有關故宮中英對照導游詞

　　北京故宮是中國明清兩代的皇家宮殿，舊稱紫禁城，位于北京中軸線的中心。北京故宮以三大殿為中心，占地面積約72萬平方米，建筑面積約15萬平方米，有大小宮殿七十多座，房屋九千余間。下面就是為大家帶來的有關故宮中英對照導游詞，歡迎各位閱讀哦!

　　故宮中文導游詞

女士們、先生們：

　　今天有幸陪同大家一道參觀，我感到很高興。

　　這里就是世界聞名的故宮博物館，一般大家都簡稱它為故宮，顧名思義，就是昔日的皇家宮殿。

　　自1911年清朝末代皇帝愛新覺羅.溥儀被迫宣告退位上溯至1420年明朝第三代永樂皇帝朱棣遷都于此，先后有明朝的14位，清朝的10位，共24位皇帝在這座金碧輝煌的宮城里統治中國長達五個世紀之久。

　　帝王之家，自然規模宏大，氣勢磅礴，時至今日這里不僅在中國，在世界上也是規模最大，保存最完整的古代皇家宮殿建筑群。

　　由于這座宮城集中體現了我國古代建筑藝術的優秀傳統和獨特風格，所以在建筑史上具有十分重要的地位，是建筑藝術的經典之作，1987年已被聯合國教科文組織評定為世界文化遺產。

　　故宮又稱紫禁城，究其由來，是由天文學說和民間傳說相互交融而形成的。

　　中國古代天文學家將天上所有的星宿分為三垣、二十八宿、三十一天區。

　　其中的三垣是指太微垣、紫微垣和天市垣。

　　紫微垣在三垣的中央，正符合“紫微居中”的說法。

　　因此，古人認為紫外線微垣是天帝之座，故被稱為紫宮。

　　皇帝是天帝之子、人間至尊，因此他們也要模仿天帝，在自己宮殿的名字上冠其紫字，以表現其位居中央，環視天下的帝王氣概。

　　還有一個說法就是指“紫氣東來”。

　　傳說老子出函谷關，關令尹喜見有紫氣從東來，知道將有圣人過關。

　　果然老子騎了青牛前來，喜便請他寫下了《道德經》。

　　后人因此以“紫氣東來”表示祥瑞。

　　帝王之家當然希望出祥瑞天象，那么用“紫”字來命名也就順理成章了。

　　“禁”字的意思就比較明顯了，那就是皇宮禁地，戒備森嚴，萬民莫近。

　　此話決無半個虛字，在1924年末代皇帝被逐出宮后這里正式開放以前平民百姓別想踏近半步，大家可以想像紫禁城過去是多么崇高威嚴，神圣不可侵犯啊!

　　紫禁城建在北京，是有其歷史的，也因為這里是一塊風水寶地，說起來話長。

　　故宮從明永樂四年(1406)開始修建，用了14年的時間才基本建成，到今天已有570多年的歷史。

　　大家看到了，故宮是一級紅墻黃瓦的建筑群，為什么這樣呢?據道家陰陽五行學說認為，五行包括金，木，水，火，土，其中土占中央方位，因為華夏民族世代生息在黃土高原上，所以對黃色就產生了一種崇仰和依戀的感情，于是從唐朝起，黃色就成了代表皇家的色彩，其他人不得在服飾和建筑上使用。

