北京故宫英文导游辞

1、北京故宫英文导游辞FORBIDDENCITY(城 )(Infrontofthemeridiangate)LadiesandGentlemen:Iampleasedtoserveasy ourguidetoday.Thisisthepalacemuseum;alsoknowasthePurpleForbiddenCit y.ItisthelargestandmostwellreservedimperialresidenceinChinatoday.Under MingEmperorYongle,constructionbeganin1406.Ittook14yearstobuildtheFor

2、biddenCity.ThefirstrulerwhoactuallylivedherewasMingEmperorZhudi.Forfiv ecenturiesthereafter,itcontinuedtobetheresidenceof23successiveemperors until1911whenQingEmperorPuyiwasforcedtoabdicatethethrone.In1987,th eUnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganizationrecognizedth eForbiddenCitywasaw

3、orldculturallegacy.ItisbelievedthatthePalaceMuseum ,orZiJinCheng(PurpleForbiddenCity),gotitsnamefromastronomyfolklore,The ancientastronomersdividedtheconstellationsintogroupsandcenteredthema roundtheZiweiYuan(NorthStar).TheconstellationcontainingtheNorthStarwa scalledtheConstellationofHeavenlyGodand

4、staritselfwascalledthepurplepal ace.Becausetheemperorwassupposedlythesonoftheheavenlygods,hiscentr alanddominantpositionwouldbefurtherhighlightedtheuseofthewordpurplei nthenameofhisresidence.Infolklore,thetermaneasternpurplecloudisdrifting becameametaphorforauspiciouseventsafterapurplecloudwasseendr

5、iftinge astwardimmediatelybeforethearrivalofanancientphilosopher,LaoZi,totheHa nghuPass.Here,purpleisassociatedwithauspiciousdevelopments.Thewordji n(forbidden)isself-explanatoryastheimperialpalacewasheavilyguardedando ff-explanatoryastheimperialpalacewasheavilyguardedandoff-limitstoordina rypeople.

6、Theredandyellowusedonthepalacewallsandroofsarealsosymbolic. Redrepresentshappiness,goodfortuneandwealth.Yellowisthecoloroftheeart hontheLoessPlateau,theoriginalhomeoftheChinesepeople.Yellowbecamean imperialcolorduringtheTangdynasty,whenonlymembersoftheroyalfamilywe reallowedtowearitanduseitintheirar

7、chitecture.TheForbiddenCityisrectangu larinshape.Itis960meterslongfromnorthtosouthand750meterwidefromeast west.Ithas9,900roomsunderatotalroofarea150,000squaremeters.A52-met er-wide-moatencirclesa9.9-meter highwallwhichenclosesthecomplex.Oct agon shapedturretsrestonthefourcornersofthewall.Therearefou

8、rentrance sintothecity:theMeridianGatetothesouth,theShenwuGate(GateofMilitaryPr owess)tothenorth,andtheXihuaGate(GateofmilitaryProwess)tothenorth,an dtheXihuaGate(WesternFloweryGate)tothewest,theDonghua(EasternFlow eryGate)totheeast.Manpowerandmaterialsthroughoutthecountrywereuse dtobuildtheForbidde

9、nCity.Atotalof230,000artisansandonemillionlaborersw ereemployed.MarblewasquarriedfromfangshanCountryMountPaninJixianC ountyinHebeiProvince.GranitewasquarriedinQuyangCountyinHebeiProvinc e.PavingblockswerefiredinkilnsinSuzhouinsouthernChina.Bricksandscarletp igmentationusedonthepalatialwallscamefroml

10、inqinginShandongProvince.Ti mberwascut,processedandhauledfromthenorthwesternandsouthernregions.ThestructureinfrontofusistheMeridianGate.Itisthemainentrancetotheforb iddenCity.ItisalsoknowsasWufenglou(Five-PhoenixTower).Mingemperorshe ldlavishbanquetshereonthe15thdayofthefirstmonthoftheChineselunarye

