Forbidden City

   Today I had booked an English speaking tour that normally requires a bus. However, I learned when I met my tour guide that I was the only one who signed up. So I got a private tour guide, and he hired a car and driver, and off we went.
   The first stop was the Forbidden City, the Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. This was built in 1406 and is also built on the city’s north-south axis. There is a path of specially laid stone that runs through the axis of the Palace, and through all the halls. One of the benefits of having a private tour guide is that he knows all the tricks and finds it easier to work with just one guest. This resulted in a real treat this morning, as I was the first tourist to step foot into the Forbidden City today! After days of being part of the crowd, it was very special to be the only ones in the Palace for a while. We had the courtyards all to ourselves, and I didn’t have to crowd against anyone for a picture or a good view.
   The Meridian Gate marks the south entrance to the Forbidden City. There are five entrances, one soley for the Emperor(the one I walked through by myself), two one either side of that for court officials, and two outboard of those for others. After passing the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which was under renovation, we climbed the staircase to the Hall of Middle Harmony. There are three flights of stairs with nine steps each. Nine, I learned is a royal number, because 10 is a divine number. Therefore, the 10th step would take you to heaven. Nine steps got you as close as possible, reserved for the emperor. There are 380 gold plated pots in the Palace, and got to touch one of them for good luck. I also got to touch a dragon carving on the outside of the hall for good luck to my kids for studying. This is a Chinese tradtion, and now I have to touch my kids on the head to pass on the good fortune. Inside this Hall is a golden throne with jade jars arranged around it, and huge wooden pillars, each carved from a single tree. There is a huge jade carving of dragons and clouds that splits the staircase and weighs 250 tons, and also on each step is a carving. I took pics of these, too, but alas, no cable.
   Next was the Hall of Heavenly Purity, with two huge bronze lions standing guard(I am finding the lions all over the place). There are marble carvings all over the grounds that delineate the passages from Hall to Hall. I found a sundial that divided the day into 12 portions, which is what they used in the 15th century. I also found a dragon turtle, whose tail I touched for 88 years of good fortune. Inside this Hall was another golden throne.
   After this was the Hall of Harmonious Union. This was was for the empress to receive greetings on her birthday from officials and concubines. Apparently, the emperor had thousands of wives, but only one empress. Next was the Palance of Earthly Tranquility, which holds the royal bridal chamber. Behind that was  the Imperial  Garden, with trees older than 300 years. One was a special tree that my guide told me I could take a picture of but not be in until my wife returns here. Married couples are supposed to have their picture taken here together, else it is bad luck. So I am not in the picture. It is actually two trees with intertwining branches arranged in a manner similar to what happens when the bride and groom have their first drink at the wedding head table.

Temple of Heaven

   The Temple of Heaven was also contructed in 1406(well, they began building it then anyway). It was used by the emperor to pray for good harvest before the season began, to pray for rain in case of drought, and to give thanks for the harvest when the season was over. The temple rests on a platform that also has three flights of nine steps each, again, reserving the tenth step for heaven. The layout of the temple is built on a north-south axis, but not the same axis that runs through the other structures in the city.
   The main structure is a round one 104 feet high and 78 feet in circumference called the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest. It has three umbrella-type roofs, one atop the other colored with blue tiles, blue representing heaven. The roofs of nearby structures are green for earth. Inside are 4 inner pillars and 12 outer pillars supporting the roofs. The 4 are for the four seasons, while the 12 are for the twelve months of the year and the twelve time periods of the day(remember the sundial in the Forbidden City?). Pictures to come later….

Summer Palace

   The Summer Palace is a relatively recent structure, originally built in 1764, then looted and burned in 1860. it was rebuilt in 1888 at the request of Empress Dowager Ci Xi for her birthday, using money initially meant for the Imperial Navy. It took ten years, was looted again in 1900, and restored in 1902. That’s a complex history! It was meant as a summer residence, but the guide told me that the Qing dynasty liked it so much they actually ruled from there for a while.
   It resides next to a large lake, along which is located the Long Corridor, an open hallway with only railings to separate it from the elements. This corridor is 728 meters long(about 2400 feet, nearly half a mile), has 273 sections, and is decorated with 8000 individual paintings. I walked most of it, then returned to our starting point by boat.
   I took my last pictures of the corridor before running out of memory on the still camera. Incidentally, I also ran out of disc space and battery on the camcorder at the same time. I guess it is time to come back home.