Tian’anmen Rostrum
Tian’anmen( the Gate of Heavenly Peace), is located in the center ofBeijing. It was first built in 1417 and named Chengtianmen( the Gate of HeavenlySuccession). At the end of the Ming Dynasty, it was seriously damaged by war.When it was rebuilt under the Qing in 1651, it was renamed Tian’anmen, andserved as the main entrance to the Imperial City, the administrative andresidential quarters for court officials and retainers. The southern sections ofthe Imperial City wall still stand on both sides of the Gate. The tower at thetop of the gate is nine-room wide and five –room deep. According to the Book ofChanges, the two numbers nine and five, when combined, symbolize the supremestatus of a sovereign.During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Tian’anmen was theplace where state ceremonies took place. The most important one of them was theissuing of imperial edicts, which followed these steps:
1) The Minister of Rites would receive the edict in Taihedian( Hall ofSupreme Harmony), where the Emperor was holding his court. The minister wouldthen carry the decree on a yunpan( tray of cloud), and withdraw from the hallvia Taihemen( Gate of supreme Harmony)
2) The Minister would put the tray in a miniature longting( dragonpavilion). Beneath a yellow umbrella and carry it via Wumen( Meridian Gate), toTian’anmen Gate tower.
3) A courtier would be invested to proclaim the edict. The civil andmilitary officials lining both sides of the gateway beneath the tower wouldprostrate themselves in the direction of the emperor in waiting for the decreeto the proclaimed.
4) The courtier would then put the edict in a phoenix-shaped wooden box andlower it from the tower by means of a silk cord. The document would finally becarried in a similar tray of cloud under a yellow umbrella to the Ministry ofRites.
5) The edict, copied on yellow paper, would be made known to the wholecountry.
Such a process was historically recorded as “ Imperial Edict Issued byGolden Phoenix”.During the Ming and Qing dynasties Tian’anmen was the mostimportant passage. It was this gate that the Emperor and his retinue would gothrough on their way to the altars for ritual and religious activities.
On the Westside of Tian’anmen stands ZhongshanPark( Dr. Sun Yat-sen’sPark), and on the east side, the Working People’s Cultural Palave. The Park wasformerly called Shejitan( Altar of Land and Grain), built in 1420 for offeringsacrificial items to the God of Land. It was opened to the public as a park in1914 and its name was changed in 1928 to the present one in memory of the greatpioneer of the Chinese Democratic Revolution.The Working People’s CulturalPalace used to be Taimiao( the Supreme Ancestral Temple), where tablets of thedeceased dynastic rulers were kept.
The stream in front of Tian’anmen is called Waijinshuihe( Outer GoldenRiver),with seven marble bridges spanning over it . Of these sevenbridges,historical records say the middle one was for the exclusive use of theemperor and was accordingly called Yuluqiao( Imperial Bridge). The bridgesflanking it on either side were meant for the members of the royal family andwere therefore called Wanggongqiao( Royal’s Bridges). Farther away on each sideof the two were bridges for officials ranking above the third order and werenamed Pinjiqiao( ministerial Bridges). The remaining two bridges were for theuse by the retinue below the third order and wre called Gongshengqiao( commonBridges). They anr the one in front of the Supreme Ancestral Temple to the eastand the one in front of the Altar of land and Grain to the west.
The two stone lions by the Gate of Tian’anmen, one on each side were meantas sentries. They gaze toward the middle axis, guarding the emperor’s walkway.In front of the gate stands a pair of marble columns called Huabiao. They areelaborately cut in bas-relief following the pattern of a legendary dragon.Behind the gate stands another pair of similar columns. The story of Huabiao maybe traced to a couple of sources. One of the versions accredits its invention toone of the Chinese sage kings named Yao, who was said to have set up a woodenpillar in order to allow the ordinary people to expose evil-doers, hence it wasoriginally called a slander pillar. Later it ws reduced to a signpost, and nowit serves as an ornament.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am pleased to serve as your guide today.
This is the palace museum; also know as the Purple Forbidden City. It isthe largest and most well reserved imperial residence in China today. Under MingEmperor Yongle, construction began in 1406. It took 14years to build theForbidden City. The first ruler who actually lived here was Ming Emperor Zhudi.For five centuries thereafter, it continued to be the residence of23 successiveemperors until 1911 when Qing Emperor Puyi was forced to abdicate the throne .In1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizationrecognized the Forbidden City was a world cultural legacy.