11、ari nhornoroftheircounties.Theyalsousedthisplaceforpunishingofficalsbyfloggi ngthemwithsticks.Qingemperorsusedthisbuildingtoannouncethebeginning ofthenewyear.QingEmperorQianglongchangedtheoriginalnameofthisanno uncementceremonyfrombanli(announcementofcalendar)tobanshou(anno uncementofnewmoon)toavoid

12、coincidentalassociationwithanotherEmpero r'sname,Hongli,whichwasconsideredatabooatthattime.QingDynastyemper orsalsousedthisplacetoholdaudienceandforotherimportantceremonies.For example,whentheimperialarmyreturnedvictoriouslyfromthebattlefield,itw asherethattheEmperorpresidedovertheceremonytoacce

13、ptprisonersofwar.(AfterenteringtheMeridianGateandstandinginfrontoftheFiveMarbleBridges onGoldenWaterRiver)nowweareinsidetheForbiddenCity.Beforewestartourt our,Iwouldliketobrieflyintroduceyoutothearchitecturalpatternsbefourus.To completethissolemn,magnificentandpalatialcomplex,avarietyofbuildingsw er

14、earrangedonanorth-southaxis,and8-kilometer-longinvisiblelinethathasbe comeaninseparablepartoftheCityofBeijing.TheForbiddenCitycoversroughly one 什hirdofthiscentralaxis.MostoftheimportantbuildingintheForbiddenCitywereearrangedalongthisline.Thedesignandarrangementofthepalacesreflectthesolemndignityofth

15、eroyalcourtandrigidly -stratifiedfeudalsystem.TheFor biddenCityisdividedintoanouterandaninnercount.Wearenowstandingonthe southernmostpartoftheoutercount.InfrontofusliestheGateofsupremeHarm ony.Thegateisguardedbyapairofbronzelions,symbolizingimperialpowerandd ignity.Thelionswerethemostexquisiteandbig

16、gestofitskind.Theoneontheeast playingwithaballisamale,andballissaidtorepresentstateunity.Theotheroneis afemale.Underneathoneofitsforeclawsisacubthatisconsideredtobeasymbol ofperpetualimperialsuccession.ThewindingbrookbeforeusistheGoldenWate rRiver.Itfunctionsbothasdecorationandfirecontrol.Thefivebri

17、dgesspanningt heriverrepresentthefivevirtuespreachedbyConfucius:benevolence,righteou sness,rites,intellenceandfidelity.Therivertakestheshapeofabowandthenorth -southaxisisitsarrow.ThiswasmeanttoshowthattheEmperorsruledthecountr yonbehalfofGod.(InfrontoftheGateofSupremeHarmony)TheForbiddenCityc onsist

18、sofanoutercountyardandaninnerenclosure.Theoutcountyardcoversav astspacelyingbetweentheMeridianGateandtheGateofHeavenlyPurity.Theth reebighallsofSupremeHarmony,CompleteHarmonyandPreservingHarmony constitutethecenterofthisbuildinggroup.Flankingtheminbilateralsymmetrya retwogroupsofpalaces:Wenhua(Promi

19、nentScholars)andWuying(BraveWarr iors).ThethreegreathallsarebuiltonaspaciousH-shaped,8-meter-high,triple marbleterrace,Eachlevelofthetripleterraceistallerthantheonbelowandallare encircledbymarblebalustradescarvedwithdragonandphoenixdesigns.Therearethreecarvedstonestaircaseslinkingthethreearchitectur

20、es.Thehallofsupre meHarmonyisalsothetallestandmostexquisiteancientwooden-structuredm ansioninallofChina.FromthepalaceofHeavenlyPurithnorthwardiswhatiskno wnastheinnercourt,whichisalsobuiltinbilaterallysymmetricalpatterns.Inthe centerarethePalaceofHeavenlyPurity,theHallofUnionandPeaceandPalaceof Eart

