英文介绍北京故宫

1、FORBIDDEN CITY (紫禁城)(In front of the meridia n gate)Ladies and Gen tleme n:I am pleased to serve as your guide today.This is the palace museum; also know as the Purple Forbidde n City. It is the largest and most well reserved imperial reside nee in Chi na today. Un der Ming Emperor Yon gle, con stru

2、eti on began in 1406. It took 14years to build the Forbidden City. The first ruler who actually lived here was Mi ng Emperor Zhudi. For five een turies thereafter, it continued to be the reside nee of23 successive emperors un til 1911 whe n Qi ng Emperor Puyi was forced to abdicate the throne. In 19

3、87, the United Nations Educati on al, Scie ntific and Cultural Orga ni zati on recog ni zed the Forbidde n City was a world cultural legacy.It is believed that the Palace Museum, or Zi Jin Cheng (Purple Forbidde n City), got its n ame from astr onomy folklore, The an cie nt astr ono mers divided the

4、 con stellati ons into groups and centered them around the Ziwei Yuan (North Star) . The constellation containing the North Star was called the Constellation of Heavenly God and star itself was called the purple palace. Because the emperor was supposedly the son of the heavenly gods, his central and

5、 dominant position would be further highlighted the use of the word purple in the n ame of his reside nee. In folklore, the term “ an easter n purple cloud is drifting ” became a metaphor for auspicious events after a purple cloud was see n drifti ng eastward immediately before the arrival of an anc

6、ient philosopher, LaoZi, to the Hanghu Pass. Here, purple is associated with auspicious developme nts.The word jin (forbidde n) is self-expla natory as the imperial palace was heavily guarded and off-expla natory as the imperial palace was heavily guarded and off-limits to ordinary people.The red an

7、d yellow used on the palace walls and roofs are also symbolic. Red represe nts happ in ess, good fortune and wealth. Yellow is the color of the earth on the Loess Plateau, the original home of the Chinese people. Yellow became an imperial color during the Tang dynasty, when only members of the royal

8、 family were allowed to wear it and use it in their architecture.The Forbidden City is rectangular in shape. It is 960 meters long from north to south and 750 meter wide from east west.It has 9,900 rooms un der a total roof area 150,000 square meters. A 52-meter-wide-moat en circles a 9. 9-meter hig

9、hwall which en closes the complex. Octag on shaped turretsrest on the four corners of the wall. There are four en tra nces into the city: the Meridian Gate to the south, the Shenwu Gate (Gate of Military Prowess) to the north, and the Xihua Gate (Gate of military Prowess) to the north, and the Xihua

10、 Gate (Western Flowery Gate ) to the west, the Don ghua (Eastern Flowery Gate) to the east.Man power and materials throughout the country were used to build the Forbidden City. A total of 230,000 artisans and one millio n laborers were employed. Marble was quarried from fan gsha n Country Mount Pan

11、in Jixia n County in Hebei Provinee. Granite was quarried in Quyang County in Hebei Provinee. Paving blocks were fired in kilns in Suzhou in southern China. Bricks and scarlet pigmentation used on the palatial walls came from linqing in Shandong Provinee. Timber was cut, processed and hauled from th

12、e n orthwester n and souther n regi ons.The Palace Museum has served as the royal reside nee duri ng the Ming and Qing dyn asties. It was here that a total of 24 mon archs asce nded the throne and wielded power for some 500 years. The Palace Museum, as the most beautiful spot of in terest throughout

13、 Beiji ng, is unique for its locati on: to the no rthwest is Beihai(North Sea) Park, famous for its white pagoda and rippli ng lake; to the west is the Zhongn ahai (ce ntral and south sea); to the east lies the the Wangfujing Shopping Street; and to the north id Jinshan Park. Standing in the Wanchun

14、 (Everlasting Spring) Pavilion at the top of Jin gsha n( Charcoal Hill) Park, you overlook the skyli ne of the palace Museum. At the southern end of the palace is Tian' anmen (Gate of Heave nly Peace) and the famous square n amed after it . This is the symbol of the People' s Republic of Chi