It is believed that the Palace Museum, or Zi Jin Cheng (Purple ForbiddenCity), got its name from astronomy folklore, The ancient astronomers divided theconstellations into groups and centered them around the Ziwei Yuan(North Star).The constellation containing the North Star was called the Constellation ofHeavenly God and star itself was called the purple palace. Because the emperorwas supposedly the son of the heavenly gods, his central and dominant positionwould be further highlighted the use of the word purple in the name of hisresidence. In folklore, the term ”an eastern purple cloud is drifting” became ametaphor for auspicious events after a purple cloud was seen drifting eastwardimmediately before the arrival of an ancient philosopher, LaoZi, to the HanghuPass. Here, purple is associated with auspicious developments. The word jin(forbidden) is self-explanatory as the imperial palace was heavily guarded andoff-explanatory as the imperial palace was heavily guarded and off-limits toordinary people.
The red and yellow used on the palace walls and roofs are also symbolic.Red represents happiness, good fortune and wealth. Yellow is the color of theearth on the Loess Plateau, the original home of the Chinese people. Yellowbecame an imperial color during the Tang dynasty, when only members of the royalfamily were allowed to wear it and use it in their architecture.
The Forbidden City is rectangular in shape. It is 960 meters long fromnorth to south and 750 meter wide from east west. It has 9,900 rooms under atotal roof area 150,000 square meters .A 52-meter-wide-moat encircles a9.9-meter—high wall which encloses the complex. Octagon —shaped turrets rest onthe four corners of the wall. There are four entrances into the city: theMeridian Gate to the south, the Shenwu Gate(Gate of Military Prowess) to thenorth, and the Xihua Gate(Gate of military Prowess) to the north, and the XihuaGate(Western Flowery Gate )to the west ,the Donghua (Eastern Flowery Gate) tothe east.
Manpower and materials throughout the country were used to build theForbidden City. A total of 230,000 artisans and one million laborers wereemployed. Marble was quarried from fangshan Country Mount Pan in Jixian Countyin Hebei Province. Granite was quarried in Quyang County in Hebei Province.Paving blocks were fired in kilns in Suzhou in southern China. Bricks andscarlet pigmentation used on the palatial walls came from linqing in ShandongProvince .Timber was cut ,processed and hauled from the northwestern andsouthern regions.
The structure in front of us is the Meridian Gate. It is the main entranceto the forbidden City. It is also knows as Wufenglou(Five-Phoenix Tower). Mingemperors held lavish banquets here on the 15th day of the first month of theChinese lunar year in hornor of their counties .They also used this place forpunishing officals by flogging them with sticks.
Qing emperors used this building to announce the beginning of the new year.Qing Emperor Qianglong changed the original name of this announcement ceremonyfrom ban li(announcement of calendar)to ban shou(announcement of new moon )toavoid coincidental association with another Emperor` s name, Hongli, which wasconsidered a taboo at that time. Qing Dynasty emperors also used this place tohold audience and for other important ceremonies. For example,when the imperialarmy returned victoriously from the battlefield ,it was here that the Emperorpresided over the ceremony to accept prisoners of war.
The Great Wall, like the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal(1) in India andthe Hanging Garden of Babylon(2), is one of the great wonders of the world.Starting out in the east on the banks of the Yalu River in Liaoning Province,the Wall stretches westwards for 12,700 kilometers to Jiayuguan in the Gobidesert, thus known as the Ten Thousand Li Wall in China. The Wall climbs up anddown, twists and turns along the ridges of the Yanshan and Yinshan MountainChains through five provinces-Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Gansu--andtwo autonomous regions--Ningxia and Inner Mongolia, binding the northern Chinatogether.
