2009年5月12日星期二

The Silkroad (Sichou zhi lu 丝绸之路)


Maybe you have heard about the Silk Road or read it yourself long before so that you have already understood the constantly changing and endless barren desert as well as its quietness. Maybe you have met it in the numerous words before. Haven’t you understood its brilliance hidden in the relics on the ancient route left to us by our ancestors that has gone through the test of over 2000 years of trials and hardships? And then do you still want to listen to the bells on the camels that have been pleasant to your ears for years in and out along this historical route that goes through Asia and Europe and maintains the civilization of east and west and appreciate the flourishment and continuous flow on the broad ancient route? Well, let’s read the Silk Road in the virtual world built by the net technology!

A 10,000-li silver ribbon, starting at Chang’an (Xi’an today), the ancient capital of China, and ending at the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, links up fields, deserts, grasslands, and mountains. This is the Silk Road famed in world history, the first thoroughfare that links up China with the West.

2000 ago, our ancestors opened up a great road--the Silk Road.

China was the first country in the world to breed silkworms and produce silk. The Silk Road was first conceived during the Zhou and Qin dynasties. From 138--139B.C., Zhang Qian, outstanding Western Han diplomat and traveler, first “blazed a trail” in the West, and the Silk Road was formally inaugurated as China’s “national road” linking up the east and west. Holding a tasseled staff and “driving enormous herds of sheep and cattle and bringing quantities of golden coins and rolls of silk,” Zhang Qian set out with a retune of 100 and 300 in two trips from Chang’an and reached Loulan (around Roujiang today), Yuli, Quick (Kula today), Shula (Kashi today), Yutan (Hotan today) and Wunsun (the Ill River valley today), as well as Dayuan, Kanju, kand Dayuezhi, now in Xinjiang and the Amu-Darya River valley in Central Asia. His assistant even went as far as Ansi (Iran) and Xindu (India) for friendly visits. In return, envoys from these countries also visited China, and merchants were continually on the way.

In 73 AD, Ban Zhao embarked on a mission to the western region with a 36-man retinue, ensuring the smooth operation of the Silk Road which had once been blocked by war. His deputy Gan Ying reached Daqin (ancient Rome) and toured the Persian Gulf (Arabic Gulf), extending the Silk Road.

The ancient Silk Road linked Chinese culture with that of India, Greece, Rome and Persian from one century to the other, carried the great Chinese inventions of silk, gunpowder, papermaking and printing to the West and brought Buddhism, Nestorianism, and Islam and their related arts and cultures into China. From time immemorial, the Silk Road has been a route of friendly intercourse between the Chinese and foreign people.

Chinese silk, ironware, gold and platinum, bronze mirrors, lacquer and bamboo wares, drugs and farming and smelting technology passed through the western region to India and Europe. Alfalfa, grapes, sesame, pomegranates, walnuts, cucumbers, carrots, safflowers, as well as lions, peacocks, elephants, camels and horses from the western region also found their way into the Chinese interior. A passage from the West Region: History of the Han Dynasty, documents the trade between China and foreign countries: “The emperor’s household was filled with pearls, rhinoceros horns and peacock feathers. Palace officials’ stables were crowded with thoroughbred horses: elephants, lions, mastiffs and peacocks roam the menagerie. Exotic articles poured in from every quarter.”

Fa Xian and Xuan Zang, eminent monks of the Jin and Tang Dynasties, journeyed to more than 30 countries including Kashmir, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka along the Silk Road in 366 and 627 (or 629). The Lands of Buddhism by Fa Xian and the West Region by Xuan Zang were important references in research on the histories of the West Region and India, and the Silk Road.

1222-1223, Yelu Chucai, a Yuan dynasty poet, and Qiu Chuji, leader of Taoism, traveled west and made lively notes on the scenes along northern Xinjiang and the central Asian region.

The ancient Silk Road linked Chinese culture with that of India, Greece, Rome and Persian from one century to the other, carried the great Chinese inventions of silk, gunpowder, papermaking and printing to the West and brought Buddhism, Nestorianism, and Islam and their related arts and cultures into China. From time immemorial, the Silk Road has been a route of friendly intercourse between the Chinese and foreign people.

The ancient Silk Road yields a wealth of world famous treasures. A series of passes, castles, grotto temples, courier stations, burial sites and beacon towers shine with brilliance.

The greater part of the Silk Road threads its way through Xinjiang. Ancient travelers left behind many historical records and invaluable relics.

And all this reminds people from time to time that the Chinese nation had spread its splendid but unique ancient civilization to the west and even to the whole world through this main route so that the people all over the world could understand its great oriental civilization.

It used to be the main artery of communication and cultural exchange between China and the western countries.
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2009年5月10日星期日

West Lake (杭州西湖)


The famous West Lake is like a brilliant pearl embedded in the beautiful and fertile shores of the East China Sea near the mouth of the Hangzhou Bay. The lake covers an area of 5.6 square kilometers. The view of the West Lake is simply enchanting, which offers many attractions for tourists at home and abroad. 
Tiger-running Spring
  The legend goes that two tights ran there and made a hole where a spring gushed out. The Longjing Tea and the Tiger-running Spring water are always reputed as the "Two Wonders of the West Lake".
The Lingyin Monastery
  The Lingyin Monastery, or the Monastery of Soul's Retreat, is a famous historical site of the West Lake. Here exists the Lingyin Monastery, a famous ancient temple in China, in front of which there are Feilai Peak, Cold Spring, Longhong Cave and precious rock cave arts and queer and varied natural caves and gullies.
Spring Dawn at Su Causeway
  It's a 2.8 km. long boulevard cutting across the south-north scenic area, and lined with trees and flowering plants. When Spring comes with crimson peach blossoms and green willows; the scenery is all the more charming. Strolling along the boulevard, one feels as if the West Lake were wakening in dawn mist. Young willows were ethereal, spring breeze so caressing, and birds were chirping in unison.
The Moon Reflected in Three Pools
  "There are islands in the lake and three are lake on the islands." The three stone towers were first built in Yuanyou 4th year (1089) of the Song Dynasty, with the wonderful scenery of "one moon in the sky having three reflection in the lake", it is one of the wonderful scenes of the West Lake.
Notes:
1. West Lake 西湖
2. Tiger-running Spring 虎跑泉
3. The Lingyin Monastery 灵隐寺
4. Spring Dawn at Su Causeway 苏堤春晓
5. The Moon Reflected in Three Pools 三潭印月

