The relationship between Zhongnanhai and the Forbidden City

Zhongnanhai: Zhonghai, Nanhai and Beihai, formerly known as the Three Seas. Zhongnanhai is the general name of Zhonghai and Nanhai. It was originally called Taiye Pool (Xiyuan) and is located on the west side of the Forbidden City. During the Liao and Jin Dynasties, the Zhai Palace was built here, and in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, more were built here, making it a banquet resort for the royal family. It covers an area of ??1,500 acres, including 700 acres of water surface. In the early years of the Republic of China, institutions such as the "Presidential Palace" and the "Generalissimo's Palace" were set up here. After the founding of New China in 1949, it became the seat of offices of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council. The park has a vast lake, lush trees, blooming flowers and exquisite architecture. The main attractions are as follows:

Yingkou

is a small island in the South China Sea, standing around the water and connected by a magnificent white marble stone bridge with carved railings. On the island, there are towering palaces and pavilions, surrounded by corridors and pavilions, and the golden light shines brightly. Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty was imprisoned in Hanyuan Hall on the island after the failure of the Reform Movement of 1898, and died here. Facing the south side of Yingtai across the lake is Xinhua Gate, the main entrance to Zhongnanhai.

Fengze Garden

On the north bank of the South China Sea, there are two sets of courtyard-style buildings, which were originally the place where the early Qing emperors "performed farming". At that time, there were ten acres of rice fields in the park, of which one-third of an acre was cultivated by the Qing emperor in mid-spring every year. The Yinian Hall is the main building in the courtyard. The Juxiang Bookstore in the west courtyard on the east side is the former residence of Chairman Mao Zedong. His office, study, bedroom, etc. all remain in their original state.

Quiet Valley

On the west side of Fengze Garden, it is an independent and complete courtyard. The garden is surrounded by mountains, mirrors, water, bamboos and cypresses, and is a garden within a garden in Zhongnanhai. The main buildings include the Long Corridor, Chunyouzhai, Guixiuxuan, etc.

Huairen Hall

It is a palace-style building on the west bank of Zhonghai. Built during the Guangxu period, it was originally named "Yiluan Hall". It was burned down by the Eight-Power Allied Forces in 1900 and was later renamed "Huairen Hall". After 1949, the Party Central Committee and the State Council held many important meetings here.

Purple Light Pavilion

Located on the northwest coast of Zhonghai, it was built in the Ming Dynasty and served as a reading and shooting place for the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. After the founding of New China, party and state leaders often held meetings here and received foreign dignitaries

Shuiyun Pavilion - one of the "Eight Scenes of Yanjing" in ancient times -

It is a water park The pavilion stands in the water east of Zhonghai. The water and clouds here reflect each other, and the scenery is excellent. It is known as "Taiye Autumn Waves" and is one of the eight scenic spots in ancient Yanjing.

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City, also known as the Forbidden City, was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties and is the largest and most complete ancient building complex in my country. The Forbidden City, an unparalleled masterpiece of ancient architecture, covers an area of ??more than 720,000 square meters and has more than 9,000 palaces. They are all wooden structures, with yellow glazed tile roofs, blue and white stone bases, and decorated with magnificent colorful paintings. These palaces are arranged along a north-south central axis and spread out to both sides, straight from north to south and symmetrical from left to right. This central axis not only runs through the Forbidden City, but also reaches Yongding Gate in the south and Drum Tower and Bell Tower in the north. It runs through the entire city. It is magnificent, rigorously planned, and extremely spectacular. Architects believe that the design and architecture of the Forbidden City is truly an unparalleled masterpiece. Its plane layout, three-dimensional effect, and majestic, grand, solemn, and harmonious form can all be said to be rare in the world. It marks the long cultural tradition of our motherland and shows the outstanding achievements of craftsmen in architecture more than 500 years ago.

The eye-catching three main halls

The most attractive buildings are the three main halls: Taihe Hall, Zhonghe Hall and Baohe Hall. They are all built on an 8-meter-high platform made of white marble. From a distance, they look like the mythical Qiong Palace. The first main hall, Taihe Hall, is the most magnificent building, commonly known as the "Jinluan Hall". It is the place where the emperor held grand ceremonies. The hall is 28 meters high, 63 meters from east to west, and 35 meters from north to south. It has 92 large columns with a diameter of 1 meter. Six of them surround the throne with gold-painted dragon pillars. The throne is located on a 2-meter-high platform in the hall. There are beautiful cranes, furnaces, and tripods in front of it, and there is a finely carved screen behind it. The entire hall is decorated with splendor, solemnity and splendor. The Hall of Zhonghe was the place where the emperor took a break and practiced etiquette before going to the Hall of Supreme Harmony for the grand ceremony. Baohe Hall is the place where the emperor gives banquets to princes from other vassals on New Year's Eve every year.

The inner court full of life

The second half of the Forbidden City building is called the inner court. It is centered on the Qianqing Palace, Jiaotai Palace, and Kunning Palace. On the east and west wings are the East Sixth Palace and the West Palace. The Sixth Palace is where the emperor conducts business and where his concubines live. The architectural style of the second half is the same as that of the first half. The architectural image of the first half is serious, solemn, magnificent and majestic, symbolizing the emperor's supremacy.

The second half of the inner court is full of life, and most of the buildings are self-contained courtyards, including gardens, studies, pavilions, rocks, etc. To the north of Kunning Palace is the Imperial Garden. There are towering pines and cypresses, precious flowers and trees, rocks and pavilions in the Imperial Garden. The two pavilions named Wanchun Pavilion and Qianqiu Pavilion can be said to be the most gorgeous among the ancient pavilions currently preserved.

Collection of 1 million cultural relics

Touring the Forbidden City, one is to appreciate the rich and colorful architectural art; the other is to appreciate the precious cultural relics displayed indoors. The Palace Museum houses a large number of precious cultural relics. According to statistics, there are 1,052,653 pieces in total. There are 1 million cultural relics in total, accounting for 1/6 of the total number of cultural relics in the country. Many of them are unique national treasures. Several palaces have established art galleries, treasure galleries, watch galleries, etc. People who love art often cannot bear to leave in front of these unparalleled works of art. The Treasure Museum located on Forbidden City East Road displays various rare and rare treasures. For example, a set of Qing Dynasty armor with gold and silver beads and cloud and dragon patterns, with 16 dragons wrapped around the whole body, vivid in shape, interspersed among the clouds. The armor is connected by about 600,000 small steel pieces. Each steel piece is about 1 mm thick, 4 mm long, and 1.5 mm wide. Small holes are drilled for threading and connection. It is said that more than 40,000 man-hours were spent on manufacturing this armor.