Historical records trace the construction of the origin of the Wall todefensive fortification back to the year 656 B.C. during the reign of King Chengof the States of Chu. Its construction continued throughout the Warring Statesperiod in the fifth Century B.C. when ducal states Yan, Zhao, Wei, and Qin werefrequently plundered by the nomadic peoples living north of the Yinshan andYanshan mountain ranges. Walls, then, were built separately by these ducalstates to ward off such harassments. Later in 221 B.C., when Qin conquered theother states and unified China, Emperor Qinshihuang ordered the connection ofthese individual walls and further extensions to form the basis of the presentgreat wall. As a matter of fact, a separate outer wall was constructed north ofthe Yinshan range in the Han Dynasty(206 BC--1644 BC.), which went to ruinthrough years of neglect. In the many intervening centuries, succeedingdynasties rebuilt parts of the Wall. The most extensive reinforcements andrenovations were carried out in the Ming Dynasty (1368--1644) when altogether 18lengthy stretches were reinforced with bricks and rocks. it is mostly the MingDynasty Wall that visitors see today. The Great Wall is divided into twosections, the east and west, with Shanxi Province as the dividing line. The westpart is a rammed earth construction, about 5.3 meters high on average. In theeastern part, the core of the Wall is rammed earth as well, but the outer shellis reinforced with bricks and rocks. The most imposing and best preservedsections of the Great Wall are at Badaling and Mutianyu, not far from Beijingand both are open to visitors. The Wall of those sections is 7.8 meters high and6.5 meters wide at its base, narrowing to 5.8 meters on the ramparts, wideenough for five horses to gallop abreast. There are ramparts, embrasures,peep-holes and apertures for archers on the top, besides gutters with gargoylesto drain rain-water off the parapet walk. Two-storied watch-towers are built atapproximately 400-meters internals. The top stories of the watch-tower weredesigned for observing enemy movements, while the first was used for storinggrain, fodder, military equipment and gunpowder as well as for quarteringgarrison soldiers. The highest watch-tower at Badaling standing on a hill-top,is reached only after a steep climb, like "climbing a ladder to heaven". Theview from the top is rewarding, hoverer. The Wall follows the contour ofmountains that rise one behind the other until they finally fade and merge withdistant haze. A signal system formerly existed that served to communicatemilitary information to the dynastic capital. This consisted of beacon towers onthe Wall itself and on mountain tops within sight of the Wall. At the approachof enemy troops, smoke signals gave the alarm from the beacon towers in thedaytime and bonfire did this at night.
Emergency signals could be relayed to the capital from distant placeswithin a few hour long before the invention of anything like moderncommunications. There stand 14 major passes (Guan, in Chinese) at places ofstrategic importance along the Great Wall, the most important being Shanghaiguanand Jiayuguan. Yet the most impressive one is Juyongguan, about 50 kilometersnorthwest of Beijing. Known as "Tian Xia Di YI Guan" (The First Pass UnderHeaven), Shanghaiguan Pass is situated between two sheer cliffs forming a neckconnecting north China with the northeast. It had been, therefore, a keyjunction contested by all strategists and many famous battles were fought here.It was the gate of Shanghaiguan that the Ming general Wu Sangui opened to theManchu army to suppress the peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng and sosurrendered the whole Ming empire to the Manchus, leading to the foundation ofthe Qing Dynasty. (1644-1911) Jiayuguan Pass was not so much as the "Strategicpass Under the Heaven" as an important communication center in Chinese history.Cleft between the snow-capped Qilian Mountains and the rolling Mazong Mountains,it was on the ancient Silk Road. Zhang Qian, the first envoy of Emperor Wu Di ofthe Western Han dynasty (206 B.C-24 A.D), crossed it on his journey to thewestern regions. Later, silk flowed to the west through this pass too. Thegate-tower of Jiayuguan is an attractive building of excellent workmanship. Ithas an inner city and an outer city, the former square in shape and surroundedby a wall 11.7 meters high and 730 meters in circumference. It has two gates, aneastern one and a western one. On each gate sits a tower facing each other. thefour corners of the wall are occupied by four watch towers, one for each.Juyongguan, a gateway to ancient Beijing from Inner Mongolia, was built in a15-kilometer long ravine flanked by mountains. The cavalrymen of Genghis Khanswept through it in the 13th century. At the center of the pass is a whitemarble platform named the Cloud terrace, which was called the Crossing-StreetDagoba, since its narrow arch spanned the main street of the pass and on the topof the terrace there used to be three stone dagobas, built in the YuanDaynasty(1206-1368). At the bottom of the terrace is a half-octagonal archgateway, interesting for its wealth of detail: it is decorated with splendidimages of Buddha and four celestial guardians carved on the walls. The vividnessof their expressions is matched by the exquisite workmanship. such grandioserelics works, with several stones pieced together, are rarely seen in ancientChinese carving. The gate jambs bear a multi-lingual Buddhist sutra, carved some600 years ago in Sanskrit(3), Tibetan, Mongolian, Uigur(4), Han Chinese and thelanguage of Western Xia. Undoubtedly, they are valuable to the study of Buddhismand ancient languages. As a cultural heritage, the Wall belongs not only toChina but to the world. The Venice charter says: "Historical and culturalarchitecture not only includes the individual architectural works, but also theurban or rural environment that witnessed certain civilizations, significantsocial developments or historical events." The Great Wall is the largest of suchhistorical and cultural architecture, and that is why it continues to be soattractive to people all over the world. In 1987, the Wall was listed by UNESCOas a world cultural heritage site.