15、 na.A world-famous historical site, the Palace Museum is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO and is an embodiment of oriental civilization.The Palace Museum is rectangular in shape, 960 meters long from n orth to south and 750 meters wide from east to west, coveri ng a space of 720,000 square meter

16、s of which 150,000 is building area . It has 9000-strong rooms in it . According to lege nd there are 9999.5 roo m-un its in all .The whole compo und is en closed by a 10-meter-hig n wall and is accessed through four entran ces, n amely, the meridia n Gate in the south ,the Gate of Military Prowess

17、in the north,Don ghua(Eastern Flowery ) Gate in the n orth, Don ghua(Eastern Flowery) Gate in the east and Xihua(Western Flowery ) Gate in the west. On each cor ner there is a turret con sisted of 9 roof beams, 18 pillars and 72 ridge . Encircling the compo und there is a 3,800-meter-l ong and 52 me

18、ter-wide moat, maki ng the Palace Museum a self-defe nsive city-withi n-a city.The Palace Museum was made a cen ter of rule duri ng the Ming Dyn asty by Zhun Di, The fourth son of the founding emperor Zhuyua nzha ng. The whole complex straddles on an 8-kilometers-long central axis that stretches fro

19、m Yongding (Forever Stable) Gate in the south to Gulou (Drum Tower) in the no rth. Pro minence was give n to the royal power by putt ing the "three main front halls" and "three back halls "on the axis while arrange other subsidiary structure around them .The con structi on of the

20、 Palace Museum invo Ived man power and resources across Chi na. For example, the bricks laid in the halls ,known as "gold brick, " un derwe nt complex, two -doze n processes. As the final touch ,the fired bricks were dipped in Chin ese wood oil. Involving complicated processes and high cos

21、t, these brick are called "golden bricks." The Palace Museum serves as a livi ng embodime nt of good traditi on and styles unique to China' s an cie nt architecture. It reflects to the full the ingenuity and creativity of the Chin ese work ing people. A carefully preserved and complete

22、 group of royal residences, the Palace Museum is a prominent historical and tourist site.What we are now approaching is the main entrance to the Palace Museum-the Meridia n Gate, which is characterized by red walls, yellow glazed -tile roofs and upturned eaves. On top of this walls, yellow glazed-ti

23、le roofs and upturned eaves. On top of this magnificent building ,there stand five lofty halls with a main hall in the center. The main hall is roofed by multiple eaves and covers a space of 9 room-units. It is flanked by two wings on each side .The wings are square in shape ,complete with multiple

24、and four edged eaves and pinn acles. All of these structures are conn ected by a colonnade. Because these halls resemble a soaring bird, it was also know as wufe nglou (Five-phoe nix Tower) .In side the main hall there is a throne. Drums and bells were stored in the win gs. Whe never the emperor pre

25、sided over gra nd ceremonies or observed rites in the Hall of Upreme Harmony, drums, bells and gongs would be struck to mark the occasion. As the lege nd goes, the Meridia n Gate used to be a place where condemned ranking officials would be executed. This not true. However, flogging was carried out

26、here by the Ming emperors ,If a courtier falls afoul of the emperor, he would be stripped of his court dress and flogging with a stick .At one point the puni shme nt became so harsh that a total of 11 people died from fatal wound on a single occasion .On the other hand, this build ing was also used

27、to observe importa nt occasions like the traditional Chinese Lantern Festival (15th day of the first lunar mon th). On these occasi ons, Chin ese lanterns would be han ged and sumptuous banq uets would be given in honour of the whole court of ministers and other ranking officials.Upon en teri ng the

28、 Meridia n Gate we bega n our tour of the Palace Museum. The river foow ing in front of us is known as Jin Shui He (Golde n Water River) and the five marbles bridges spanning it are known as the Inner Golden Water Bridges. The on in the middle was used exclusive by the emperor and its bani sters wer

29、e carved with drag on and phoe nix desig ns. The bridges flanking the imperial one were reserved for prin ces and other royal members. The rest were used by palati nes.Aside from decoratio n, the golde n Water River was also dug as precauti on aga inst fire. Most of the structures with in the palace

