From the imperial palace to the museum, the Forbidden City in Beijing has survived several lightning fires and reconstructions, alterations and expansions over the course of more than 600 years, and it is still majestic today.
Visiting the Forbidden City, you will not only see a number of spectacular ancient buildings, but also many interesting historical details that are not well known.
Anecdotes about the Forbidden City
@药师傅: On a thunderstorm night in 1992, did tourists find that there were "palace maid photos" on the red wall of the Forbidden City?
Zhou Qian: At present, there is no credible information to prove its authenticity. However, the main component of the laterite of the Forbidden City is Fe₂O₃ (iron oxide), which is one of the important materials for video tapes. In ancient times, when the palace maid walked inside the red wall, if she encountered lightning weather, the interaction between lightning and magnetic field could produce γ-Fe₂O₃ on the surface of the red wall, making it possible for the "phantom of the palace maid" to be "recorded" on the red wall. The process is similar to a magnetic tape that saves the magnetic signals of video and audio under the action of electromagnetic fields. Hundreds of years later, under the premise that the gray of the red wall cover is still well preserved, when tourists visit during a thunderstorm, it is likely that lightning and magnetic fields will interact again, so that the "phantom of the palace maid" "recorded" on the red wall will reappear. The process is similar to the magnetic signal of a tape reduced to video and audio under the action of electromagnetic fields. From this, it can be concluded that the red wall of the "Phantom of the Palace Lady" is not without scientific basis, and it is possible.
@Monicaaa: Has the Forbidden City never been flooded during the rainy season in 600 years? How good was the drainage system built by the ancients?
Zhou Qian: Historical records show that the 602-year-old Forbidden City has never suffered from floods. The Imperial Palace's drainage system is well developed and repaired every year before the rainy season, so it can always perform an effective drainage function. The drainage system of the Forbidden City can include three parts: roof, above ground and underground. The so-called roof drainage, that is, after the rainwater falls on the roof, it is then discharged from the roof to the ground; Above-ground drainage, that is, surface rainwater flowing into open ditches, and then into dark ditches or inner gold water rivers; Underground drainage, i.e. water from a dark ditch is discharged into the Neijinshui River. The roof of the Forbidden City is cleverly drained; The above-ground and underground drainage systems crisscross and cleverly lead to the palaces and courtyards, which discharge the rainwater from the central axis to the east and west sides, and then unify the flow from north to south to the Jinshui River, and discharge the Forbidden City in time to enter the Tonghui River through the Tuozi River.
@赞美虚无: You participated in the overhaul of the Temple of Harmony, what role did the Hall play in ancient times? Why do you need a major overhaul?
Zhou Qian: The Taihe Hall was a place where important national ceremonies were held for emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties, such as the emperor's wedding, the emperor's enthronement, the emperor's birthday festival, and the Chuanxu (the trial release list of the palace). In fact, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Taihe Hall was usually closed and could not be opened several times a year. However, the Hall of Taihe was a symbol of imperial power during the Ming and Qing dynasties, so its status was extremely important. The overhaul of ancient buildings is conducive to its longevity. Ancient buildings in mainland China have undergone a long time, aging building materials, and under the action of long-term natural (earthquake, strong wind, rain and snow, etc.) or man-made (crowd load, environmental vibration, etc.), it is inevitable that cracking, deformation, tenon pulling, decay and other structural diseases will occur, so they need to be repaired and strengthened. According to the severity of structural diseases of ancient buildings, the repair and reinforcement of ancient buildings can be divided into maintenance, minor repairs, undercarriage overhauls and other methods.
The scientific nature of the architecture of the Forbidden City
@LY Lieyang: What is special about the location of the Forbidden City?
Zhou Qian: Take Zhu Di's location in the Beijing Center as an example. Site selection criteria can include the following:
(1) Superiority of geographical environment. Beijing's topography is high in the northwest and low in the southeast. In the west is the West Mountain of the Taihang Mountains, in the north is the Jundu Mountain of the Yanshan Mountains, the two mountains intersect at Nankou Guangou, forming a semicircular mountain bend that unfolds to the southeast, and the southeast is a large plain that slowly slopes towards the Bohai Sea, with a superior geographical location.
(2) The rationality of ancient celestial phenomena. The ancients believed that the sky was circular, and all the stars revolved around a fixed center, which was the location of the North Star, the residence of the Celestial Emperor, and the center of the celestial bodies. Beijing is the center of the earth corresponding to the ancient celestial phenomenon, so it meets Zhu Di's requirements for the location of the Forbidden City.
(3) The ruins of the Yuan Palace laid the foundation. Although the Forbidden City was built in the Ming Dynasty, its location should have begun in the Yuan Dynasty. The reason for this is that the Forbidden City was built on the site of the Yuan Imperial Palace. It can be considered that the Yuan Forbidden City laid a relatively solid foundation for the site selection of the Forbidden City of the Ming Dynasty.
(4) The influence of traditional attitudes. Chinese traditional consciousness, the emperor built the capital city and the royal palace, and its location should meet the idea that "the king must live in the world". The Forbidden City is located as the center of Beijing, which is closely related to the traditional concept of "Zhong".
