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3.7.11

Palace of Tranquil Longevity

Its day two visit to The Forbidden City, we have to visit the Treasure Hall (Palace of Tranquil Longevity). Located on the east side of the Forbidden City in the corridors surrounding the Hall of Imperial Supremacy (Huangji dian), the Hall of Cultivating One's Character (Yangxing dian), the Hall of Joyful Longevity (Leshou tang), and in the Belvedere of Well-nourished Harmony (Yihe xuan).

The Palace of Tranquil Longevityliterally, "peaceful old age palace," also called the Qianlong Garden, Qianlong Palace, Qianlong District or the Palace of Tranquility and Longevity. Located in the northeast corner of the inner court of the Forbidden City. Construction of the palace began on the Qianlong emperor's orders in 1771, in preparation for his retirement, although Qianlong never moved into the palace. Its beautiful apartments, pavilions, gates and gardens feature "some of the most elegant spaces at a time widely considered to be the pinnacle of Chinese interior design.Throughout the Qing period, the palace was almost never used, largely because of Qianlong's imperial decree ordering his retirement retreat remain unaltered.

The central bridge is reserved for emperors exclusively. The two flanking it are reserved for royal family members while the two outer ones are for ordinary officials. The bridges are well decorated with marble balustrades carved with motifs of dragon and phoenix.

thank you all for stopping by...

xxx

2.7.11

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of Emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.

Built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings and covers 720,000 meter square. The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese Palatial architecture and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The area is huge that we (my husband and I) split the visit into 2 days, this is from day one.

Forbidden City is under the charge of the Palace Museum, displaying extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Part of the museum's former collection is now located in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

As its hot (40C) and foggy, we opted light clothing and carries face mask.