The introduction of Shanghai


A conurbation of over 18 million people ,Shanghai is China's second-largst city and is one of the four centrally administered cities in the country, the other three being Beijing, Tianjin and Chongqing. It is also one of China's most important industrial and cultural centres.
To most foreigner, Shanghai conjures up stories of adventure and intrigue, of vice and leasure. Many of these were probably no exaggeration, for it was a dynamic,violent and colourful city. Most of the European-style quarters of the old international Settlement and the French Concession areas can still be seen, though they are much in need of repair. One can still clearly imagine the extraordinary life of pre-1949 Shanghai.
HISTORY OF SHANGHAI
The name Shanghai, which means 'on the sea', was first used in AD 960 when the set dement was a backward fishing village. In 1554, the town was surrounded by a seven-metre (23-foot) high crenellated city wall and a moat to protect it against the frequent incursions of Japanese pirates. By the l7th century there were signs of growing wealth, but when the British troops stormed its undefended walls in 1842 Shanghai was still only a county town of no great importance.
The first foreign settlement was established in 1843, when the newly-appointed British Consul arrived to negotiate for a 138-acre (just over 0.5 square kilometres) site north of the existing city. This site was joined with the American Settlement founded in 1848 north of Suzhou Creek, to form the international Settlement in 1863. Subsequent negotiations with the Chinese increased the area of the International Settlement to more than 5,500 acres (about 22 square kilometres). The French Concession was established on 164 acres (about 0.6 square kilometres) in 1849 and was finally extended to about 2,500 acres (about l0 square kilometres). The Japanese, also, had secured a concession by the end of the 1ast century, which became a centre for cotton-spinning factories. These settlements were self administered and were outside Chinese government jurisdiction.
The old Chinese City, occupied by one group of the Taiping rebels--the Small Sword Society--between 1853 and 1855, became the scene of lawlessness and fighting. The foreign community, concerned for its own safety, formed the Shanghai Volunteer Corps, recruited from local traders and diplomats. They were even prepared to take on the imperial troops f backed by British and American officers and men from visiting warship5, the volunteers issued an ultimatum for the troops' removal, an action which precipitated the Battle of Muddy Flat in 1854. The imperial troops were duly driven away from their encampment, which was the site of the old racecourse, now the People's Park.
Shanghai was again threatened by the Taiping rebe1s in the 1860s, but they were quelled by the Ever Victorious Army made up of foreigners and Chinese, estab1ished for this very purpose. An American, Frederick Townsend Ward, a Frenchman, Henri A Burg vine, and a Briton, Char1es Gorge Gordon ('Chinese Gordon', later of Khartoum fame), took successive command and were all made officers of the Qing Imperial Army.
The nationwide upheavals in the 20th century the 1900 Boxer Rebellion, the 1911 Revolution, the Sino Japanese War took their toll on Shanghai's millions.Hundreds of thousands of Chinese poured into the foreign settlements for protection and then stayed on. Nevertheless, Shanghai continued to flourish as an entrepot with its staple exports of tea and silk, and imports of piece goods and opium. Banking plyed an important part in this great trading city, which had its own stock exchange.
The foreigners' lifestyle was grand and lavish for those who could afford to participate in clubs, race meetings, paper chases and nightclubs. The arrival in the 1930s of some 25,000 White Russian refugees enlivened the night1ife of cabarets and dance halls in 'Frenchtown', as the French Concession was called by the Anglo-Saxons. Chinese secret societies controlled the seamy side of Shanghai life, and the city was the Holly'Wood of China with a thriving movie industry.
But the Shanghai workers were subjected to appalling working conditions,overcrowding and exploitation, a situation leading inevitably to industrial unrest and revolutionary activity. The Communist Party of China was founded in Shanghai in 1921 at a secret meeting in the French Concession. The Party fomented strikes and uprisings--some of them actually planned by Zhou Enlai, later Premier--but these activities were violently suppressed by the Nationalist government. This was a period of debate among Chinese intcllectuals, who were influenced by the philosophies and experience of the more industrialized West. Many of these Chinese had
studied abroad or at missionary institutions of higher 1earning in Shanghai.
The beginning of the Sino Japanese War saw bombing and fierce fighting in and around Shanghai, but the foreign concessions were not occupied by the Japanese until after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, when Allied nationals were interned. In 1943 extra--territoriality came to an end by common consent, but the Chinese only regained control of Shanghai after the defeat of the Japanese.
When a People's Republic was proclaimed in China at the end of the civil war,foreigners and Chinese industrialists, fleeing Communism, left Shanghai, many re-establishing themselves in Hong Kong.
Because of the city's long history of foreign capitalist exploitation and 'bourgeois attitudes', adherents of the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and '70s were particularly vociferous in Shanghai, which became the headquarters of the so-called Gang of Four, the ultra-Leftist elements of this chaotic period.
When China began to reform her economic system and opened her doors to the outside world, one imagined that there would be a resurgence of the entrepreneurial spirit in Shanghai. But it took some while for today's momentum to build. Until recently, Shanghai has been starved of investment, Bejing having siphoned off much of its huge earnings. As the population continued to grow, the problems of housing and traffic congestion grew ever more acute.
However, in 1988, Bejing and Shanghai entered a new revenue agreement. Instead of surrendering more than three-quarters of its annual revenues, Shanghai began contributing a fixed amount to the central government and keeping any surpluses for its own use. The revitalizing of Shanghai could scarcely be more ambitiousf bridges, tunnels, ah urban subway System, Suburban housing, the technical upgrading and expansion of its textile industry, the building of a microelectronics industry in Caohejing, a would-be Silicon Valley; and the establishment of a new port and free trade and export processing zone in Pudong.

