City Banned in China

The forbidden city: In the heart of Beijing, capital of China, is the forbidden city, probably the largest collection of palaces in the world and the most powerful symbol of China's dynastic past. Its own name speaks of mystery and intrigue, the opulent lifestyle of the emperor at the Court, surrounded by his ministers, concubines and eunuchs, and isolated from the world after formidable doors and walls.
Through these gates are now visitors to marvel at the dimensions, the splendor, elegance and the invoice of this maze of buildings with tile roofs decorated with figures of mythological creatures. There are audience halls, halls, stairs and marble balustrades, Lions of bronze and incense burners, as well as elegant and manicured gardens.
But the symmetry and harmony of buildings and their courtyards, beautifully proportioned and filled with light and air, contrasts with the rich and dark interiors, reminiscent of the emperors of the past and its sinister glory. As noted Osbert Sitwell (1892-1969): "And in each room, with its high columns of red, gilded ceilings and colorful walls, reigns a sad beauty painted, gilded and eyes gleaming, as the tail of the Peacock, in which the Manchu emperors seem to still live and move angrily."
As the intricately carved Chinese ivory boxes that fit inside each other, the rectangle of the forbidden city is within the Imperial City, which in turn belongs to the inner city or the North, itself part of the ancient fortified capital of Beijing.
The heart of this complex, sacred inside the forbidden city or Imperial Palace, surrounded by a wall and a moat, express the seclusion and the absolutism of China's rulers. From here reigned 24 emperors of Ming and Ts dynasties ' ing, away from the rest of the world, from the 15th century until 1911, when the revolution began.
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The forbidden city was constructed in 1406 during the Ming dynasty, and took 14 years to complete it. It is situated exactly in the middle of the old Beijing, and was the political nerve center of China until the end of the dynastic era. In total, was home to 24 emperors of Ming and Qing.
Forbidden city: In the heart of Beijing (formerly Peking) lies the Forbidden city, perhaps the largest collection of palaces of the world and a
impressive symbol of the Chinese imperial past. It was the residence of the emperors since the beginning of the century 15th until 1911, when came the Chinese revolution, end of the imperial era.
In the ancient tradition, each Emperor ruled by mandate of heaven. In China, the cosmic triad consisted of heaven, Earth and man. The hombre-emperador was the son of heaven and the link to bring order and harmony. The ideal State required was to achieve total balance and harmony: the city prohibited its symmetry, order, hierarchy and splendor was the symbol and reflection of that State.
For hierarchical cities, the Chinese used geomancy, a traditional art that indicated how to place houses, graves, groves, squares, in armo­nia with the vital energy of the Earth. This special ability is called the Feng-Shuz, wind and water.
"The last remnants of the Empire were represented by the viu­ Empressda, Tse-hzl who reigned from 1834 to 1908 and then named Emperor to P'U­yz" when the child was 3 years old.
The forbidden city, where it is now the Imperial Palace Museum, presents the Majesty of the imperial capital, about 800 years old, with an irresistible charm. It has, at the same time, flower and cream of the Chinese civilization of 5,000 years of history. It is not only a world wonder and a national treasure, but also the immortal soul of this perennial city.
The Imperial Palace, with a total area of 720,000 square meters, owns more than 9,000 rooms, halls and rooms. It is divided into two main parts, and its distribution is symmetrical, with a central axis in direction North-South. In the "outer Court" of the forbidden city, the emperors issued edicts and decrees and granted audience to the Ministers, in addition to celebrate great festivals and ceremonies. The "inner court" was the residence of the Emperor, with his wife and concubines.
In the "outer Court", the main buildings are three pavilions: Taihe (Supreme Harmony), Zhonghe (Harmony Central) and Baohe (preserved harmony). Canopy Taihe, 60 meters wide, 33 meters in length and 35 meters high, is the tallest building in this architectural complex, and was the place where the enthronement of the emperor was held, and the monarchs gave audiences to Ministers and presiding over important ceremonies.
The Middle buildings housed the Chinese aristocracy. Yellow - real color - dominated the ceilings. At each corner of the ceiling had small figurines, and the number represented the social status of the owner. The residence of the Emperor had nine statuettes, as ten symbolized heaven, and they were used only in the most sacred buildings in the city.
Is surrounded by a moat of six meters deep, and 10 meters high walls thick enough to resist attacks by cannons. The Imperial Palace is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.
In addition to palaces and halls, forbidden city includes temples, gardens, libraries and dependencies for the thousands of servants, eunuchs and concubines. Concubines, protected and served by the eunuchs, could improve their condition if gave you a son to the emperor.
They say that when the Emperor called on his deathbed to one of these ladies, it was forced to shed all his clothes (to check that does not carry any weapon) and wrapped in a yellow robe, before being brought before the Emperor on the back of a eunuch
The end of one was: After almost five centuries, it ended the reign from the Dragon throne with the outbreak of the Chinese revolution in 1911. The Emperor P'u-yi, of four years old, was forced to abdicate by the leaders of the new Republic, although it allowed him to live in the imperial palace until 1924. During the following years, the buildings were degrading progressively.
In 1949, the Chinese Communist forces took Beijing and the nationalists, defeated, retreated to Taiwan, taking numerous treasures of the forbidden city. Currently, converted into a public museum, the city is no longer "banned" in any sense: the doors of sacred imperial power refuge have been knocked down by the winds of the 20th century.