30、 Museum are made of wood. What is more ,accord ing to an cie nt Chin ese cosmology, the South is the abode of fire, so this brook was dug on the southern tip of the Palace. In this way, the Palace Museum reflects traditi onal Chin ese culture. This building is called the Gate of Supreme Harmony .In

31、the foregro und sta nd two bronze lions. Can an ybody tell which is male and which is female The one on the east playing with a ball is male, symboliz ing power and uni versal uni ty. The other on the west with a cub cuddling underneath its claw is female The one on the east play ing with a ball is

32、male, symboliz ing power and uni versal uni ty. The other on the west with a cub cuddling underneath its claw is female, representing prosperity the en dless successi on. A layout of the Palace Museum is posted by the entrance . From it ,you can see that the Palace Museum has two main parts: the for

33、ecourt and the inner court. The three main halls constitute the mainstay of the forecourt, and it was here that the emperor announ ced decisions and observed rites. Behind the forecourt there is the inner court, consisting of major halls and the ImperialGarde n .It was where the emperor atte nded st

34、ate affairs, lived and enjoyed his luxurious life. The exhibit on system of the Palace Museum invo Ives historical court relics and articles of an cie nt art and culture. The Palace Museum houses n early one millio n articles of rare treasure, or one sixth of the total nu mber in all of China 's

35、 museums. There are the three main halls of the Palace museum, built on a triple marble terrace .Si nee most of China 's architecture is made of wood, the buildings cannot be too tall. To gain the height of the architecture, ingenious an cie nt artisa ns built the hall on a gigantic stone terrac

36、e .It is also to this end that not a single pla nt was grow n in the square. On stairways of triple marble terrace there are 18 bronze tripods .The verandah is flanked by bronze tortoises and cran es, which served as symbols of Ion gevity .On the east is a sun dial, an an cie nt timepiece. On the we

37、st there is a grain measure suggest ing that the emperor was just and equitable.In the front and on each flank ,there is a pair of gilt bronze vats (caldr ons ) molded duri ng the reig n of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dyn asty .Each of these weights 2 tons and is filled with water as a precauti on

38、in the eve nt of a fire .The structure in the very middle is the Hall of Supreme Harmony ,also known as the throne hall. It is 64 meters in width and is 38 meters from entrance to rear. With terrace exclusive ,the hall is 26.92 meters in height and is 35.03 meters in all .Coveri ng and areaof 2,377

39、square meters, the Hall of Supreme Harmony is China' s largest exit ing woode n structure. The hall is supported by 6 thick ,round pillars carved in a desig n of coiling dragons. As the holiest place in the hall, the ceiling and colored patter ns were made of the fin est material available at th

40、at time. The throne was placed on a terrace and is flanked by statues of elepha nts, Ludua n (a unicorn which could travel 18,000 kilometers a day and un dersta nd all la nguages), cranes and incense barrels .Over the throne there is the caisson ,or covered ceili ng ,which con sists of a coili ng dr

41、ag on play ing with a ball in its mouth .This ball is known as Xuanyuan Mirror ,and was supposedly made by a Chin ese emperor of remote times to serve as a remin der that thee rulers to follow were his hereditary heirs. The throne is made of nanmu and pain ted in gold .Mag ni fice ntly built and lux

42、uriously decorated ,this hall did not serve as a place in which the emperor attended to daily affairs. He used his hall for major events such as his birthday, conferral of title of empress or dispatch of gen erals to war.Behind the Hall of Supreme Harmony ,there sits the Hall of Complete Harmony. Th

43、is structure is square in shape .Each side is 24.15 meters. This was the place where the emperor relaxed and greeted his courtiers before proceeding to the hall of supreme Harmony to observe rites. This was also the place where the emperor prepared prayers or exam ined seeds and sowers before he att

44、e nded an cestral sacrifices or participated in snowing cere moni es. A grand cere mony was also held here once every 10 years for the emperor to gen ealogize the royal blood. There are two seda n chairs on display in the hall.Behi nd the Hall of Complete Harmony ,you will see the Hall of Preservi n

45、g Harmony, which was used as a place where imperial exam in ati ons were held. The imperial exam in ati on was the hig nest level of compet ing for meritorious appointment under the feudal system dating back to the Sui Dyn asty. Chi na's last imperial exam in ati on was held in 1904 duri ng the