Translations of Chinese food

烧饼     Clay oven rolls
油条     Fried bread stick
韭菜盒    Fried leek dumplings
水饺     Boiled dumplings
蒸饺     Steamed dumplings
馒头     Steamed buns
割包     Steamed sandwich
饭团     Rice and vegetable roll
蛋饼     Egg cakes
皮蛋     100-year egg
咸鸭蛋    Salted duck egg
豆浆     Soybean milk

饭 类

稀饭     Rice porridge
白饭     Plain white rice
油饭     Glutinous oil rice
糯米饭    Glutinous rice

2009年3月30日星期一

Guolin(桂林)



Guilin is regarded as the most picturesque city in China. Two crystal-clear rivers meander through the city, which are encircled by hills with unusual & bizarre rock formations and caves inside.
Two crusted movements of earth took place about 200 and 180 million years age thrusting the limestone sediments out of the sea bottom. They were forced upwards more than 200 meters to the surface. This Karst formation was molded through many years of erosion by the wind and rain to become the hills and rocks with bizarre shapes. There are numerous complete Karst(limestone sites), which are of high scientific value and tour value.
Guilin is named after the fragrance of osmanthus tree and saw its first inhabitants in Qin Dynasty over 2000 years ago. Guilin experienced a prosperous period during Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasty under the patronage from succeeding Emperors.

2009年3月21日星期六

Peking Duck




Peking Duck, or Peking Roast Duck is a famous duck dish from Beijing that has been prepared since the imperial era, and is now considered one of China's national foods.
The dish is prized for the thin, crispy skin, with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the diners by the cook. Ducks bred specially for the dish are slaughtered after 65 days and seasoned before being roasted in a closed or hung oven. The meat is often eaten with pancakes, spring onions, and hoisin sauce or sweet noodle sauce. The two most notable restaurants in Beijing which serve this delicacy are Quanjude and Bianyifang, two centuries-old establishments which have become household names. A variant of the dish known as crispy aromatic duck has been created by the Chinese community in the United Kingdom.

History


Duck has been roasted in China since the Southern and Northern Dynasties.A variation of roast duck was prepared for the Emperor of China in the Yuan Dynasty. The dish, originally named "Shaoyazi" (燒鴨子), was mentioned in the Complete Recipes for Dishes and Beverages (飲膳正要) manual in 1330 by Hu Sihui (忽思慧), an inspector of the imperial kitchen. The Peking Roast Duck that came to be associated with the term was fully developed during the later Ming Dynasty, and by then, Peking Duck was one of the main dishes on imperial court menus. The first restaurant specialising in Peking Duck, Bianyifang, was established in the Xianyukou, Qianmen area of Beijing in 1416.
By the Qianlong Period (1736-1796) of the Qing Dynasty, the popularity of Peking Duck spread to the upper classes, inspiring poetry from poets and scholars who enjoyed the dish. For instance, one of the verses of Duan Zhu Zhi Ci, a collection of Beijing poems was, "Fill your plates with roast duck and suckling pig". In 1864, the Quanjude (全聚德) restaurant was established in Beijing. Yang Quanren (楊全仁), the founder of Quanjude, developed the hung oven to roast ducks. With its innovations and efficient management, the restaurant became well known in China, introducing the Peking Duck to the rest of the world.
By the mid-20th century, Peking Duck had become a national symbol of China, favored by tourists and diplomats alike. For example, Henry Kissinger, the Secretary of State of the United States, met Premier Zhou Enlai in the Great Hall of the People on July 10, during his first visit to China. After a round of inconclusive talks in the morning, the delegation was served Peking Duck for lunch, which became Kissinger's favorite. The Americans and Chinese issued a joint statement the following day, inviting President Richard Nixon to visit China in 1972. Peking Duck was hence considered one of the factors behind the rapprochement of the United States to China in the 1970s. Following Zhou's death in 1976, Kissinger paid another visit to Beijing to savor Peking Duck. Peking Duck, at the Quanjude in particular, has also been a favorite dish for various political leaders ranging from Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro to former German chancellor Helmut Kohl.

Preparation

Raising the duck
The ducks used to prepare Peking Duck originated from Nanjing. They were small and had black feathers, and lived in the canals around the city linking major waterways . With the relocation of the Chinese capital to Beijing, supply barge traffic increased in the area which would often spill grain during trips the ducks fed. As a result, the ducks slowly increased in size and grew white feathers. By the Five Dynasties, the new species of duck had been domesticated by Chinese farmers.Nowadays, Peking Duck is prepared from the Pekin Duck (Anas platyrhynchos domestica). Newborn ducks are raised in a free range environment for the first 45 days of their lives, and force fed 4 times a day for the next 15–20 days, resulting in ducks that weigh 5–7 kg (11-15 Lbs). The force feeding of the ducks led to an alternate name for the dish, Peking Stuffed Duck (simplified Chinese: 北京填鸭; traditional Chinese: 北京填鴨; pinyin: běijīng tián yā).

Cooking


Fattened ducks are slaughtered, feathered, eviscerated and rinsed thoroughly with water.Air is pumped under the skin through the neck cavity to separate the skin from the fat.The duck is then soaked in boiling water for a short while before it is hung up to dry. While it is hung, the duck is glazed with a layer of maltose syrup, and the innards are rinsed once more with water. Having been left to stand for 24 hours, the duck is roasted in an oven until it turns shiny brown.
Peking Duck is traditionally roasted in either a closed oven or hung oven. The closed oven is built of brick and fitted with metal griddles (Chinese: 箅子; pinyin: bì zi). The oven is preheated by burning Gaoliang wood (Chinese: 秫秸; pinyin: shú jiē) at the base. The duck is placed in the oven immediately after the fire burns out, allowing the meat to be slowly cooked through the convection of heat within the oven.
The hung oven was developed in the imperial kitchens during the Qing Dynasty and adopted by the Quanjude restaurant chain. It is designed to roast up to 20 ducks at the same time with an open fire fuelled by hardwood from peach or pear trees. The ducks are hung on hooks above the fire and roasted at a temperature of 270°C (525 °F) for 30–40 minutes. While the ducks are cooking, the chef may use a pole to dangle each duck closer to the fire for 30 second intervals.Almost every part of a duck can be cooked. The Quanjude Restaurant ever served their customers the "All Duck Banquet" in which they cooked the bones of ducks with vegetables.
Besides the traditional methods to prepare Peking duck, recipes have been compiled by chefs around the world to produce the dish at home.

