Beijing - Great Wall - Summer Palace - Ming Tombs: Travel China: Chinese History, Culture and Customs
Beijing Tourist Sites
Photographs of Beijing
Although I have at times posted photographs of various sites in Beijing, I have never before at King's Calendar, provided a specific file of photographs from Beijing. Recently I posted some at Magic City Morning Star News where I have a column, and decided to do some larger and additional photographs here. I hope you like them.
The only text within this article involves official signs found at the various locations (errors included).
Photographs are not the normal professional touristy shots.
Beijing
Looking toward West Beijing Railway station.
Taken in the Wang Fujing - the Mall.
The Forbidden City - Beijing
The Palace Museum
From a back street in Beijing looking toward the Forbidden City
One Section of the Moat around the Forbidden City in Beijing
One Entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing.
Built in 1406-1420, The Imperial Palace, popularly known as the Forbidden City, was the permanent residence of the Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It's buildings are divided into two parts. The front part, or the 'outer court', consists of Tai He Dian Hall, Zhong He Dian Hall and Bao He Dian Hall, which are taken as it's main body, plus Wen Hua Dian Hall and Wu Ying Dian Hall, which are taken as it's two wings, Where the Emperor held important ceremonies.
The rear part, or the 'inner court', consists of Qian Ging Gong Palace, Jiao Tai Dian Hall, Kun Ning Gong Palace, Yang Xin Dian Hall plus the six east palaces, the six west palaces and Yu Hua Yuan garden, where the Emperor handled routine affairs and he with his Empress and concubines lived or spent their leisure hours.
The Imperial Palace is the largest and most complete group of ancient buildings which China has preserved to the present. It embodies the fine tradition and national style of Ancient Chinese Architectural art. In 1961 the Imperial Palace was listed by the State Council as one of 'the important historical monuments under the protection of the Government', and, in 1987, it was affirmed by the UNESCO as 'The World Heritage'.
From Ming to Qing Dybasties, a total of 24 Emperors lived here. The Qing Dynasty was overthrown in the revolution of 1911. From then on, as the feudal Imperial Palace, the Forbidden City completed it's historical mission. In 1914, the Museum of Antiquities was housed in the outer court. In 1925, the Palace Museum was established.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 not only the palace buildings have been repaired, but also a vast amount of work on the arrangement, restoration, collection and exhibition of precious cultural relics has been made. Today, some of the halls or palaces are kept as they were originally furnished, the others are used to exhibit special art treasures, such as jewellery, ancient paintings, bronzes, ceramics, arts and crafts, clocks and watches, etc, which show the age-old and splendid historical civilization of the Chinese nation.
(BenDedek footnote: According to documentaries on CCTV 9, during the Japanese occupation the Imperial Palace contents were packed up and sent west for safety. About one third of these however, are still under the control of the Taiwan Government.)
From within the Forbidden City looking over rooftops to Beijing City
Emperor's Sedan Chair - Possibly not at Forbidden City.
Close up of Doorway and Cupboards in a Throne room in the Forbidden City
The Last Emperor's (Pu Yi) Wedding Chamber in the Forbidden City
Temple of Heaven
Not the most professional shot of the Temple of Heaven
Our country's worshipping Heaven dates back to the ancient times. it is from the 2600 B.C. (Five Emperor Dynasties) to the early of the 20th Century when the feudal society was disintegrated. The Temple of Heaven was a place for the Ming and Qing Dynasty's emperor to worship Heaven and to pray for good harvest. The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420 D.C. (the 18th year of Emperor Yongle's reign of the Ming Dynasty), it is Imperial Sacrificial Altar constructed according to Chinese traditional system. From the 19th year of Emperor Yongle's reign of the Ming Dynasty, there were 23 emperors to go there to worship Heaven. The Revolution of 1911 overthrew the feudal society's monarchy and abolished the worship of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven was opened to public as a garden in 1918. The Museum for Heaven Worship introduces the rituals of heaven worship in ancient China and shows the history and the culture of it.
Taken from the public park in the grounds of the Temple of Heaven Beijing.