21、hlyTranquility,aplacewheretheEmperorslivedwiththeirfamiliesandatten dedtostateaffairs.Flankingthesestructuresarepalacesandhallsinwhichconcu binesandprinceslived.Therearealsothreebotanicalgardenswithintheinnerco unt,namely,theimperialGarden,CaninggardenandQuailinggarden.AninnerG oldenWaterRiverflowse

22、astwardlywithintheinnercourt.Thebrookwindsthrou ghthreeminorhallsorpalacesandleadsoutoftheForbiddenCity.Itisspannedby theWhiteJadeBridge.Theriverislinedwithwinding,marble -carvedbalustrade s.MostofthestructureswithintheForbiddenCityhaveyellowglazedtileroofs.As idefromgivingprominencetothenorth-south

23、axis,otherarchitecturalmethods wereappliedtomakeeverygroupofpalatialstructuresuniqueintermsofterrace s,roofs,mythicalmonstersperchingontheroofsandcolored,drawingpatterns.Withthese,thegrandcontouranddifferenthierarchicspectrumofthecomplex werestrengthened.Folklorehasitthattherearealtogether9,999room-

24、unitsint heForbiddenCity.SinceParadiseonlyhas10,000rooms,theSonofHeavenonear thcutthenumberbyhalfaroom.Itisalsorumouredthatthishalf -roomislocatedt othewestoftheWenyuangePavilion(imperiallibrary).Asamatteroffact,althoughtheForbiddenCityhasmorethan9,000room-units,thishalf-roomisnonexist ent.TheWenyua

25、ngePavilionisalibrarywhereSiKuQuanShu-China'sfirstcompr ehensiveanthology-wasstored.（1） （ 3） （4）（5）（6）（7）（8）（AfterwalkingpasttheGateofSupremeHarmony）LadiesandGentlemen,thegr eathallweareapproachingistheHallofSupremeHarmony,thebiggestandtalles tofitskingintheForbiddenCity.Thisstructurecoversatota

26、lbuildingspaceof2,37 7squaremeters,andisknowforitsupturned,multiplecounterparteaves.TheHa llofSupremeHarmonysitsonatripleH-shapedmarbleterracetheis8metershig handlinkedbystaircases.Thestaircaseonthegroundfloorhas21stepswhilethe middleandupperstairwayseachhave9.TheconstructionoftheHallofSupreme Harmo

27、nybeganin1406.Itburneddownthreetimesandwasseverelydamagedo nceduringamutiny.TheexistingarchitecturewasbuiltduringtheQingDynasty.O nthecornersoftheeavesalineofanimal-nailswereusuallyfastenedtothetiles.T heseanimal-nailswerelaterreplacewithmythicalanimalstowardoffevilspirits.Therearealtogether9suchfas

28、tenersontopofthishall.Thenumberninewasrega rdedbytheancientstobethelargestnumeralaccessibletomanandtowhichonly theemperorswereentitled.Therewasatotalof24successiveemperorsduringth eMingandQingdynastieswhowereenthronedhere.Theballwasalsousedforce remonieswhichmarkedothergreatoccasions:theWinterSolsti

29、ce,TheChineseL unarNewYear,theEmperor'sbirthday,conferralofthetitleofempress,theannouncementofnewlawsandpolicies,anddispatchesofgeneralstowar.Onsuchoccasions,theEmperorwouldholdaudienceforhiscourtofficialsandreceivetheirtr ibutes.ThisareaiscalledtheHallofSupremeHarmonySquare,whichcoversatot alof

30、30,000squaremeters,Withoutasingletreeorplantgrowinghere,thisplacei nspiresvisitorstofeelitssolemnityandgrandeur.Inthemiddleofthesquarether eisacarriagewaythatwasreservedfortheEmperor.Onbothsidesoftheroadthe groudbrickswerelaidinaspecialwaysevenlayerslengthwiseandeightlayerscro sswise,makingupfifteen