Serving

The cooked Peking Duck is traditionally carved in front of the diners and served in three stages. First, the skin is served dipped in sugar and garlic sauce. The meat is then served with steamed pancakes (Chinese: 春饼, 春饼; pinyin: chūn bǐng, literally lotus leaf pancakes), scallions and sweet noodle sauce. Several vegetable dishes are provided to accompany the meat, typically cucumber and carrot sticks. The diners spread sauce, and optionally sugar, over the pancake. The pancake is wrapped around the meat with the vegetables and eaten by hand. The remaining fat, meat and bones may be made into a broth. Otherwise, they are packed up to be taken home by the customers.

Reheating

Whole Peking Ducks can be ordered as takeaways. The ducks can be reheated at home with an oven, grill or boiling oil. When an oven is used, the duck is heated at a temperature of 150 °C (300 °F) for 20 minutes, and then at 160 °C (325 °F) for another 10 minutes. The grilling method involves filling the duck with boiling water before placing it on a griddle, 70 cm (28 in) above the cooking fire. The boiling water is replaced every 3–4 minutes until the duck's skin is piping hot. To reheat the Peking Duck with oil, the duck is sliced into thin pieces and placed in a strainer held over a wok of boiling oil. The duck is then rinsed several times with the oil.

Notable restaurants

A number of restaurants in China specialises in Peking Duck. Examples include Quanjude, Bianyifang, Changan Yihao (長安一號), Beijing Xiaowangfu (北京小王府) and Dadong Tuanjiehu Kaoyadian (大董團結湖烤鴨店). Some restaurants, in particular Quanjude and Bianyifang, have long histories of serving high quality duck that they are now household names, or laozihao (老字號), literally "old brand name". In addition, Quanjude has received worldwide recognition, having been named a China Renowned Trademark in 1999.

Crispy Aromatic Duck

Crispy aromatic duck is a variant of Peking duck that originated from the Chinese community in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 20th century,served by most Chinese restaurants as a signature dish on the menu.To prepare crispy aromatic duck, the duck is first rubbed inside and out with a mixture of spices including five spice powder and Sichuan peppercorns. Having left to stand for 24 hours, the duck is placed into a wok and steamed for two hours, with the fat constantly poured off. Afterwards, the duck is cut into quarters and dusted with corn flour and deep fried for 8–15 minutes. The cooked duck is drained on kitchen paper and taken to the diners' table, where the meat is shredded off. The meat is served with pancakes, finely chopped cucumber and spring onions and hoisin sauce. The meat has less fat, but is drier and crispier compared to that of Peking Duck.

2009年3月12日星期四

Beijing's Hutong


HutongPeople say that the real culture of Beijing is "the culture of hutong" and "the culture of courtyard". How true that is. Often, it is Beijing's winding hutongs that attract tourists from home and abroad rather than the high-rise buildings and large mansions.

Hutong is a typical lane or small street in Beijing that originated during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). "Hutong" is a Mongolian word, meaning "water well". During that time, water well is the settlement around which people lived. There are tens of thousands of hutongs surrounding the Forbidden City. In the past, Beijing was composed of countless courtyards. Hutongs were formed when people left a passageway between two courtyards to make entering them more convenient.

As the symbol of Beijing City, a hutong has its own layout and structure, which makes it a wonder in the world. When taking a bird's eye view of Beijing, you will find the combination of hutongs and courtyards just like an orderly chessboard with delicate gardens, fine rockeries, and ancient ruins. Hutongs have witnessed the development of Beijing. Where there is a hutong, there is a story.

Among the numerous hutongs in Beijing, Beixinqiao Hutong has the most turns. There are more than 20 in which you can easily get lost. The narrowest is Qian Shi Hutong (Money Market Hutong), measuring about 30 to 40 meters (32 to 44 yards), located in Zhubao Shi Street outside the Front Gate. The narrowest part is merely 40 centimeters (16 inches) wide, so when two people meet, they must turn sideways to pass each other. The longest one is Dong Jiaomin Hutong, with a total length of 6.5 kilometers (4 miles), lying between Chang'an Avenue and East Street and West Street of the Front Gate. The shortest one is Guantong Hutong measuring about 30 meters (33 yards).

Come and see it by hiring the rickshaw, and you'll have a true taste of Beijing!

Hutong tourTourists traveling by rickshaw

The Culture of Hutong 

In the same way that the Forbidden City is the symbol of China's royal family, the winding Hutongs in Beijing represent the way of life of the common people. Hutongs are at the root of the Beijing people's way of life. Beijing City is like a boxy bean curd or a chess board with each hutong lying due north to due south or due east to due west. This square layout not only influences Beijinger's way of living, but also influences their thoughts and actions.

The names of these Hutongs are all-embracing and various and relate to their location, origin or history, such as Lumicang Hutong, Fuxue Hutong, and Gongyuan Hutong, which were named by official organizations. Examples of Hutongs named by craftsmen and ordinary people include: ‘earthenware pot Liu Hutong' (now Dashaguo Hutong, maybe there once lived a Mr. Liu who sold earthenware pots) Wangzhima Hutong, and Mengduan Hutong. Hutongs named by their market trade include Xianyu Kou Hutong (Fish street), for it once was the place where fish was sold. There are also Hutongs which bear the names of horses and mules because these animals were once traded there. Some Hutongs take their name from special landmarks, such as Stone Tiger Hutong, Iron Lion Hutong and Cypress Hutong. Hutongs' names are regarded as important materials when researching Beijing culture.

People are pleased with their easy life in Siheyuan (the courtyard distributed orderly in Hutongs). They live a peaceful and harmonious life in these small "boxes", away from the hustle and bustle of the streets outside. Their daily needs could be fully satisfied by hawkers who sold vegetables, eggs, fruits, and snacks. In the past, they could even get their hair cut by the itinerant barbers without walking out of their neighbourhood to find a barber shop. The winding and narrow Hutongs were heaven for children playing games. They would have played rubber-band skipping, kicking shuttlecocks, and hide-and-seek. Even in modern times, young boys get together and hold football matches in these narrow lanes. Those who live in the Hutongs love their way of life so much that it is often described by the Chinese as a culture of happiness and harmony.

