Forbidden city

Before breakfast I took a run to go around the wall of the forbidden city. Since they are preparing for their 100 year celebration of the communist party, security was pretty tight. Just getting on the sidewalk in front required screening and checking ID including questions:

Where are you from?
What do you do in Guangzhou?
What kind of school?
Why are you here?

Of course I was just going for a run at that time. I passed in front of Tiananmen Square.

I had to make a long square around due to the security checkpoints. It was good to get a feel for the places around the hotel. Many police and forces….

Along the North side of the forbidden city.

In ancient times, the emperor was said to be a son of Heaven, and therefore Heaven’s supreme power was bestowed upon him. The emperors’ residence was built facing north. Common people were not to be at the Palace. Some facts :

The construction of the grand palace began with Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty in 1406 until 1420.
From 1420 to 1644 there were 14 emperors of the Ming Dynasty.
Then it served as the imperial palace of the Qing Dynasty.
During the Second Opium War it was controlled by Anglo-French forces until the end of the war.
The last Emperor of China, Puyi, left in 1912.
In 1925, the Forbidden City became the Palace Museum.
There are 90 palaces and courtyards with 980 buildings and over 8,728 rooms.
It is 961 meters long from south to north and 753 meters wide.
There are 3 parts : the defense which consists of a moat and wall, the inner court, and the outer court.

Gate of heavenly peace.

Meridian gate which is the south gate.

Outer court consists of the hall of Supreme harmony which houses the dragon throne, hall of Central harmony where speeches were practiced, and hall of preserving harmony where there were banquets.

Gate of correct conduct where military entered.

Gate of Supreme harmony is where the emperor meets with officials.

These vats are used to hold water for fighting fires and are throughout the city. Fires in the winter keep the water from freezing.

The gate of heavenly purity leads to the inner court.

The first inside the inner court is the Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qianqinggong), the emperors’ sleeping quarters.
The second , behind it is the Palace of Union and Tranquility (Jiaotaidian), where the imperial seals were stored.
The third hall is the hall of Terrestrial Tranquility (Kunninggong), the emperors’ wedding room.

There are 6 eastern and 6 western palaces where business was conducted and contained living quarters of the emperor, expresses, and concubines.

Animals in the roof line

There is a row of mystical animal statuettes placed along the ridge line of halls that were only for official use. The animals, like phoenixes, dragons, and lions, have powerful meanings in Chinese culture.

The number of animals is different based on the importance of the buildings. You can see nine animals on the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the most important structure in the Forbidden City, and seven on the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, the residence of the Empress.

The roofline of hall of Supreme harmony.

Lions

In Chinese culture, the lion is the king of the animals, and is regarded as a symbol of power and strength. The lions are always in pairs, with the female lion on the left and the male on the right.