46、reig n of Emperor Guan gxu of the Qing Dyn asty. To the rear of hall there is a marble ramp carved with cloud and drag on desig ns, the largest of its ki nd in the whole country . It is 16.57 meters in len gth, 3.07 meters in width, 1.7 meters thick and weighs 250 tons. It was quarried in Fangshan C

47、ounty in suburban Beijing. To bring this giant piece of stone to Beijing people poured water onto the road and applied rolli ng blocks duri ng the process.We are now standing before the square of the Hall of Heaven Purity. It served as a divide separating the forecourt from the inner court .This bui

48、lding is known as the Gate of Heavenly Purity. Emperor Qianlong held court here. Proceedi ng further north ,you can find three main rear halls ,i.e. the hall of heave nly purity. the Hall of union and peace and palace of earthly tranquility. The hall of heavenly purity if flanked on either side by t

49、wo gates named after the sun and moon .Inside the en closure there are 12 palaces and halls symboliz ing constellations. All of the other buildings are centered around the Palace of Heavenly Purity , which was meant to suggest that the mon arch' s power was en dowed by Heave n. The empress and c

50、on cub ines lived in the inner court.The hall of heavenly purity was where the emperor lived and atte nded to daily affairs. Later the emperor moved to live in the Palace of Mental cultivation. Looking up you can see a plaque bearing the Chinese inscription "be open and above-board," a man

51、ifesto to court struggle .Behind the plaque a stron gbox was stored containing a will beari ng the n ame of the would -be royal successor. This approach of secretly select ing the next emperor was adopted by Emperor Yon gzhe ng of the Qing Dyn asty. Two copies of the will were prepared .One was stas

52、hed by the emperor in pers on ,the other was placed in side the strong box beh ind the plaque.After the death of the emperor, the two copies would be compared and successor would be announ ced. It was in this way that Emperor Qianglong and others have asce nded the thro ne.Behi nd the Hall of heave

53、nly purity you will see the hall of union and peace , which is inden tical to the hall of complete harm ony. It was there that the emperor received congratulations and tributes from imperial officials on major cale nder occasi ons , A total of 25 imperial seals are stored there. In the hall, you wil

54、l see a plaque with the handwritten inscription of "we wei," exhorting Taoist doctrines.Further northward is the Palace of Earthly Tranquillity, which once served as the liv ing room of the empresses' . The hall was later conv erted into a sacrificial place .Through the win dowpa nes o

55、n the easter n wall you can see the royal bed decorated with drag on and phoe nix desig ns. This hall has also served as the bridal chamber of mon archs.The Gate of Earthly Tranquilliity leads to the Imperial garden (known to wester ners as Qia nlong' s Garde n ),which was used by the emperor ,t

56、he empress, and the con cub in es. A magnificent structure stands in the middle. It is called the Qin 's an (Imperial Peace) Hall. It is the on ly buildi ng in the Palace Museum that was built in Taoist style. It served as a shri ne to the Taoist deity. The garde n covers a space of 12,000 squar

57、e meters ,and is 130 meters from east to the west and some 90 meters from north to the south. There are a dozen halls, vera ndahs, pavilio ns and waterside houses in the garde n . On each of the fur corner there is a pavilio n dedicated to the four seas ons which is differe nt in con structi on styl

58、e and shape. The garde n also features an imperial la ndscape. With rare trees and exotic rockery, the Imperial Garden served as a model for China's imperial parks .In all ,a total of 10-strong building styles were applied.The tall buildi ng we are now pass ing is the gate of military prowess, t

59、he back door of the Palace Museum. Our visit is now draw ing to a con clusi on but the architectures of the Palace are not. On the other side of the road is the 43-meter-hign Charcoal Hill , provid ing n atural protecti on for the Forbidde n City. This was also an embodime nt of China' s con str

60、ucti on style-putting a pool in the front and a hill in the rear. Now let' s climb up to Wanchun (Everlasting Springs ) Pavillion where we' II have a great view of the Palace Museum. What strikes one first in a bird's -eye view of Beiji ng proper is a vast tract of golden roofs flashing brilliantly in the sun with purple walls occasi on a