiln Factory: “The queen needs to use porcelain for fourteen points and nine colors.” Among them, “Fourteen Points” refers to fourteen sets of porcelain with different patterns, each of which is a sea bowl, a large bowl, a medium bowl, a soup bowl, a rice bowl, a pocket bowl, a nine-inch plate, a seven-inch plate, a five-inch plate, and a four-inch plate. One-inch plates, three-inch plates, two-inch five-plates, wine cups, soup spoons, tea cups, large tea cups, tureens, tea jars, urns, powder boxes, rice bowls, rouge boxes, flower pots, narcissus boxes, etc. The inner wall of this bowl is plain, and the outer wall is painted with magpies and plum blossoms on the yellow ground. The main trunk of the plum tree is curved, the branches are strong, and plum blossoms are dotted on the branches. Black magpies are flying or perching, with vivid postures and delicate depictions. The magpie climbing on the plum blossom is a traditional Chinese auspicious pattern. It is pronounced by the words “xi” and “plum”, which means “happy on the eyebrows”. This patterned bowl is one of the “fourteen points” porcelain fired at Tongzhi’s wedding…

Images and visuals are from – Forbidden City –Palace Museum Beijing- China –People’s Republic of China…..

#北京 #中國 #China #Beijing | #紫禁城 #ForbiddenCity #October2023 | #ForbiddenCityDairies -The Palace Museum #ForbiddenCity Collections of Chinese intangible cultural heritage. Collection 8th -11th October 2023-

October 11, 2023 kevinjamesngLeave a comment

On July 19^th 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.

中国romantic farewell Hangzhou Asian Games In the eighth month of the lunar calendar, the osmanthus flower blooms and is the official flower of that month. In ancient times, the sweet-scented osmanthus was regarded as a good omen for success, and now it also contains the good expectations of “winning the laurels in the toad palace” and “winning the laurel crown”. The Hangzhou Asian Games will close tonight. Let us give a golden osmanthus to the athletes who are working hard to achieve greater success in their future journey!

Qing Dynasty, yellow satin embroidered pillow with gourd and 囍 characters, dragon and phoenix patterns. Pillows are bedding that is placed under the head to help people sleep. In the early days, they were mostly wooden and porcelain pillows, and later gradually became soft and comfortable fabric pillows. The pillow shapes include rectangular, round waist, cloud heads, petals, silver ingots, chicken hearts, etc. The most common decorative patterns are the lions who control the house, children praying for children, peonies hoping for wealth, dragons and phoenixes blessing marriage, etc. This pillow is used in the bridal chamber for weddings. It is embroidered with yellow satin, with the word “囍” in the center, dragon and phoenix patterns on both sides, and gourd patterns on the edges, which is consistent with the overall decoration theme of the bridal chamber.

Forbidden City Autumn Popular Colour – Sapphire Blue
“A crane lining the clouds in the clear sky brings poetry to the blue sky.” Autumn chrysanthemums, okra, and begonias blend into the gem-like blue sky of autumn.

[Clothing] Royal blue satin robe with flat gold embroidery and cloud and crane pattern, blue satin embroidered chrysanthemum and butterfly pattern bordered pipa lapel waistcoat, royal blue three-autumn pattern makeup satin [Daily necessities] Warm bowl with enamel painted with the Chinese character “Happiness” and treasure phase pattern, blue and
white Snuff bottle with cloud and dragon pattern, blue and white snuff bottle with cloud and dragon pattern, multicolour garlic bottle with golden and blue ground embossed pattern, blue glaze chrysanthemum petal plate, white ground covered blue glass chilong pattern amphora .

Interior view of the bridal chamber of Kunning Palace. This picture shows the northeast Kang (North Outer Kang) in the bridal chamber. Hanging on the wall of the Kang are the couplets “Ancestor Wu’s Rope, the Hall of Five Fortunes is the same as the Five Dynasties; Tianyan is happy, the third level wishes to merge with three more”. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, there was a “Tangtong with the Five Dynasties”. For this reason, he specially ordered people to engrave the plaque of “Five Blessings and Five Dynasties Hall” and the seal of “Five Blessings and Five Dynasties Hall Ancient and Rare Emperor Treasure”, and wrote an article to record this event. “Three more” means more blessings, more longevity and more children, which means the emperor will have a long life. There are several tables built into the room, there are paintings on the walls, and there are mattresses, cushions, backrests, handrails, etc. on the kang.