However, the love of this way of life can become a burden for some Hutong-dwellers. Because many people have never known anything outside of Hutong living, they can be reluctant to move house. People have been known to live in the same Hutong for decades, until the foundations are too weak to hold the weight of the house and until the roof allows rain in. But for these people, their house still had value because they loved the way of life that had lived there. In this insular environment, people live simply and happily but are unwilling to change.

The History of Hutong

Hutong is a narrow lane among courtyards. The history of hutongs can be traced back to Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368) when Beijing was the capital. After the establishment of Yuan authority, the nobles and heroes were pleased to be awarded with certain pieces of land as feudal estates. They actively built houses and courtyards which were arranged in order around water wells. The passages between houses were left in consideration of light and ventilation and convenient right-of way. Though these countless passages crisscrossed the old capital like a chessboard, there were only 29 of them called hutong. Because city planning was very strict at that time, the roads which measured 36 meters (39.4 yards) wide were called main streets. The 18-meter (19.7-yard)-wide roads were named side streets and those nine meters (9.8 yards) wide or less were designated as hutongs

Hutongs were also places where grain was stored to satisfy the needs of the royal court and armies and to feed the starving people in lean years. For example, Lumicang Hutong became famous because it was the location of Lumi Grain Depot. Lumi Grain Depot was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) and measured over 200 meters (218.7 yards) long, covering half length of the Lumicang Hutong.

In the Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), city planning was less strict. Stallholders squeezed in the residential districts, which made the hutongs differ in width from over six meters (6.6 yards) to less than one meter (1.1 yards). What's more, hutongs at this time presented various appearances. Some hutongs, such as Koudai Hutong (Pocket Hutong) only had one entrance. Some hutongs, such as Jiudaowan Hutong (Nine Turning Hutong) had many twists and turns. Some hutongs even wound around a somewhat squared off circle like the Four Rings Hutong. Small retailers peddled their wares among the hutongs to satisfy people's daily needs. The basic appearance of hutongs was generally formed during these periods.


2009年3月8日星期日

Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing


The Summer Palace or Yihe yuan (traditional Chinese: 頤和園; simplified Chinese: 颐和园; pinyin: Yíhé Yuán; literally "Gardens of Nurtured Harmony") is a palace in Beijing, China. The Summer Palace is mainly dominated by Longevity Hill (60 meters high) and the Kunming Lake. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which is water. The central Kunming Lake covering 2.2 square kilometers was entirely man made and the excavated soil was used to build Longevity Hill. In its compact 70,000 square meters of building space, one finds a variety of palaces, gardens, and other classical-style architectural structures.

The Summer Palace started out life as the Garden of Clear Ripples (traditional Chinese: 清漪園; simplified Chinese: 清漪园; pinyin: Qīngyī Yuán) in 1750 (Reign Year 15 of Emperor Qianlong). Artisans reproduced the garden architecture styles of various palaces in China. Kunming Lake was created by extending an existing body of water to imitate the West Lake in Hangzhou. The palace complex suffered two major attacks--during the Anglo-French allied invasion of 1860 (with the Old Summer Palace also ransacked at the same time), and during the Boxer Rebellion, in an attack by the eight allied powers in 1900. The garden survived and was rebuilt in 1886 and 1902. In 1888, it was given the current name, Yihe Yuan. It served as a summer resort for Empress Dowager Cixi, who diverted 30 million taels of silver, said to be originally designated for the Chinese navy (Beiyang Fleet), into the reconstruction and enlargement of the Summer Palace.

In December 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List. It declared the Summer Palace "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value." It is a popular tourist destination but also serves as a recreational park.

History

When the Jin Dynasty emperor Wányán Liàng moved his capital to the Beijing area, he had a Gold Mountain Palace built on the site of the hill. In the Yuan Dynasty, the hill was renamed from Gold Mountain to Jug Hill (Weng Shan). This name change is explained by a legend according to which a jar with a treasure inside was once found on the hill. The loss of the jar is said to have coincided with the fall of the Ming Dynasty as had been predicted by its finder.

The Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), who commissioned work on the imperial gardens on the hill in 1749, gave Longevity Hill its present-day name in 1752, in celebration of his mother's 60th birthday. The hill is about 60 meters (196.9 feet) high and houses many buildings positioned in sequence. The front hill is rich in the splendid halls and pavilions, while the back hill, in sharp contrast, is quiet with natural beauty


 Buildings

On its southern slope, Longevity Hill is adorned with an ensemble of grand buildings: The Cloud-Dispelling Hall, the Temple of Buddhist Virtue, and the Sea of Wisdom Temple form a south-north (lakeside - peak) oriented axis which is flanked by various other buildings. In the center of the Temple of Buddhist Virtue stands the Tower of Buddhist Incense (Fo Xiang Ge), which forms the focal point for the buildings on the southern slope of Longevity Hill. The tower is built on a 20-meter-tall stone base, is 41 meters high with three stories and supported by eight ironwood (lignumvitae) pillars.

Ming Tombs (Beijing)

Ming Tombs


The Ming Tombs lie in Changping County, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest from the urban area of Beijing. It is actually a tomb cluster of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), including thirteen emperor's mausoleums, seven tombs for concubines and one grave for eunuchs. This cemetery is world famous because of the thirteen emperors buried here. Sitting at the foot of Mt. Yan and occupying an area of more than 120 square kilometers (29,653 acres), it appears extremely spectacular. It was listed in the World Heritage List in 2003.

Each emperor's tomb was constructed at the foot of a separate small hill, but they all share a main road called the Sacred Way. The thirteen emperor's mausoleums are similar in their architectural style and overall arrangement, only differing in size and complexity of their structures. They used to have a forecourt where memorial ceremonies and sacrifices were held and a tomb mound at the back. Comparatively speaking, Changling (Chang Tomb) is the most grand, Yongling (Yong Tomb) the most delicate and Siling (Si Tomb) the smallest.


Nowadays, the Sacred Way, Changling (Chang Tomb), Dingling (Ding Tomb) and Zhaoling (Zhao Tomb) are accessible to visitors.