　　而紅色，則寓意著美滿，吉祥和富貴，正由于這些原因，故宮建筑的基本色調便采用了紅，黃兩種顏色。

　　故宮占地72萬多平方米，有宮殿樓閣9900多間，建筑面積約15萬平方米。

　　四周有高9.9米，號稱10米的城墻，墻外一周是52米寬的護城河，俗稱筒子河。

　　城南北長約960米，東西寬約760米，城上四角各有一座結構奇異，和諧美觀的角樓，呈八角形，人稱九梁十八柱，七十二條脊。

　　城四周各設一門，南面的正門是午門，北門叫神武門，東門叫東華門，西門叫西華門。

　　故宮在施工中 共征集了全國著名的工匠23萬，民夫100萬人。

　　所用的建筑材料來自全國各地。

　　比如漢白玉石料來自北京房山縣，五色虎皮石來自河北薊縣的盤山，花崗石采自河北曲陽縣。

　　宮殿內墁地的方磚，燒制在蘇州，砌墻用磚是山東臨清燒的。

　　宮殿墻壁上所用的紅色，原料產自山東宣化(今高青縣)的煙筒山。

　　木料則主要來自湖廣，江西，山西等省。

　　由此也可以看出當時工程之浩大。

　　我們眼前的建筑叫午門。

　　午門是紫禁城的正門，俗稱五鳳樓。

　　明代，每年正月十五，午門都要懸燈賜食百官。

　　到了清代這種活動就取消了。

　　每年農歷十月初一，都要在這里舉行頒布次年年歷儀式，清代乾隆年間因避乾隆帝“弘歷”的名字，故將“頒歷”改稱“頒朔”。

　　清代，皇帝舉行朝會或大祀，以及元旦，冬至，萬壽，大婚等重大節日，都要在這里陳設鹵簿，儀仗。

　　此外，國家凡有征戰凱旋時，皇帝在午門接受獻俘典禮，如果皇帝親征也從午門出駕。

　　關于“推出午門斬首”的說法，可能是由于戲劇午臺上及野史小說敷衍而來的。

　　實際上是明代朝廷命官犯罪，有的在午門廷杖，當然嚴重的可能也有被當場打死的。

　　(進午門后金水橋前)

　　現在我們已經到了故宮里面，在正式游覽之前，我先介紹一下故宮的布局和參觀路線。

　　故宮占地72萬多平方米，在這樣大的面積上，集各種建筑手法，建造一組規模如此宏大的建筑群，不但沒有紛雜現象，反而給人以結構嚴謹，色彩輝煌和布局規整的感覺，最主要的手段是建造中突出了一條極為明顯的中軸紅，這條中軸線和整座北京城有機地結為一體，北從鐘樓，南至永定門，總長度約8公里，皇家禁區苑內的部分約占三分之一。

　　宮內重要建筑都在這條中軸線上，其它建筑分東西對稱分布。

　　整個宮殿的設計和布局都表現了封建君主的“尊嚴”和對封建等級制度的森嚴。

　　故宮分外朝內廷。

　　現在我們在外朝的最南端正，前面是太和門。

　　門前有一對青銅獅子，威嚴，兇悍，成了門前橋頭的守衛者，象征著權力與尊嚴。

　　皇帝貴為天子，門前的獅子自然最精美，最高大了。

　　東邊立的為雄獅，前爪下有一只幼獅，象征皇權永存，千秋萬代。

　　我們眼前的這條小河，叫金水河，起裝飾和防水之用。

　　河上五座橋象征孔子所提倡的五德：仁、義、禮、智、信。

　　整條河外觀象支弓，中軸線就是箭，這表明皇帝受命于天，代天帝治理國家。

　　(在太和門前)