The 98th anniversary of the founding of the Palace Museum The ancient city remains undefeated in the turbulent years. After ninety-eight years of struggle, the people of the Forbidden City are ushering in the rising sun of a new day!

[Raise hands] Based on the arrangement of the pictures, how many landmark buildings in the Forbidden City can you recognize?

Palace autumn popular color – Purple color
“The slow autumn light cannot be retained, and the red leaves are full of dusk.” The rustling of the sycamores and the rustling of the maple forest break the tranquility of the cold mountains in late autumn.

[Clothing] Cotton shirt with orchid pattern embroidered with gold and silver, crimson satin cotton with chrysanthemum pattern, maroon satin short-waisted socks [Accessories] oval purse with
dark maroon satin nailed damask bat pattern
[Daily necessities] birch wood inlay Box, purple gauze and silk with flowers and birds, round fan with bamboo carving handle, purple glass flat square snuff bottle, white sauce plate with folded branches, flowers and fruits, sauce stove with white phoenix pattern.

Images and visuals are from – Forbidden City –Palace Museum Beijing- China –People’s Republic of China…..

#北京。 #中國 #China #Beijing | #紫禁城 #ForbiddenCity #September2023 | #ForbiddenCityDairies -The Palace Museum #ForbiddenCity Collections of Chinese intangible cultural heritage. Collection 11th – 15th September 2023..

September 15, 2023September 15, 2023 kevinjamesngLeave a comment

Emperor Qianlong once wrote a poem praising crape myrtle as “always blooming with light color in summer, and also emitting light fragrance before the wind”, which is fitting.

Crape myrtle has the same pronunciation as the “Emperor Star” Ziweixing. It has been widely planted in the palace since the Tang Dynasty because of its long-lasting flowering period and bright and lovely appearance. It is also called the “official flower” because it refers to Zhongshu Province. The seventh month of the lunar calendar is a time when all the flowers are blooming. “Sunflowers pour into the sun, hostas scratch your head, crape myrtle soaks in the moon, hibiscus blooms…” Hollyhocks, crape myrtles, cockscombs, etc. have all been nominated as moonflowers by literati in different periods. . The crape myrtle flower may not be the most gorgeous and graceful among them, but it is unique because of its freshness and delicateness….

Qing, Leng Mei, Gao Qiu Wan Yue chart axis. Leng Mei was a disciple of Jiao Bingzhen, a court painter of the Kangxi Dynasty. His neat and meticulous brushwork and beautiful colors were highly appreciated by Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong. This picture depicts a scribe climbing a high pavilion and looking at the bright moon. In the lower left corner of the painting, there is Leng Mei’s self-inscription “Writing on the Mid-Autumn Festival in Gengxu”, which shows that the painting was painted during the Mid-Autumn Festival and depicts the scene of admiring the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival. On August 15th, the autumn air is crisp and clear. The moon is not only full and bright, but also the best place to watch. At this time, people look to the moon to remember, or associate the full moon with reunion, hoping for a happy family; or they look to the autumn wind to ask if Chang’e and the Jade Rabbit are well in the moon palace.

Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, Leng Mei, Emperor Qianlong observing the moon. The court painter Leng Mei once painted “Moon Appreciation”, which depicts the scene of elegant scholars looking at the moon in reverie during the fragrance of sweet-scented osmanthus in August. Emperor Qianlong liked this painting very much and ordered Leng Mei to replace the scribe in the original painting with himself, depicting him wearing Hanfu and admiring the moon under the laurel tree with Ruyi in his arms. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, admiring the full moon and looking forward to family reunion are beautiful wishes shared by emperors and common people.

Qianlong, Jinnong, and Yuehua scrolls of the Qing Dynasty. In traditional Chinese culture, the moon is mystical and poetic because of its distance. In ordinary paintings, it often appears as a supplementary scene, but in this painting, Jin Nong directly expresses the moon as the main subject, which can be described as unique. The whole picture is extremely simple, with only a full moon depicted. Within the moon, the author uses light ink to draw the blurry images of jade rabbits pounding medicine and osmanthus trees. Outside the moon, the author uses green, ocher, and yellow as the main colors. Through the overlapping of colors, the bright and bright light of the moon is highlighted, which shows Jin Nong’s extraordinary imagination and bold expressiveness. The inscription on the lower right side of the painting reads, “The picture of the Moonlight is sent to Mr. Shutong for appreciation, the seventy-five-year-old gold farmer”, indicating that it was a gift to a friend.