The Sacred Way is seven kilometers (4.3 miles) long and leads to Changling (Chang Tomb) directly. Chang Tomb is the largest and oldest of the tombs. Construction on the mausoleum began in 1409 and lasted four years. Buried here are Zhu Di, the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and his empress. The forecourt has three courtyards and all the halls are covered with yellow glaze tiles on their roofs. The second yard was built after the Hall of Supreme Harmony of the Forbidden City. It is one of the largest wooden buildings in China and is supported by sixty unpainted poles made of nanmu. Unearthed objects are on display in this hall. Behind is a tower called Ming Lou (Bright Tower), the symbol of Chang Tomb. It connects the burial mound, the circumference of which reaches approximately one kilometer (0.6 mile).


Dingling (Ding Tomb) is the only one excavated in this graveyard up till now. Zhu Yijun, the thirteenth emperor of the Ming Dynasty was inhumed together with his two empresses. Constructed between 1584 and 1590, this mausoleum used to have bridges, a stele pavilion, halls and towers and annexes on the ground. Hundreds of years later, only a stone tower, Bright Tower, survives following several fires. Behind the tower is the underground palace, 27 meters (88.6 feet) in depth. Visitors may enter via a tunnel. The stone palace occupies an area of 1,195 square meters (0.3 acre) and has five halls. Gates of the main halls are made of white marble, with fine thrones in the central hall, coffins and burial chests at the rear hall. Some precious articles excavated are on exhibition like crowns, ornaments, and utensils.

Built in 1538, Zhaoling (Zhao Tomb) lies to the southwest of Ding Tomb. It is the mausoleum of Zhu Zaihou (the twelfth emperor of the Ming Dynasty and his three empresses. It is the best representation of a tomb complex because of its fully restored complete surface structures, consisting of four bridges, a stele pavilion and halls. At Ling'endian (Hall of Eminent Favor), offerings and information on this emperor and his empresses may be seen.


Scenic Spots
Admission Fee
Opening Hours
April 1-October 31
November1-March 31
Sacred Way
CNY 30
CNY 20
08:30-18:00
Changling
CNY 45
CNY 30
08:30-17:30
Dingling
CNY 60
CNY 40
08:30-18:00
Zhaoling
CNY 30
CNY 20
08:30-17:30
Bus Route:
345 Kuai (345快), 914, 919 Zhi 1 (919支1) 925 Qu (925区), 949 to Changping Dongguan (昌平东关), and then transfer to Bus No.314 to Changping Huzhang (昌平胡庄), and then you could walk to the Ming Tombs (十三陵).

2009年3月6日星期五

The National Aquatics Center(Beijing)

The National Aquatics Center

National Aquatics Center
The "Water Cube"


Olympic events: Swimming, Diving, Synchronized Swimming

Seating: 17,000

Paralympic events: Swimming

Olympic dates: August 9-23

Opening hours: Two hours prior to the start of competition

Walking distances:

Located in the south-western part of Olympic Green's Central Zone, the National Aquatic Center can be reached from all four main entries of Olympic Green.

Distances from the main entries to the Center are as follows:

From the Southwest Entry: approximately 200 meters

From the South Entry: approximately 900 meters

From the East Entry: approximately 1,000 meters

From Subway Line 8 "Olympic Green" station: approximately 300 meters

National Aquatics Center
The interior

National Aquatics Center
A night shot

National Aquatics Center
The exterior

National Aquatics Center
The center in the rain

National Aquatics Center
A day shot

National Aquatics Center
A night shot

National Aquatics Center
The interior

National Aquatics Center
The "Water Cube" and the "Bird's Nest"

National Aquatics Center
Fireworks with external lighting

National Aquatics Center
Release of bubble balloons with spot lights

National Aquatics Center
Projections

National Aquatics Center
Projections

The National Stadium(Beijing)

The National Stadium

National Stadium
A bird's eye view


Olympic events: Opening & Closing Ceremonies, Athletics, Football final

Seating: 91,000

Paralympic events: Opening and Closing ceremonies, Athletics

Olympic dates: August8, August15-24

Opening hours: Two hours prior to the start of competition/Ceremony

National Stadium
A night shot

National Stadium
The exterior

National Stadium
Seating bowl

National Stadium
The lobby

National Stadium
View from the plinth

National Stadium
The stadium in the sunset

National Stadium
The shopping center in the stadium

National Stadium
Entrance to the shopping center

National Stadium
The east corner

National Stadium
The green area

National Stadium
A bird's eye view of the Olympic Green

2009年3月5日星期四

The Imperial Palace(or the Forbidden City)

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.

Built from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms and covers 720,000 square metres (7,800,000 square feet). The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987,and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

Since 1924, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artefacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Part of the museum's former collection is now located in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Both museums descend from the same institution, but were split after the Chinese Civil War.

Name:

The common English name, "the Forbidden City," is a translation of the Chinese name Zijin Cheng (Chinese: 紫禁城; pinyin: Zǐjinchéng; literally "Purple Forbidden City"). Another English name of similar origin is "Forbidden Palace". In the Manchu language it is called Dabkūri dorgi hoton , which literally means the "Layered Inner City."

The name "Zijin Cheng" is a name with significance on many levels. Zi, or "Purple", refers to the North Star, which in ancient China was called the Ziwei Star, and in traditional Chinese astrology was the abode of the Celestial Emperor. The surrounding celestial region, the Ziwei Enclosure (Chinese: 紫微垣; pinyin: Zǐwēiyuán), was the realm of the Celestial Emperor and his family. The Forbidden City, as the residence of the terrestrial emperor, was its earthly counterpart. Jin, or "Forbidden", referred to the fact that no-one could enter or leave the palace without the emperor's permission. Cheng means a walled city.

Today, the site is most commonly known in Chinese as Gùgōng (故宫), which means the "Former Palace."[5] The museum which is based in these buildings is known as the "Palace Museum" (Chinese: 故宫博物院; pinyin: Gùgōng Bówùyùan).

History:

The site of the Forbidden City was situated on the Imperial city during the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. Upon the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the Hongwu Emperor moved the capital from Beijing in the north to Nanjing in the south, and ordered that the Yuan palaces be razed. When his son Zhu Di became the Yongle Emperor, he moved the capital back to Beijing, and construction began in 1406 of what would become the Forbidden City.