　　故宮建筑分為“外朝”與“內廷”兩大部分。

　　由午門到乾清門之間的部分分為“外朝”，以太和、中和、保和三大殿為中心，東西兩側有文華、武英兩組宮殿，左右對稱，形成“外朝”雄偉壯觀的格局。

　　三大殿前后排列在同一個龐大的“工”字型漢白玉石殿基上，殿基高8米，分為三層，每層有漢白玉石刻欄桿圍繞，三臺中有三層石雕“御路”。

　　太和殿俗稱金鑾殿，是故宮最高大的一座建筑物，也是國內最高大、最壯麗的古代木結構建筑。

　　乾清門以內為“內廷”，建筑布局也是左右對稱。

　　中部為乾清宮，交泰殿、坤寧宮，是封建皇帝居住和處理日常政務的地方。

　　兩側的東、西六宮是嬪妃的住所，東、西一所是皇子的住所。

　　“內廷”還有為皇家游玩的三處花園——御花園、慈寧花園、乾隆花園。

　　內金水河沿“內廷”西邊蜿蜒繞過英武殿、太和門、文華殿流出宮外，河上有白玉石橋，沿河兩岸有曲折多姿的白玉雕欄桿，形似玉帶。

　　故宮建筑絕大部分以黃琉璃瓦為頂，在陽光下金碧輝煌，莊嚴美觀。

　　故宮中的建筑除了突出中軸線外，還用了各種手法，使宮城中各組建筑獨具特色。

　　比如殿基的處理，殿頂的形式，吻獸和垂脊獸的數目，彩繪圖案的規制等等。

　　這樣，不僅使主要建筑更顯得高大，壯觀，而且還表現了宮中建筑的等級差別。

　　民間傳說故宮有房9999間半，說天上的皇宮一共有房10000間，地上的皇帝自稱“天子”，不敢與其同數，所以就少了半間。

　　這半間房在哪兒呢?它指的便是文淵閣西頭那一小間。

　　實際上紫禁城有房9000余間，所謂的這半間是根本不存在的。

　　文淵閣西頭一間，面積雖小，僅能容納一個樓梯，但它仍是一整間。

　　文淵閣樓下是藏我國第一部《四庫全書》的地方，為了照顧布局上的美觀，所以把西頭一間建造的格外小。

　　(經過太和門之后)

　　女士們、先生們，前面的大殿叫太和殿，俗稱金鑾殿，是故宮內最大宮殿。

　　建筑面積2377平方米，重檐廡殿頂，是殿宇中最高等級，為外朝三大殿中最大的一座。

　　太和殿建在三層重疊的“工”字型須彌座上，由漢白玉雕成，離地8余米，下層臺階21級，中，上層各9級。

　　太和殿始建于公元1406年，經歷了三次火災和一次兵燹的毀壞，現在大家看到的是清朝建的。

　　四個屋檐上各有一排動物，原來是釘子，用來固定瓦片用的，后來換成了神話傳說中的動物，據說可以辟邪，而且數量越多，表明建筑越重要。

　　太和殿上有9個，9是陽之極數，依次為7、5、3、1，平民百姓家是不允許有這種裝飾的。

　　明清兩朝曾有24個皇帝在此登基，宣布即位詔書。

　　元旦、冬至、皇帝生日、冊立皇后、頒布法令、政令、派將出征、金殿傳臚以及賜安等等，皇帝都要在這里舉行儀式，接受文武百官朝賀。

　　這個廣場是太和殿廣場，面積達3萬平方米。

　　整個廣場無一草一木，空曠寧靜，給人以森嚴肅穆的感覺。

　　正中為御路，左右地面鋪的磚橫七豎八，共15層，以防有人挖地道進入皇宮。

　　周圍有一些大缸，是做什么用的呢?在故宮里一共有308個大缸，是用來儲水防炎的，缸下可燒炭加溫，防止冬天缸水結冰。

　　為什么要建這么大的廣場呢·那是是為了讓人們感覺到太和殿的雄偉壯觀。

　　站在下面向前望去：藍天之下，黃瓦生輝。

　　層層石臺，如同白云，加上香煙繚繞，整個太和殿好像天上仙境一樣。

　　舉行大典時，殿內的琺瑯仙鶴盤上點上蠟燭，香亭、香爐燒檀香，露臺上的銅爐、龜、鶴燃松柏枝，殿前兩側香煙繚繞，全場鴉雀無聲。

　　皇帝登上寶座時，鼓樂齊鳴，文武大臣按呂級跪伏在廣場，仰望著云中樓閣山呼萬歲，以顯示皇帝無上權威與尊嚴。

　　清朝末代皇帝溥儀1908年底登基時，年僅3歲，由他父親攝政王載灃把他抱扶到寶座上。

　　當大典開始時差，突然鼓樂齊鳴，嚇得小皇帝哭鬧不止，嚷著要回家去。

　　載灃急得滿頭大汗，只好哄著小皇帝說：“別哭，別哭，快完了，快完了!”大臣們認為此話不吉祥，說來也巧，3年后清朝果真就滅亡了，從而結束了我國2000多年的封建統治。