Qianlong Qing Dynasty, Chen Mei, Yue Man Qingyou Picture Album. Chen Mei, whose courtesy name was Zaidong and whose names were Dianluan and Zhiwotoutuo, was from Lou County (now Songjiang, Shanghai). In the early years of Yongzheng’s reign, he was recommended by the court painter Chen Shan and became a royal painter. His paintings studied the Northern Song Dynasty style and were influenced by the Western painting style of Lang Shining in the court. The images he created were exquisite and nuanced, with strong modeling ability and artistic expression that conveyed the spirit through form. He was deeply appreciated by Emperor Yongzheng and Emperor Qianlong. During the Qianlong Dynasty, Chen Mei drew the “Yueman Qingyou Tu” in accordance with the emperor’s decree. According to the order of the twelfth lunar month in the Chinese lunar calendar, it showed the recreational activities of the beauties in the palace and garden in each month. This picture is the first in the album. It depicts the scene of the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, when beauties ascend to the Qiong Tower to recite poems, admire the moon, and look forward to family reunions.

During the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, Dong Bangda’s “Enjoyable Illustrations of Remaining Things” in Hongli Shu’s Autumn Post Ci Volume (partial). This is a calligraphy and painting scroll with the theme of Mid-Autumn Festival and the emperor and ministers of the Qianlong Dynasty. It begins with the four words “enjoyable things” written by Emperor Qianlong, and also begins with the imperial inscription “Draft a poem for the Mid-Autumn Festival and order the Imperial Academy and others to harmonize it”. Next, Dong Bangda (a Jinshi in the 11th year of Yongzheng’s reign, from Hanlin official to Minister of Rites) painted the Mid-Autumn Festival scene of the Chengde Summer Resort, the imperial palace outside the Great Wall. The bright moon is in the sky, and there are people admiring the moon in a grass pavilion near the river. Some people set up tables to worship the moon, hoping for happiness and contentment. At the end of the volume are poems by Liang Shizheng, Minister of Household Affairs, Qian Chenqun, Minister of Justice, and Emperor Qianlong. For Emperor Qianlong, appreciating the moon was appreciating the heart. Reunion with his family was important, and harmonious relationships with his courtiers were equally important.

Images and visuals are from – Forbidden City –Palace Museum Beijing- China –People’s Republic of China…..

#北京。 #中國 #China #Beijing | #紫禁城 #ForbiddenCity #August2023 | #ForbiddenCityDairies -The Palace Museum #ForbiddenCity Collections of Chinese intangible cultural heritage. Collection 7th – 15th August 2023..

August 15, 2023 kevinjamesngLeave a comment

When the red sun is scorching and the heat is unbearable, the refrigerator in which is an invention of China Chinese… is a necessity for modern people 消暑生冷. So, how did the ancients chill melons, fruits and drinks? This cypress refrigerator in the Palace Museum tells us the answer.

The exterior of the refrigerator is cypress wood. There is a layer of grid drawers inside the box, ice cubes are placed under the grid drawers, and food is placed on the drawer boards to play the role of freezing and keeping fresh. At the same time, the four walls inside the box are inlaid with lead skin, which can not only insulate heat, but also maintain low temperature. Two copper lifting rings are installed on both sides of the outside of the refrigerator for easy lifting. Keeping cold and portable, this “can walk at any time” cypress refrigerator is ingeniously designed and quite practical, from which it is not difficult to glimpse the wisdom of the ancients! 古人也太会吧

去我们一起来读历史 The buildings, streamers, Jing, etc. (replicas) in the emperor’s brine book. According to the records, there are Changshou Building, Zi Building, Ni Building, Yu Bao Building, Xin Ban, Jiang Yin Ban, Leopard Tail Banner, Longtou Gan Ban, Jiaoxiao Biao Festival Banner, Ming Xingbi Jiao Banner, Banners, streamers, Jing, etc. of different shapes and colors, such as Shihui Jing for Celebration, Huaiyuan Jing for Praising Merit, Zhenwu Jing, Fuwen Jing, Nayan Jing, Jinshan Jing, Jinjie, Yiqi, Huanghui, etc. Shown here are reproductions of Huanghui, Jinjie, Longtou Ganfan, Nizhu, Yizheng and Jing.

On the eighth of August 2023 Looking from afar, autumn is condensing in the depths of the clouds. Today 立秋Liqiu Tue, 8 Aug 2023 – Wed, 23 Aug 2023 The traditional Chinese calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms. Lìqiū, Risshū, Ipchu, or Lập thu is the 13th solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 135° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 150°.