Construction lasted 15 years, and required more than a million workers. Material used include whole logs of precious Phoebe zhennan wood (Chinese: 楠木; pinyin: nánmù) found in the jungles of south-western China, and large blocks of marble from quarries near Beijing. The floors of major halls were paved with "golden bricks" (Chinese: 金砖; pinyin: jīnzhuān), specially baked paving bricks from Suzhou.

From 1420 to 1644, the Forbidden City was the seat of the Ming Dynasty. In April 1644, it was captured by rebel forces led by Li Zicheng, who proclaimed himself emperor of the Shun Dynasty. He soon fled before the combined armies of former Ming general Wu Sangui and Manchu forces, setting fire to parts of the Forbidden City in the process. By October, the Manchus had achieved supremacy in northern China, and a ceremony was held at the Forbidden City to proclaim the young Shunzhi Emperor as ruler of all China under the Qing Dynasty. The Qing rulers changed the names of the principal buildings, to emphasise "Harmony" rather than "Supremacy", made the name plates bilingual (Chinese and Manchu), and introduced Shamanist elements to the palace.

In 1860, during the Second Opium War, Anglo-French forces took control of the Forbidden City and occupied it until the end of the war. In 1900 Empress Dowager Cixi fled from the Forbidden City during the Boxer Rebellion, leaving it to be occupied by forces of the treaty powers until the following year.

After being the home of 24 emperors—fourteen of the Ming Dynasty and ten of the Qing Dynasty—the Forbidden City ceased being the political centre of China in 1912 with the abdication of Puyi, the last Emperor of China. Under an agreement with the new Republic of China government, Puyi remained in the Inner Court, while the Outer Court was given over to public use, until he was evicted after a coup in 1924. The Palace Museum was then established in the Forbidden City. In 1933, the Japanese invasion of China forced the evacuation of the national treasures in the Forbidden City. Part of the collection was returned at the end of World War II, but the other part was evacuated to Taiwan in 1947 under orders by Chiang Kai-shek, whose Kuomintang was losing the Chinese Civil War. This relatively small but high quality collection was kept in storage until 1965, when they again became public, as the core of the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, some damage was done to the Forbidden City as the country was swept up in revolutionary zeal. During the Cultural Revolution, however, further destruction was prevented when Premier Zhou Enlai sent an army battalion to guard the city.

The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 by UNESCO as the "Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties", due to its significant place in the development of Chinese architecture and culture. It is currently administered by the Palace Museum, which is currently carrying out a sixteen-year restoration project to repair and restore all buildings in the Forbidden City to their pre-1912 state.

In recent years, the presence of commercial enterprises in the Forbidden City has become controversial. A Starbucks store that opened in 2000 sparked objections and eventually closed on July 13, 2007. Chinese media also took notice of a pair of souvenir shops that refused to admit Chinese citizens in order to price-gouge foreign customers in 2006.

Description:

The Forbidden City is the world's largest surviving palace complex and covers 72 ha. It is a rectangle 961 metres (3,150 ft) from north to south and 753 metres (2,470 ft) from east to west. It consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms. The Forbidden City was designed to be the centre of the ancient, walled city of Beijing. It is enclosed in a larger, walled area called the Imperial City. The Imperial City is, in turn, enclosed by the Inner City; to its south lies the Outer City.

The Forbidden City remains important in the civic scheme of Beijing. The central north-south axis remains the central axis of Beijing. This axis extends to the south through Tiananmen gate to Tiananmen Square, the ceremonial centre of the People's Republic of China. To the north, it extends through the Bell and Drum Towers to Yongdingmen. This axis is not exactly aligned north-south, but is tilted by slightly more than two degrees. Researchers now believe that the axis was designed in the Yuan Dynasty to be aligned with Xanadu, the other capital of their empire.

Walls and gates:

The Forbidden City is surrounded by a 7.9 metres (26 ft) high city wall and a six-metre deep, 52 metres (170 ft) wide moat. The walls are 8.62 metres (28.3 ft) wide at the base, tapering to 6.66 metres (21.9 ft) at the top. These walls served as both defensive walls and retaining walls for the palace. They were constructed with a rammed earth core, and surfaced with three layers of specially baked bricks on both sides, with the interstices filled with mortar.

At the four corners of the wall sit towers (E) with intricate roofs boasting 72 ridges, reproducing the Pavilion of Prince Teng and the Yellow Crane Pavilion as they appeared in Song Dynasty paintings. These towers are the most visible parts of the palace to commoners outside the walls, and much folklore is attached to them. According to one legend, artisans could not put a corner tower back together after it was dismantled for renovations in the early Qing Dynasty, and it was only rebuilt after the intervention of carpenter-immortal Lu Ban.

The wall is pierced by a gate on each side. At the southern end is the main Meridian Gate (A). To the north is the Gate of Divine Might (B), which faces Jingshan Park. The east and west gates are called the "East Glorious Gate" (D) and "West Glorious Gate" (C). All gates in the Forbidden City are decorated with a nine-by-nine array of golden door nails, except for the East Glorious Gate, which has only eight rows.

The Meridian Gate has two protruding wings forming three sides of a square (Wumen, or Meridian Gate, Square) before it. The gate has five gateways. The central gateway is part of the Imperial Way, a stone flagged path that forms the central axis of the Forbidden City and the ancient city of Beijing itself, and leads all the way from the Gate of China in the south to Jingshan in the north. Only the Emperor may walk or ride on the Imperial Way, except for the Empress on the occasion of her wedding, and successful students after the Imperial Examination.


Outer Court:

Traditionally, the Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The Outer Court (外朝) or Front Court (前朝) includes the southern sections, and was used for ceremonial purposes. The Inner Court (内廷) or Back Palace (后宫) includes the northern sections, and was the residence of the Emperor and his family, and was used for day-to-day affairs of state. (The approximate dividing line shown as red dash in the plan above.) Generally, the Forbidden City has three vertical axes. The most important buildings are situated on the central north-south axis.

