Hello,everyone,
Wearenowgoingtopayavisittoaplaceofspecialinterest.ThisscenicspotislocatedatthecenterofBeijingandischaracterizedbythousandsofpalatialarchitecturesandpurplewallsaswellasyellowglazedtileroofs-itissimplyaseaofpalaces.Thisistheworld–famouswonder–thePalaceMuseum.
ThePalaceMuseumhasservedastheroyalresidenceduringtheMingandQingdynasties.Itwasherethatatotalof24monarchsascendedthethroneandwieldedpowerforsome500years.ThePalaceMuseum,asthemostbeautifulspotofinterestthroughoutBeijing,isuniqueforitslocation:tothenorthwestisBeihai(NorthSea)Park,famousforitswhitepagodaandripplinglake;tothewestistheZhongnahai(centralandsouthsea);totheeastliesthetheWangfujingShoppingStreet;andtothenorthidJinshanPark.StandingintheWanchun(EverlastingSpring)PavilionatthetopofJingshan(CharcoalHill)Park,youoverlooktheskylineofthepalaceMuseum.AtthesouthernendofthepalaceisTian`anmen(GateofHeavenlyPeace)andthefamoussquarenamedafterit.ThisisthesymbolofthePeople`sRepublicofChina.
Aworld-famoushistoricalsite,thePalaceMuseumisontheWorldHeritageListofUNESCOandisanembodimentoforientalcivilization.
ThePalaceMuseumisrectangularinshape,960meterslongfromnorthtosouthand750meterswidefromeasttowest,coveringaspaceof720,000squaremetersofwhich150,000isbuildingarea.Ithas9000-strongroomsinit.Accordingtolegendthereare9999.5room-unitsinall.Thewholecompoundisenclosedbya10-meter-hignwallandisaccessedthroughfourentrances,namely,themeridianGateinthesouth,theGateofMilitaryProwessinthenorth,Donghua(EasternFlowery)Gateinthenorth,Donghua(EasternFlowery)GateintheeastandXihua(WesternFlowery)Gateinthewest.Oneachcornerthereisaturretconsistedof9roofbeams,18pillarsand72ridge.Encirclingthecompoundthereisa3,800-meter-longand52meter-widemoat,makingthePalaceMuseumaself-defensivecity-within-acity.
ThePalaceMuseumwasmadeacenterofruleduringtheMingDynastybyZhunDi,ThefourthsonofthefoundingemperorZhuyuanzhang.Thewholecomplexstraddlesonan8-kilometers-longcentralaxisthatstretchesfromYongding(ForeverStable)GateinthesouthtoGulou(DrumTower)inthenorth.Prominencewasgiventotheroyalpowerbyputtingthe“threemainfronthalls”and“threebackhalls”ontheaxiswhilearrangeothersubsidiarystructurearoundthem.TheconstructionofthePalaceMuseuminvolvedmanpowerandresourcesacrossChina.Forexample,thebrickslaidinthehalls,knownas“goldbrick,”underwentcomplex,two–dozenprocesses.Asthefinaltouch,thefiredbricksweredippedinChinesewoodoil.Involvingcomplicatedprocessesandhighcost,thesebrickarecalled“goldenbricks.”ThePalaceMuseumservesasalivingembodimentofgoodtraditionandstylesuniquetoChina`sancientarchitecture.ItreflectstothefulltheingenuityandcreativityoftheChineseworkingpeople.Acarefullypreservedandcompletegroupofroyalresidences,thePalaceMuseumisaprominenthistoricalandtouristsite.
WhatwearenowapproachingisthemainentrancetothePalaceMuseum-theMeridianGate,whichischaracterizedbyredwalls,yellowglazed–tileroofsandupturnedeaves.Ontopofthiswalls,yellowglazed-tileroofsandupturnedeaves.Ontopofthismagnificentbuilding,therestandfiveloftyhallswithamainhallinthecenter.Themainhallisroofedbymultipleeavesandcoversaspaceof9room-units.Itisflankedbytwowingsoneachside.Thewingsaresquareinshape,completewithmultipleandfouredgedeavesandpinnacles.Allofthesestructuresareconnectedbyacolonnade.Becausethesehallsresembleasoaringbird,itwasalsoknowaswufenglou(Five-phoenixTower).Insidethemainhallthereisathrone.Drumsandbellswerestoredinthewings.WhenevertheemperorpresidedovergrandceremoniesorobservedritesintheHallofUpremeHarmony,drums,bellsandgongswouldbestrucktomarktheoccasion.