The Forbidden City: in Beijing beyond the Heavenly Door, the imperial abode of the Son of Heaven
In the beating heart of Beijing, legendary capital in continuous evolution, a treasure of inestimable value hides its beauty from the prying eyes of the visitors to Tiananmen Square, safely guarded by high protective walls. But when you cross the threshold of the Heavenly Door, this place of mysterious charm is ready to reveal itself to its guests. And the mysterious charm is all enclosed in a name that can evoke suggestions and secrets to be discovered with the curiosity of a modern explorer in search of a lost paradise. The Forbidden City, Zǐjìn chéng, symbol and emblem of an imperial inheritance from ancient history.
Official residence of 24 emperors of the last two Chinese dynasties, Ming and Qing, this impenetrable place has protected its special inhabitants for more than five centuries, welcoming them in a timeless setting. In fact, the city hosted the emperor and his court, composed of personal guards and countless concubines always fighting to obtain the favor of their Lord. Built between 1406 and 1420 by an army of more than one million workers, the Forbidden City acquired the adjective "purple" thanks to an ancient story told in Shiji, "Historical Memories", by Sima Qian , considered the founder of the Chinese historiography. In what represents one of the earliest ancient Chinese chronicles, the author recounted that as the God of Heaven dwelt in the Purple Enclosure, consisting of a constellation formed by fifteen celestial bodies grouped around the Purple Myrtle Star, so the emperor, considered the Son of Heaven, had to live in a purple city at the center of the terrestrial world.
And so the City was built according to the ancient Chinese astrological iconography, combining symbolism and religious legends in a maze of streets and majestic palaces, built with the most precious materials coming from all corners of the Empire and dominated by yellow, a color that can only be used from the emperor, and from the red, a symbol of happiness and fortune according to traditional Chinese culture. Dragons, phoenixes and lions, symbolic animals in the traditional culture, embellished the precious roofs. The imperial palace, covering an area of 72 hectares surrounded by a high wall protected by a special guardhouse, included two distinct courtyards where the number three was used to commemorate the trigram Quiang symbolizing Heaven.The external court, which housed the great ceremonies presided over by the emperor as the announcement of the new lunar calendar during the winter solstice, consisted in fact of three main buildings, each characterized by a specific connotation. The Palace of the Supreme Harmony, Taihe Dian, was the most important building of the entire city because, besides being the place where the emperor prepares for the sacrificial rites at the Temple of Heaven, it housed the important throne room of the Dragon of the Emperors, where the ceremonies of the coronation took place.
Behind it, the Palace of Central Harmony, Zhonghedian, was the emperor's resting place before the official committments, while the Palace of Harmony Preservation was intended to host imperial banquets and examinations. The inner courtyard, reserved instead for the residences, was composed of three main structures: the Palace of the Celestial Purity, the place where the emperors slept, the Palace of the Great Union, where the imperial seals were kept, and the earthly Palace of Tranquility, hosting the wedding chamber of the emperor and his consort. Behind these main buildings, six eastern palaces and six western palaces stood in their splendor, now transformed into exhibition rooms where you can admire part of the imperial treasure and interesting temporary exhibitions. Three fascinating gardens, embellished with special rock sculptures such as the Hill of Accumulated Elegance, Dui Xiu Shan, with a small temple at the top where the emperor and his concubines used to climb every ninth day of the ninth lunar month, and two imperial Shrines framed the city, making it one of the most evocative places in the world.
Transformed since 1925 into the Museum of the Past City, the Forbidden City has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, giving the world one of the most beautiful treasures in human history.
