Monday,
May 5, 2008
Beijing
As mentioned before, there are bronze cauldrons sprinkled all over the Outer Court, for the purpose of dealing with fires (remember, these buildings are constructed from ancient wood). The cauldrons closest to the Hall of Preserving Harmony are the most impressive thus far, but show scars of heartaches past.
See the scratch marks? They aren’t from careless bumping or normal wear and tear, but from the bayonets of Allied soldiers during the occupation of Beijing, used to scrape the gold gilding off the bronze as part of their personal plundering.
Sometimes, war creates more casualties than we realize.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Beijing
Behind the Hall of Middle Harmony (right) stands the third Ceremonial Hall of the Outer Court, the Hall of Preserving Harmony (left). The entire complex of three ceremonial halls is perched atop a three-tiered platform of white marble that raises them a dizzying ninety-eight feet in the air, with steps cascading downward on all sides.
Originally used for banquets, later (as in a few hundred years, but what’s a century or two between friends?) it was better known as the Palace of Examination where the country’s best scholars would take the Highest Level of Imperial Exams in the Nation, hopeful they’d advance to the ultimate rank of “Jin Shi.”
And I thought the Minnesota driver’s license test was a stinker. Who knew?
(Photo credit: ChinaReport.com)
Monday, May 5, 2008
Beijing
Behind the Hall of Supreme Harmony there are two more ceremonial halls—the small, square Hall of Middle Harmony (foreground) and the larger Hall of Preserving Harmony. The former is the smallest of the three halls in the Outer Court, in sharp contrast to the preceding Hall of Supreme Harmony from where I just came, which is by far, the largest.
For a little hall, this one’s worn a lot of monikers: The Hall of Middle Harmony, The Hall of Balancing Harmony, The Hall of Complete Harmony, The Hall of Central Harmony, and The Hall of Medium Harmony. During the Ming Dynasty, this was where the Emperor received High Officials in private before proceeding to official grand ceremonies.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Beijing
Just in case you didn’t notice the miles of plastic sheeting and bamboo scaffolding that hid the entire Hall of Supreme Harmony….
Monday, May 3, 2008
Beijing
Flanking either side of the Hall of Supreme Harmony are enormous bronze cauldrons. These, along with dozens of others like them, were kept filled with water in case of fire—pretty important, since the neighboring hall is the largest wooden structure in the China, the center of the Forbidden City, and home to the Imperial Dragon Throne, the seat of the Chinese Empire.
To prevent the winter from freezing in the cold Beijing winters, cauldrons were lined with cotton pads, covered with lids, then heated by open flames from below.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Beijing
Before leaving home, Jennifer asked me to find the downspouts in the Forbidden City and photograph them—she’s in the midst of fine tuning the new house plans and is considering a similar idea for her rain garden. So off I go, shooting a zillion shots of these regal creatures. They’re everywhere, on every terrace, and every wall. And they’re fabulous.
So here you go, Jenn. Design away.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Beijing
Looking back into the courtyard I just crossed, it’s hard not to be impressed by the history of this place. Here, I’m looking at the Pavilion of Spreading Righteousness, on the west side. Today, it houses an exhibition of Qing Dynasty court music.
There’s no racing across the grounds without caution, though, unless a twisted ankle is your goal. With six hundred years of feet, horses, carriages, and carts ahead of you, the best plan of attack is to look down, step, look up, gawk, look down, step, look up, gawk….
Monday, May 5, 2008
Beijing
I can’t believe my eyes.
This happened in Rome, when I rounded a corner to find the much sought after Trevi Fountain shrouded in green baggies and hurricane fencing.
It’s happening again. I’ve traveled half way around the world to find the Hall of Supreme Harmony—the largest, most spectacular of the Forbidden City palaces—in the same condition, draped in sheets of plastic, caged in bamboo scaffolding.
Bummer………..
Monday,
