Art and the State: China
The Forbidden City: Part I
by Dr. Deborah Vess
Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Studies
Georgia College & State University
The Forbidden City is located in Beijing (once called Peking), which means "northern capital." The Ming emperor Yongle established his capital in Beijing and ordered the construction of the Forbidden City around 1406 C.E. It was built 1600 years after the tomb of Shi Huang Ti, and was the home for twenty-four emperors of the Ming and Q'ing Dynasties from 1420-1911. It is also an excellent example of the use of art as propaganda to symbolize the power of the emperor. The Forbidden City is a blend of Confucian and Legalist ideology, which were blended and synthesized during the Han Dynasty after the death of Shi Huang Ti. One of the legacies of Shi Huang Ti's reign and philosophy of Legalism was the fact that entrance to the Imperial City was forbidden to any except those with permission; the punishment was death for unlawful entrance to the city.
The Meridian Gate. Photograph by Dr. Vess
One enters the Forbidden City through the Meridian Gate. The emperor used the center of the three portals, while the other two were opened to let in successful candidates of the imperial civil service examinations. These candidates had mastered the Confucian classics, and so entered the class of Shih scholars.
Upon entering the Forbidden City, one crosses the Jade
Belt River, so-called because of its deep green color. Click here
for a view of the entire river (photo not by Dr. Vess).
Pairs
of lions also guard the entrance; a male lion with a ball under his
feet represents imperial power, while a female lion with a lion cub under
her paw represents the fertility of the imperial family.
The Forbidden City has an Outer Court and an Inner Court. There are three
main halls in the Outer Court: The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall
of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, all of which
are lined up along a central axis. These halls are built on a three-tiered
marble terrace. As in the Temple of Heaven, the balustrades of the terraces
are decorated with the dragon.
There are three main buildings in the Inner Court aligned along a central axis: The palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union, and the Palace of earthly Tranquility.
The Imperial Garden is at the northern end of the inner court axis. The garden has beautiful ancient trees and striking rock formations.
There are six western palaces and six eastern palaces which are constructed along lines parallel to the central axis, as well as numerous other buildings in the complex. The entire complex covers an area of 720,000 square meters, and is built in accordance with the Confucian ideal of harmony and balance as well as the Chinese ideals of yin and yang. The see the layout of the city, click on this link to a map of the Forbidden City. Confucian ideals are visible in the inscriptions above thrones of "harmony, benevolence, and uprightness," and in the names of buildings such as the Hall of Harmony. Here, imperial ceremonies were held, and the emperor issued important edicts. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is a wooden building, and its courtyard covers 30,000 square meters.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony, Beijing
Continue on to next page in the Forbidden City unit
*Photographs copyright by Dr. Deborah Vess, 1998.
copyright © Dr. Deborah Vess 1998-2001, Georgia College & State University and the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. All rights reserved. Rights to chapters authored by contributing faculty members reserved to Georgia College & State University, to the Interdisciplinary Studies Program at GC&SU, and to the individual faculty authors.