Let us read the calendar together The flag (replica) in the emperor’s brine book. There are more than 120 flags in the halogen book, including the sun, moon, cloud, thunder, wind, rain, twenty-eight mansions, five stars, five mountains, four directions, four dunes, phoenix, luan, wandering Lin, and lion taming, which is the largest number in the halogen book. A class of items.

禁禁欣芳 In the sixth month of the lunar calendar, lotus flowers are used as the order of the month. The ancients endowed the lotus with a clean and elegant character, praised its noble character of “the root is jade in the mud, and the heart bears the bead”. In addition, the lotus flower can be used as a vegetable for meat and meat, porridge for soup, nourishing and health-preserving, and making tea and medicine. It can be described as a good product for refreshing summer heat.

Let us read the calendar together#The weapons (replicas) in the emperor’s brine book. The weapons in the Lubo ceremonial guards all had practical functions at first, and then gradually evolved into symbols of the emperor’s majesty. Shown in the picture include leopard tail spear, halberd, shu, star, standing melon, lying melon and axe.

去我们一起来读计划 Qing, Qingkuan, etc., set up a welcome picture in the album of big wedding pictures. From this picture, the Guangxu Emperor’s wedding welcome team exits the middle gate of the Taihe Gate from the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and then leaves the palace from the middle gate of the Daqing Gate to the Queen’s Mansion. After the ceremony of appointing envoys, the cabinet and the officials of the Ministry of Rites carried out the books and treasures together with the case from the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and then the deputy envoys placed the books and treasures in the Dragon Pavilion of His Majesty Dan respectively. In the picture, the chief envoy Chijie has stepped down from Dan Bi, and the deputy envoy is holding the hand of the king .

Qing, the treasure of Queen Jinlong. The gold books and gold treasures presented to the queen have become the symbol of the queen’s status. This is the “Queen’s Treasure”, made of gold, with a dragon button, attached to a yellow ribbon, and the seal is in Manchu and Chinese jade chopsticks, and the script is the same as the emperor’s imperial treasure.

Modern and modern times, the queen’s gold book. After Puyi forcefully abdicated, according to the “Preferential Treatment Conditions of the Qing Dynasty”, he still lived a life of “little court” in the inner court of the Forbidden City, and married Wanrong as the queen according to the wedding ceremony of the Qing emperor. This is the golden book that canonized Wanrong, with a total of ten pages. It reads: “Xuantong’s fourteenth year…the daughter of Rongyuan…I hereby take Baolier as the queen…” The “little imperial court” still uses the Xuantong year name, “Xuantong fourteen years” is the eleventh year of the Republic of China (1922). This gold book is the only queen gold book in existence in the Palace Museum..

Qing, Qingkuan, etc., set up a welcome picture in the album of big wedding pictures. This picture depicts the wedding procession arriving at the residence of the queen-to-be, and the stepfather leading the children kneeling outside the gate to greet her. In the lead of the imperial battle, Huang Gai accompanied, followed by officials in charge of ceremonies, Honglu Temple Xuban officials and Mingzan officials, then envoys and deputy envoys, followed by Ceting, Baoting and Fengyu carried by 16 people. They entered the courtyard one by one, followed by the queen-to-be’s father and clan members. In the government…

Qing Dynasty Qianlong, Lengjian, Huangmen, etc., the Fengyu page of the Atlas of Imperial Ritual Vessels. In the Qing Dynasty, the emperor used a phoenix to marry the queen’s wedding sedan chair. The body of the Fengyu sedan chair is made of wood, painted with bright yellow lacquer. The dome is double-layered, and each octagon is decorated with a golden phoenix. The hanging eaves are bright yellow satin, painted with golden phoenix. The four curtains are painted with blue stones and golden phoenixes. The interior is painted with red lacquer, the sedan chair is bright yellow satin with golden phoenix painted on it, and the sedan chair cushion is bright yellow satin with colorful phoenix embroidered on it. The shoulder poles are topped with bronze brass and golden phoenix heads and tails. The style of the phoenix was determined in the book “Illustration of Ritual Vessels of the Dynasty” during the Qianlong period. It was used by the empress when she participated in the silkworm ceremony of offering sacrifices to the god of silkworms.

Images and visuals are from – Forbidden City –Palace Museum Beijing- China –People’s Republic of China…..