31、layersinall.Thepurposeofthiswastopreventanyonefr omtunnelinghiswayintothepalace.Inthecountyardthereareironvatsforstorin gwatertofightfires.Inthewholecomplextherearealtogher308watervats.Inwi ntertime,charcoalwasburnedunderneaththevatstokeepthewaterfromfreezi ng.Whysovastasquare?Itwasdesignedtoimpress

32、peoplewiththehall'sgrande urandvastness.Imaginethefollowingscene.Undertheclearbluesky,theyellow glazedtilesshimmeredasthecloud-likelayersofterrace,coupledwiththecurlin gveilofburningincense,transformedthehallofsupremeHarmonyintoafairylan d.Whenevermajorceremonieswereheld,theglazed,crane-shapedca

33、ndlehold ersinsidethehallwouldbeit,andincenseandpinebranchesburntinfrontoftheh all.WhentheEmperorappeared,drumswerebeatenandmusicalinstrumentpla yed.Civilianofficialsandgeneralswouldkneelknowinsubmission.ThelastQing emperorPuyiassumedthethronein1908,attheageofthree,Hisfathercarriedhi mtothethrone.At

34、thestartofthecoronation,thesuddendrum-beatingandloudmusiccaughttheyoungemperorunprepared.Hewassoscaredthathekeptcryin gandshouting,Idon twanttostayhere.Iwanttogohome.Hisfathertriedtosooth ehim,saying,It'allsoonbefinished.It'allsoonbefinishedTheministerspresenta ttheeventconsideredthisinciden

35、tinauspicious.Coincidentally,theQingdynast ycollapsedthreeyearslaterandtherewithconcludedChina'sfeudalsystemthat hadlastedformorethan2,000years.(OnthestoneterraceoftheHallofSupreme Harmony)Thisisabronzeincenseburner.Initincensemadeofsandalwoodwoul dbeburntonimportantoccasions.Therearealtogether1

36、8incenseburners,repr esentingalloftheprovincesundertheruleoftheSingmonarchs.Oneithersideof theHall,4bronzewater-filledvatswereplacedincaseoffire.Nexttotheterraceo neitherside,thereisabronzecraneandtortoise,symbolsoflongevity.Thiscoppe r-castgrainmeasureiscalledjialiang.Itservedasthenationalstandardd

37、uringthe Qingdynasty.Itwasmeanttoshowthattheimperialrulerwerejustandopentore ctification.Ontheothersidethereisastonesundial,anancienttimepiece.Thejial iangandthesundialwereprobablymeanttoshowwhattheEmperorrepresente d:thathewastheonlypersonwhoshouldpossessthestandardsofbothmeasure andtime.Intheveryf

38、orefrontoftheHallofSupremeHarmony,thereare12scarlet,roundpi llarssupportingtheroof.Thehallis63metersfromeasttowestand37metersfro mnorthtosouth,Itis35metersinheight.Infrontofthisarchitechture,therestandsatripleterracewithfivestaircasesleadinguptothemainentrance.Ithas40gold doorsand16gold-keywindowswi

39、thcoloreddrawingsonthepillarsandbeams.I nthemiddleofthehall,athrounecarvedwith9dragonssitsona2-meter-highplat form.Behindthethronethereisagoldenscreenandinfrontofit,thereisaimperia ldesk.Theflanksaredecoratedwithelephants,Luduan(alegendarybeast),cran es,andincensebarrels.Theelephantcarriesavaseonits

40、backthatholdsfivecerea ls(i.e.rice,twokindsofmillet,wheatandbeans),whichwasconsideredasymbol ofprosperity.Asancientlegendhasitthatluduancantravel18,000li(9,000kilom eters)inonedayandknowsalllanguagesanddialects.Onlytoawiseadjustmonar chwillthisbeastbeaguardian.TheHallofSupremeHarmonyisalsopopularlyk