Imperial Hall of Heaven
The Imperial Hall of Heaven was 'The Heavenly Warehouse' of the altar of prayer for grains. The tablet of 'The God of Heaven' and the tablets of the Emperor's ancestors to be displayed and worshipped during the ceremony held in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests were kept here. The day before the ceremony the Emperor came here in person to burn incense sticks and perform the Divine Greetings for the transference, and then the officials of the Ministry of Rituals transferred the tablets to their appropriate places in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. With a square roof and eaves in four directions covered with blue glazed tiles, the hall was first built in 1420 (the 18th year of Ming Emperor Yongle's reign), and the hall placard bears an inscription in the handwriting of Zhu Houcong, Emperor Jiajing of the Ming
Taken in the General Location but not I think the Imperial Hall of Heaven.
The Ming Tombs - Changling
The Changling is the burial mausoleum of Chengzu(1360-1424), Zhu Di, the Third Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and Empress Xushi.
The construction of the main structure of the mausoleum - The underground Palace - began in 1409. It was completed in 1427. It occupies an area of about 120,000 square metres. The mausoleum is composed of the underground structure (Burial Chamber) and surface palace. The Changling is the biggest in scope among the mausoleums in the Tianshou Mountain.
The mausoleum buildings have been repaired many times after the Ming Dynasty, and the principal ones have been preserved. The Hall of Eminent Favour and the Gate of Eminent Favour Built of Nanmu, the only hall and gate of such structures still remaining among the Ming Mausoleums, look magnificient. Built with materials of excellent quality, they deserve to be treasures of ancient Chinese archetecture.
Golden Crown at the Ming Tombs
Emperor's Robes at the Ming Tombs Museum
Empress Phoenix Crown at the Ming Tombs Museum
Your Guess is as good as Mine.
The Great Wall of China - Badaling
Long Distance shot of a guard tower on the Great Wall of China
These shots of the great wall of China were taken at Badaling
R.P.BenDedek at the top of some heavy duty stairs on the Great Wall
The Great Wall of China is worth the climb in Winter and Summer.
The Summer Palace
I have done two tours of Beijing and between them I had the opportunity to read the account ofPrincess Der Ling's life in the Royal court, and found that when I next visited the Summer Palace, I had a much better feel of the place.
As Described below by Princess Der Ling, the long walkway by the lake at the Summer Palace
After passing out of the large courtyard on the West side, we came to a large, long veranda running in a zig-zag fashion along the front of the lake, and it was so long that I could not see the end of it. It was very prettily made of solid carved work from one end to the other. Electric lights were hanging from the ceiling at intervals, and when they were lighted at night, made a beautiful sight.
Her Majesty was a very fast walker and we had to step lively to keep up with her. The eunuchs and the servant girls walked on the right side and only one of the eunuchs was allowed to walk behind us, and he was the one who carried Her Majesty's yellow satin stool, which, like her dog, went everywhere she did. This stool she used to rest on when taking a walk. We walked for quite a long while and I began to feel tired, but Her Majesty, as old as she was, was still walking very fast and did not appear to be the least bit tired. She asked me if I liked the Palace and whether I would be satisfied to live with her, etc. I told her that it was a great pleasure for me to serve her, that it had been my dream for years, and now that my dream had come true, I could not help but be satisfied.
We finally arrived at the place where the marble boat was kept,and I was about finished. I never saw such vitality in an old woman in my life as Her Majesty had, and it was no wonder that she had ruled this vast Empire of China so successfully for so many years.
The Marble Boat at the Summer Palace as mentioned by Princess Der Ling
Closer View of the intricate workmanship
Tea Garden on an Island in the (Winter) frozen Lake at the Summer Palace.
R.P.BenDedek is from Brisbane Australia and is the author of 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran' at http://www.kingscalendar.com His academic articles set forth Apologetics for and results of his discovery of an "artificial chronological scheme" running through the Bible, Josephus, the Damascus Documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Seder Olam Rabbah.
He writes photographic 'Stories from China' and social editorial commentaries, both at KingsCalendar, and as a contributing newspaper columnist. He currently teaches Conversational English in China and in addition to his English Lessons at KingsCalendar, he has created specific sites for Students of English.