Entering from the Meridian Gate, one encounters a large square, pierced by the meandering Inner Golden Water River, which is crossed by five bridges. Beyond the square stands the Gate of Supreme Harmony (F). Behind that is the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square. A three-tiered white marble terrace rises from this square. Three halls stand on top of this terrace, the focus of the palace complex. From the south, these are the Hall of Supreme Harmony (太和殿), the Hall of Central Harmony (中和殿), and the Hall of Preserving Harmony (保和殿).

The Hall of Supreme Harmony (G) is the largest, and rises some 30 metres (98 ft) above the level of the surrounding square. It is the ceremonial centre of imperial power, and the largest surviving wooden structure in China. It is nine bays wide and five bays deep, the numbers 13 and 20 being symbolically connected to the majesty of the Emperor.[38] Set into the ceiling at the centre of the hall is an intricate caisson decorated with a coiled dragon, from the mouth of which issues a chandelier-like set of metal balls, called the "Xuanyuan Mirror". In the Ming Dynasty, the Emperor held court here to discuss affairs of state. During the Qing Dynasty, as Emperors held court far more frequently, a less ceremonious location was used instead, and the Hall of Supreme Harmony was only used for ceremonial purposes, such as coronations, investitures, and imperial weddings.

The Hall of Central Harmony is a smaller, square hall, used by the Emperor to prepare and rest before and during ceremonies. Behind it, the Hall of Preserving Harmony, was used for rehearsing ceremonies, and was also the site of the final stage of the Imperial examination. All three halls feature imperial thrones, the largest and most elaborate one being that in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

At the centre of the ramps leading up to the terraces from the northern and southern sides are ceremonial ramps, part of the Imperial Way, featuring elaborate and symbolic bas-relief carvings. The northern ramp, behind the Hall of Preserving Harmony, is carved from a single piece of stone 16.57 metres (54.4 ft) long, 3.07 metres (10.1 ft) wide, and 1.7 metres (5.6 ft) thick. It weighs some 200 tonnes and is the largest such carving in China.[6] The southern ramp, in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, is even longer, but is made from two stone slabs joined together — the joint was ingeniously hidden using overlapping bas-relief carvings, and was only discovered when weathering widened the gap in the 20th century.

In the south west and south east of the Outer Court are the halls of Military Eminence (H) and Literary Glory (J). The former was used at various times for the Emperor to receive ministers and hold court, and later housed the Palace's own printing house. The latter was used for ceremonial lectures by highly regarded Confucian scholars, and later became the office of the Grand Secretariat. A copy of the Siku Quanshu was stored there. To the north-east are the Southern Three Places (南三所) (K), which was the residence of the Crown Prince.


Inner Court:

The Inner Court is separated from the Outer Court by an oblong courtyard lying orthogonal to the City's main axis. It was the home of the Emperor and his family. In the Qing Dynasty, the Emperor lived and worked almost exclusively in the Inner Court, with the Outer Court used only for ceremonial purposes.
At the centre of the Inner Court is another set of three halls (L). From the south, these are the Palace of Heavenly Purity (乾清宮), Hall of Union, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. Smaller than the Outer Court halls, the three halls of the Inner Court were the official residences of the Emperor and the Empress. The Emperor, representing Yang and the Heavens, would occupy the Palace of Heavenly Purity. The Empress, representing Yin and the Earth, would occupy the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. In between them was the Hall of Union, where the Yin and Yang mixed to produce harmony.
The Palace of Heavenly Purity is a double-eaved building, and set on a single-level white marble platform. It is connected to the Gate of Heavenly Purity to its south by a raised walkway. In the Ming Dynasty, it was the residence of the Emperor. However, beginning from the Yongzheng Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, the Emperor lived instead at the smaller Hall of Mental Cultivation to the west, out of respect to the memory of the Kangxi Emperor. The Palace of Heavenly Purity then became the Emperor's audience hall. A caisson is set into the roof, featuring a coiled dragon. Above the throne hangs a tablet reading "Justice and Honour" (Chinese: 正大光明; pinyin: zhèngdàguāngmíng).

The Palace of Earthly Tranquility (坤寧宮) is a double-eaved building, 9 bays wide and 3 bays deep. In the Ming Dynasty, it was the residence of the Empress. In the Qing Dynasty, large portions of the Palace were converted for Shamanist worship by the new Manchu rulers. From the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor, the Empress moved out of the Palace. However, two rooms in the Palace of Earthly Harmony were retained for use on the Emperor's wedding night.

Between these two palaces is the Hall of Union, which is square in shape with a pyramidal roof. Stored here are the twenty-five Imperial Seals of the Qing Dynasty, as well as other ceremonial items.

Behind these three halls lies the Imperial Garden (M). Relatively small, and compact in design, the garden nevertheless contains several elaborate landscaping features.[51] To the north of the garden is the Gate of Divine Might, the north gate of the palace.

Distributed to the east and west of the three main halls are a series of self-contained courtyards and minor palaces, where the Emperor's concubines and children lived. Directly to the west is the Hall of Mental Cultivation (N"). Originally a minor palace, this became the de facto residence and office of the Emperor starting from Yongzheng. In the last decades of the Qing Dynasty, empresses dowager, including Cixi, held court from the eastern partition of the hall. Located around the Hall of Mental Cultivation are the offices of the Grand Council and other key government bodies.

The north-eastern section of the Inner Court is taken up by the Palace of Tranquil Longevity (寧壽宮) (O), a complex built by the Qianlong Emperor in anticipation of his retirement. It mirrors the set-up of the Forbidden City proper and features an "outer court", an "inner court", and gardens and temples. The entrance to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity is marked by a glazed-tile Nine Dragons Screen.

Religion:


Religion was an important part of life for the imperial court. In the Qing Dynasty, the Palace of Earthly Harmony became a place of Manchu Shamanist ceremony. At the same time, the native Chinese Taoist religion continued to have an important role throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties. There were two Taoist shrines, one in the imperial garden and another in the central area of the Inner Court.

Another prevalent form of religion in the Qing Dynasty palace was Tibetan Buddhism, or Lamaism. A number of temples and shrines were scattered throughout the Inner Court. Buddhist iconography also proliferated in the interior decorations of many buildings. Of these, the Pavilion of the Rain of Flowers is one of the most important. It housed a large number of Buddhist statues, icons, and mandalas, placed in ritualistic arrangements.