(5) The influence of traditional Chinese architectural feng shui thought. The location of the Forbidden City architecture is undoubtedly permeated with the idea of traditional architectural feng shui, such as "negative yin and yang" and "back mountains and water".
(6) Zhu Di's own subjective factors. In the name of "Jing Difficulty", Zhu Di attacked Nanjing, which lasted four years and seized the imperial throne. In order to consolidate his position, after Zhu Di conquered the city of Nanjing, he brutally slaughtered Emperor Jianwen's ministers, which shocked the people of Emperor Jianwen but also lost the support of the southern people. And when he attacked Nanjing, Emperor Jianwen disappeared and his life and death were unknown, which made him uneasy. In addition, Zhu Di lived in Beijing all year round and was not adapted to living in Nanjing for a long time, which made him think of moving the capital. In addition, after the destruction of the Yuan, its remnants retreated into northern Mobei, occupying a vast area stretching from the Hulunbuir grassland in the east, the Tianshan Mountains in the west, and the Great Wall in the south, and repeatedly plotted for revival, intending to regain the Central Plains. This also posed a threat to Zhu Di's regime. Moving the capital to Beijing will have more advantages than disadvantages for Zhu Di.
@澎湃网友RrUnyu: Where is the feng shui embodied in the Forbidden City?
Zhou Qian: "Feng Shui" is actually an important part of ancient Kan Yi, in short, it is to meet the environmental and geographical settings of building users. The contents such as "Three Walls", "Four Elephants", "Five Elements", "Seven Stars" and "Bagua" interpreted in "A Detailed Exploration of the Ancient Architecture of the Forbidden City" all belong to the feng shui of the ancient architecture of the Forbidden City.
@小兔兔: What is the special thing about the doors and windows of the Forbidden City? How is the number of houses in the Forbidden City calculated?
Zhou Qian: The doors and windows of the Forbidden City are decorated with grades, and the "decoration" of "Hall of Taihe" is humble, and the door and window decorations are divided into three-cross six-fold diamond patterns, double-cross four-rhombus patterns, orthogonal squares, oblique squares, etc. according to the grade from high to low. In the field of ancient architecture, the space enclosed by four pillars is called "one room", which is detailed in the "Huazhang" of the humble work "Hall of Taihe". The number of rooms in the Forbidden City is counted in this way.
Restoration and protection of ancient buildings
@ontheroad9898: Do you have any special protection methods for ancient buildings with all-wood structures such as the wooden pagoda in Yingxian County, Shanxi Province?
Zhou Qian: Regarding the repair and protection of ancient buildings, I first recommend the traditional reinforcement method. These methods have been passed down for hundreds of thousands of years and are now very mature, and the results have been proven by generations of craftsmen. Regarding the use of modern materials in the restoration and reinforcement of modern historical relics, I think we are still cautious.
Regarding the application of modern technology in the protection of ancient buildings, I think that under the premise of not disturbing the cultural relics themselves, the use of modern scientific and technological means such as three-dimensional laser scanning technology, pulsation testing technology, non-destructive testing and analysis technology as an auxiliary means for the maintenance of ancient buildings is feasible, and they are conducive to a more comprehensive and effective protection of ancient buildings. Just like human physical examination, from traditional methods to modern scientific and technological means, as long as it is a scientific and reasonable means of detection, analysis, and evaluation (note that all means do not disturb the subject), then these scientific and technological means are of positive significance. The development of science and technology promotes the repair and protection of ancient buildings, which is mainly manifested in providing more scientific, effective and comprehensive detection and evaluation methods for ancient buildings.
@Puzz Kang: What do you think is the most important significance of preserving and studying ancient buildings? Does the wisdom of the ancients have any specific inspiration for today's architectural design?
Zhou Qian: I think the most important significance of protecting ancient buildings is to learn the ancient science, history, culture and art contained in them, and to inherit and carry forward them. The wisdom of the ancients has an important reference role in today's architectural design. For example, "How to Prevent Earthquakes and Earthquakes in the Ancient Buildings of the Forbidden City" published in Beijing Daily is based on the earthquake damage caused by the earthquake in Turkey on February 6 this year, interprets the seismic wisdom of the ancient buildings of the Forbidden City, and provides a reference for the seismic design of modern buildings.
@读友: On what basis was the opening of the Forbidden City?
Zhou Qian: My personal understanding is that the openness of the Forbidden City is determined by our maturity in the protection of the ancient buildings and cultural relics within the Forbidden City. When the ancient buildings in a building area in the Forbidden City have been properly repaired and maintained, and the cultural relics (mainly in their original state) have taken effective and reliable protective measures, then the conditions for opening are basically met. The current open area of the Forbidden City is close to 80%, which is worth checking in and feeling the profound historical and cultural connotations.
"A Detailed Exploration of the Architecture of the Forbidden City", by Zhou Qian, Shanghai People's Publishing House Century Cultural Scenery Movable Type Culture, January 2023.
![A world's only imperial city, a valuable cultural heritage, witnessing the course of history![fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)