41、no wnasJinluanDian(goldbellhallorthethronehall).Thefloorofthehallislaidwithb ricksthatturnitintoasmooth,finesurfaceasifwaterhasbeensprinkledonit.Thes o-calledgoldenbrick,infact,hasnothingtodowithgold.Reservedexclusivelyfor theconstructionoftheroyalcourt,itwasmadeinasecretive,andcomplexway,an d,whens

42、truck,soundsliketheclinkofagoldbar.Eachbrickwasworththemarket priceofonedan(oronehectoliter)ofrice.Thehallissupportedbyatotalof72thick pillars.Ofthese,6arecarvedindragonpatternsandpaintedwithgoldandsurrou ndthethrone.Abovetheverycenterofthishallthereisazaojing,orcoveredceilin g,whichisoneoftheSpecia

43、litiesofChina'sancientarchiture.Inthemiddleofthec eilingisadesignofadragonplayingwithaballinlaidwithpeals.Thiscopperball,ho llowinsideandcoveredwithmercury,isknownastheXuanyuanMirrorandisthoughttobemadeXuanyuan,alegendarymonarchdatingbacktoremoteantiquity .Theplacingofthecaissonabovethethroneism

44、eanttosuggestthatallofChina'ss uccessiveemperorsareZuanyuan'sdescendantsandhereditaryheirs.Nowyou mighthavenoticedthattheXuanyuanmirrorisnotdirectlyabovethethrone.Wh y?ItisrumoredthatYuanShikai,aself-acclaimedwarlord-turnedemperormove dthethronefurtherbackbecausehewasafraidthatthemirrormight

45、fallonhim.I n1916whenYuanShikaibecameemperor,heremovedtheoriginalthronewitha Western-style,high-backchair.AfterthefoundationofthePeople'sRepublicofC hinain1949thethronewasfoundinashabbyfurniturewarehouse.Itrepairedan dreturnedtothehall.(Leadingthetouristtothebronzevatseitherontheeastorth ewest)t

46、hewatervatsinfrontofthepalacesorhousewerecalledmenhai,orseabe forethedoorbytheancientChinese.Theybelievedthatwithaseabythedoor,fire couldnotwreakhavoc.Thevatsservedbothasadecorationandasafireextinguis her.Theywerekeptfullofwaterallyearround.DuringtheQingDynasty,theywere altogether308vatsinthepalacee

47、nclosure.Theyweremadeofgiltbronzeoriron. Ofcouse,thegiltbronzevatswereofthebestquality.Whenthealliedforces(Britai n,Germany,France,Russia,theUnitedStates,Italy,JapanandAustria)invadedB eijingin1900underthepretextofsuppressingtheBoxerRebellion,theinvadersr ansackedtheimperialcompoundandscrapedandgold

48、offthevatswiththeirbay onets.DuringtheJapaneseoccupationofBeijing,manyvatsweretruckedawayb ytheJapanesetobemadeintobullets.(InfrontoftheHallofCompleteHarmony)ThesquarearchitecturebeforeusiscalledtheHallofCompleteHarmony.Itserve dasanantechamber.TheEmperorcameheretomeetwithhiscountiersandaddh isfinal

49、touchestotheprayerswhichwouldbereadattheancestralTemple.These eds,snowersandprayerintendedforspringsowingwerealsoexaminedhere.Th etwoQingsedanchairshereondisplaywereusedfortravelingwithinthepalaced uringthereignofEmperorQianlong.(InfrontofthehallfPreservingHarmony)thisistheHallofPreservingHarmony.D

50、uringtheQingDynasty,banquetswereheldhereonNewYear'seveinhonourof MongolianandNorthwesternChina'sxingjiangprincesandrankingofficials.Th eEmperoralsodinnedherewithhisnewson-in-lawontheweddingday.Imperial examinationswerealsoheldhereonceeverythreeyears.DuringtheMingandQi ngdynasties,therewereth