Chengcha River
There is a north-south fault between the peaks of Tianhuo and Longmen. For rocks crushed, weathering strong there, as time passes, it has formed a crack called Tamen. The water of the sky pond flowing from Tamen and long time eroding the earth formed Chengcha River. In myth, “Chengcha” means to lead to the heaven by wooden raft. with the length of 1250m, it is the shortest river in the world.
The tour will take 4-6 hours. The route is as follows:
Out side the East Gate-side the East Gate –in front of the Hall ofbenevolence and Longevity- in front of Garden of Virtuous Harmony-in front ofthe Grand Theater Building- a lakeside walk from the Garden of Virtuous Harmonyto the Hall o Jade Ripples- in front of the o Jade Ripples- in front of theYiyunguan (Chamber of Mortal Being)-Hall of happiness and longevity- in front ofthe Yaoyue (Chamber of Mortal Beings)-Hall of Happiness and Longevity-in frontof the Yaoyue(Inviting the Moon ) Gate of the Long Corridor- strolling along theLong Corridor- visiting an exhibition of cultural relics- in front of the Hallof Dispelling Clouds- inside the Hall of Dispelling Clouds- atop the Tower ofBuddhist Incense- on a hilltop leading from the back door of the Tower ofBuddhist Incense- on a hilltop leading from the back door of the Tower ofBuddhist Incense- inside the Garden of Harmonious Interest –outside the southgate to Suzhou Shopping Street- atop the stone bridge inside the Suzhou shoppingstreet –on the road from the south gate of suzhou shopping street- on the roadform the south gate of suzhou shopping street to the marble boat- in front ofthe ruins of the Garden of complete spring –along the lakeside by the marbleboat-boating on the Kunming Lake-leaving out through the East Gate.
(Out side the east gate)
Ladies and Gentlemen: Welcome to the Summer Palace. (After theself-introduction of the guide -interpreter) I hope this will be an interestingand enjoyable day for you .
During our tour, you will be introduced to time honored historical andcultural traditions, as well as picturesque views and landscapes.
The construction of the Summer Palace first started in 1750. At that time,the Qing Dynasty was in its heyday and China was a powerful Asian country withvast territories. The monarch in power then was Emperor Qianlong. With supremepower and large sums of money, he summoned skillful and ingenious artisans fromall over the country to carry out this construction work in honor of his mother`s birthday. After 15 years and one seventh of the nation` s annual revenuespent, the Garden of Clear Ripples was completed and served as a testimony toChina` s scientific and technological achievements. In 1860, this vast royalgarden was burnt down along with the Yuanming Yuan (Garden of Perfection andBrightness) by Angol-French allied forces. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixireconstructed the garden on the same site and renamed it the Garden of NurturedHarmony (Summer Palace). Characterized by its vast scope and rich culturalembodiments, the Summer Palace has become one of the most famous tourist sitesin the world.
This is the main entrance to the Summer Palace-the East Gate On top of theeaves of the door there is a plaque bearing a Chinese inscription which means“Garden of Nurtured Harmony” , whose calligrapher was Emperor Guangxu. The gatethat you are now entering was used exclusively by the emperor, the empress andthe queer mother. All others used the side doors.
(Inside the East Gate)
the Summer Palace can be divided into two parts: Longevity Hill and KunmingLake .The whole garden covers an area of 290 hectares, of whih three- fourthsconsists of a lake and rivers .This imperial garden features 3,000 room-unitsand covers an expanse of 70,000 square meters with more than 100 picturesquespots of interest. The layout of the Summer Palace includes three groups ofarchitectures: palaces where the emperor attended to state affairs, restingpalaces of the emperor and empress, and sightseeing areas. Entering the EastGate we will come the the office quarters. Entering the East gate we will cometo the office quarters. The annex halls on both sides were used for officials onduty.
This is the Gate of Benevolence and Longevity. Above the door there is aplaque bearing the same name in both Chinese and Manchurian characters. Thegigantic rock in the foreground is known as Taihu rock, or eroded limestone,quarried in Jiangsu Province and placed here to decorated the garden.