Art and the State: China
The Forbidden City : Part III
by Dr. Deborah Vess
Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Studies
Georgia College & State University
Colors are very significant in the Forbidden City. Only the emperor could wear the shade of yellow-gold on the rooftops; the color symbolizes the sun, which provides the earth with warmth and life. Only the emperor could use purple-red, the color of the walls and of the special vermilion ink with which the emperor signed his name.
Only
the emperor could be carried over the dragon stairway, as the dragon symbolized
the power of heaven.
The imperial
robes were made in the traditional golden yellow and also have images
of the dragon on them. The use of colors and the dragon to distinguish
the emperor from other mortals harks back to Legalism, which supported
the power of the emperor through the might of the state, but also to Confucianism,
which saw the emperor as the chief model of virtue in the state. Color
and other architectural features of the Forbidden City clearly marked
out the emperor as the son of heaven. The use of colors and the dragon
to distinguish the emperor from other mortals harks back to Legalism,
which supported the power of the emperor through the might of the state,
but also to Confucianism, which saw the emperor as the chief model of
virtue in the state. Color and other architectural features of the Forbidden
City clearly marked out the emperor as the son of heaven.
For hundreds of years, this beautiful and elaborate city was home only to the emperor, his empress, and his concubines. In 1912, a republican revolution toppled the Q'ing Dynasty. The nationalist revolution in China created a new government, and the last emperor, Pu Yi, abdicated but was allowed to continue living in the Forbidden City until 1924. He was forced, however, to live in the inner court of the complex. In November 1924, the National Army gained control of China. On November 5, they abolished all of Pu Yi's titles and ousted him from the Forbidden City. He ended his life as a humble gardener in the streets of Peking; his ashes were moved to the western Q'ing tombs in 1995.
The outer court of the Forbidden city was converted to government office, and n 1925, the Forbidden City was established as a public museum. Today, thousands of tourists flock to the Forbidden City, which still stands as a monument to the imperial grandeur of China's past and the might of the many emperors who ruled by the mandate of heaven.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony Courtyard. Photograph by Dr. Vess.
As one walks through the complex today, haunting images such as these monks strolling through the Hall of Harmony courtyard preserve the aura and mystery of China's imperial past.
For further exploration, click on the following links:
Nice view of the layout of the entire structure
China Tours: Virtual Tour of the Forbidden City
This is a very nice site, with wonderful pictures and other illustrations.
Intel Virtual Experience: The Forbidden City
This site is interesting, and one can view 3D images of the Forbidden City by downloading a plug-in.
*photographs copyright 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.