51、reelevelsofexams:thecountyandprefecturallevel,t heprovinciallevelandnationallevel.Thenationalexamwaspresidedoverbythe emperor.ThecivilserviceexaminancientChinastartedduringtheHanDynasty.It servedthepurposeofrecruitingConfucianscholarstotheministersandhighoffi cials.DuringtheTangandQingdynastiesreins

52、titutedandancientsystem.Oncee verythreeyears,threehundredscholarsfromalloverthecountrycametoBeijing andtookexamsforthreedayandnight.Thissystemwasabolishedin1905.(Behin dthehallofpreservingharmony)thisisthelargeststonecarvinginthepalace.Itis 16.73meterslong,3.07meterswideand1.7metersthick.Itweighsabo

53、ut200tons.TheblockwasquarriedinFangshanCounty,roughly70kilometersaway.Totran sportsuchahugeblocktoBeijing,laborersdugwellsalongtheroadsidehalfakilo meterapart,andusedthegroundwatertomakearoadoficeinthewinter.Rolling blockswereusedinthesummer.In1760,EmperorQianlongoftheQingDynastyo rderedthecarvingof

54、theexistingcloudanddragondesigninplaceoftheoldonew hichdatedbacktotheMingDynasty.Note:Fromhere,thetourcanbeconductedv iathreedifferentroutes:awesternroute(RouteA),acentralroute(RouteB)oran easternroute(RouteC).Thecommentaryforeachfollows.RouteALadiesandGe ntlemen:YouhaveseenthethreemainhallsoftheFor

55、biddenCity.NowI'dliketos howyouaroundthehallofmentalcultivationandtheimperialgarden.Thehallof mentalcultivationissituatedisinthewesternpartoftheinnermostenclosurean dissymmetricaltoFengxian(enshrinementofforebears)Hallintheeast.Thishall wasbuiltduringtheMingDynasty.ITisaH-shapedstructureconsisti

56、ngofanante chamberandamainbuilding.Thehallissurroundedbycorridors.Infrontoftheha llistheOfficeofPrivyCouncil.BeforeEmperorKangxiofQingtheDynastycameto powertheHallofHeavenlyPurityservedasthelivingquarteroftheemperors.Em perorYongzhengchosetoliveinthishallandattendedtoeverydaystateaffairsfro mhere.Fo

57、rthesakeofprotectingculturalrelics,thishallisnotopentothepublic.Y oucanhavealookattheinsidefromthedoor.Thecentralhallwastheaudiencecha mberwheretheemperorreadmemorials,grantedaudiencetoofficialsandsum monedhisminstersforconsultation.Thewesternchamberofthehallwaswheretheemperorreadreportsanddiscussed

58、militaryandpoliticalaffairs.ThehallconsistsofmanyinnerroomsandisdecoratedwithimagesofBuddhaandminiaturepa godas.OnthescreenwalltherehangsapictureoftwoemperorsintheHancostu me.Inasouthernroomtherethreerarecalligraphicscrolls,hencethenameofthe roomSanxitang(RoomofThreeRareTreasures).Theroomontheeaster

59、nsideiso fhistoricalinterstbecauseitwasherethatEmpressDowagerCixiusurpedpower andmadedecisionsonbehalfoftheyoungemperor.Abamboocurtainwasusedt oseparatethem.EmpressDowageCixiwasbornin1835inLu'anPrefectureofsha nxiprovince.She'sofManchuriannationalityandherfatherwasaprovincialgov ernorfromsou

60、thChina.Whenshewas17yearsold,shewasselectedtobecomea concubineofEmperorXianfengandmovedintotheForbiddenCity.Shegavebirt htoasonwhenshewas21yearsoldandwasmadeaconcubinethefollowingyear.Whentheemperorpassedawayinthesummerof1861,hersonascendedthethr oneandtitleofCixi,meaningHolyMotherwasconferreduponherandshebecam etheEmpressDo