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The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the tallest structure in the Forbidden City.
 | As the national capital of the Ming Dynasty, Beijing was built on the basis of what had been done in the previous dynasty, the Yuan. To understand the ground plan of old Beijing, it might be convenient to think of it as consisting of three enclosures, each inside another. The innermost enclosure was the "Palace City", that is, the Forbidden City. Beyond the Forbidden was the "Imperial City" with Tian’anmen, the Gate of Heavenly Peace, as its main gate. And beyond the Imperial City lies the capital city itself. High walls used to enclose the capital city, which altogether had nine gates with magnificent watchtowers atop. But in the most recent decades, the walls have been dismantled for additional construction space as the city expands, and the only things
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The north side of the Meridian Gate.
| left intact are a few short, separate sections and the South-Facing Gate, the south gate for the old capital city. In 1533, work began to build a wall round the capital city to strengthen Beijing's defense. The project came to a halt after construction was completed on the south section of
the wall. So the capital city came to be known as the "inner city", while the part to the south of the capital city was referred to as the "outer city".
Now let's examine the ground plan of Beijing during the Ming and Qing dynasties. A road runs straight from south to north through the city, forming the longitudinal axis along which the city was planned. The road starts at the Gate of Perpetual Peace, the south gate of the "outer city", and runs to the South-Facing Gate, the central gate of the "inner city". Lying to the east of the south section of the road is the Temple of Heaven, where the emperors worshipped Heaven in whose name they ruled China; and to the west, the Altar of the God of Agriculture, where the emperors offered sacrifices and begged for good harvests. In between the South-Facing Gate and the Gate of Heavenly Peace there used to be the Imperial Road, a wide, straight road paved with slab stones, and running parallel to the road was a long corridor at either side, beyond which there
Bronze lion in front of the Gate of Supreme Harmony. | were office buildings of the various ministries.
Here we are, in the compound in between the Gate of Heavenly Peace, the main gate of the Imperial City, and the Meridian Gate, the south gate of the Forbidden City. Beyond either side of the road linking court ministers gathered for imperial audiences. Walking through the
Meridian Gate we find ourselves inside the Forbidden City. After visiting those magnificent halls we reach the north gate of the Forbidden City, the Gate of Divine Prowess. Facing the Gate of Divine Prowess across the street is the Prospect Hill. A pavilion sits atop the hill, which is the commanding height of Beijing. Straight to the north of the hill lies the north gate of the Imperial City, the Gate of Earthly Peace. Lying further north are the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower, from which time had been told day after day until after China became a republic in 1911.
The city's longitudinal axis runs straight for 7,500 meters, from the Gate of Perpetual Peace to the Bell Tower, along which all buildings, including those in the Forbidden City, were planned. The ground plan of Beijing, in itself, brings to light the will of the emperors to rule from the center, reigning supreme over the entire China.
The Forbidden City is, indeed, the center of the city. It is 961 meters the two gates there stands a neat road of one-story buildings where from south to north and 753 meters from east to west, surrounded by crimson walls ten meters high. Beyond the wall there is the moat, which is 52 meters wide. Each side of the walled palace complex has a gate. Atop each corner of the wall there stands a turret. While serving as sentry posts, the four turrets, mirrored in the moat, add beauty to the Forbidden City.
The Meridian Gate seen from the Gate of Supreme Harmony. | The frontal part of the Forbidden City was where the Ming and Qin emperors handled court affairs. The rear part was reserved as the living quarters of the emperors and their families. The "Three Great Halls", namely, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Perfect Harmony and the Hall of Preservation of Harmony, are the main structures in the frontal part of the Forbidden City. These were the venues of important ceremonies and, as such, sit astride the longitudinal axis of the Forbidden City. Lying to the east of the Three Great Halls is the imperial studio, known as the Hall of Literary Glory; and to the west, the Hall of Military Prowess, where the emperors gave audience to individual court ministers, and did fasting before attending sacrificial ceremonies.
In the rear part of the Forbidden City, there are structures serving the varied needs of the emperors in work and every day life. There are chambers where the emperors handled routine affairs of the state, housing buildings for members of the imperial families, halls for Buddha worshipping and other religious activities, as well as the Imperial Garden. Nevertheless, only a few most important halls sit astride the longitudinal axis of the Forbidden. These include the Hall of Heavenly Purity, the bedchamber of the Emperor and his crown empress, and Hall of Earthly Tranquility, the imperial nuptial chamber. Structures at either side of the axis include the Six West Halls that housed the queen mother and concubines of the previous emperor, and the Six East Halls where concubines of the reigning emperor lived. The "Five East Chambers" and the "Five West Chambers" were the living quarters of the crown prince.
Numerous buildings are enclosed in the Forbidden City, either in its frontal or rear part. Buildings serving the same imperial need are grouped in separate courtyards, forming neat clusters that flank the longitudinal axis in order of bilateral symmetry and are connected by a web of roads. |