　　(在太和殿的石臺上)

　　這是銅香爐，，是皇帝舉行典禮時焚燒檀香用的。

　　這里一共有18座，代表清朝18個省。

　　殿外左右安放四個銅缸，象征”金甌無缺“，作為貯水防火之用。

　　臺基東西兩側各有一只銅制仙鶴和龜，是長壽的象征。

　　這個由鉛鑄造成的器具叫嘉量，嘉量是當時量的標準器，表示皇帝公平處事，誰半斤,誰八兩，心中自然有數。

　　對面還有一個石頭做成的器具叫做日晷，是古代的測時儀。

　　皇帝的意思是：量和時的基準都在自己手里。

　　太和殿正面有12根圓紅柱，東西約63米，南北進深約37米，高35米，殿前丹陛三層五出，殿前后有金扉40個，金鎖窗16個，整個大殿雕梁畫棟，豪華富麗。

　　殿內中央設有2米高的平臺，上面擺放著雕有9條金龍的楠木寶座。

　　后面有金漆圍屏，前面有御案，左右有對稱的寶象、角端、仙鶴、香筒等陳列品。

　　象馱寶瓶，內裝五谷，象征太平景象、五谷豐登。

　　角端是我國古代神話傳說中的一種神獸，可“日行一萬八千里”，通曉四方語言，只有明君，它才捧書而至，護駕身旁。

　　太和殿也叫金鑾殿，為什么這么叫呢?因殿內為金磚墁地而得名。

　　金磚墁地平整如鏡，光滑細膩，像是灑了一層水，發著幽暗的光。

　　那么金磚真的含金嗎?其實這是一種用特殊方法燒制的磚，工藝考究，復雜，專為皇宮而制，敲起來有金石之聲，所以稱作“金磚”。

　　燒這種磚，每一塊相當于一石大米的價錢，可見金磚雖不含金，但也確實貴重。

　　殿內共有72根大主柱，支撐其全部重量，其中6根雕龍金柱，瀝粉貼金，圍繞著寶座周圍。

　　在殿中央有一藻井，是從古代“天井”和“天窗”形式演變面來，為中國古代建筑的特色之一。

　　主要設置在“尊貴”的建筑物上，有“神圣”之意。

　　在藻井中央部位，有一浮雕蟠龍，口銜一球(球為銅胎中空，外涂水銀)，此球叫軒轅鏡，傳說是遠古時代軒轅黃帝制造的，懸球與藻井蟠龍聯在起，構成游龍戲珠的形式，懸于帝王寶座上方，以示中國歷代皇帝都是軒轅的子孫，是黃帝正統繼承者。

　　它使殿堂富麗堂皇，雍容華貴。

　　鏡下正好對著寶座，據說是袁世凱怕大球掉下來把他砸死，故將寶座向后挪到現在的位置。

　　關于龍椅，這里面有段故事。

　　1916年(民國五年)袁世凱登基時，把原來的寶座搬走了，換了一把西式高背大椅，上飾他自己設計的帝國徽號。

　　據說他的腿短，因而將椅座降低。

　　新中國成立后，為了尋找那把龍椅，根據過去的一張照片，在破家具庫找到了一把破椅，經專家鑒定，這椅子就是皇帝寶座，后經修復展出。

　　(帶客人至太和殿東或西側銅缸處)

　　古人把陳設在殿堂皇屋宇前的大缸，稱為“門海”，門海者，蓋“門前大海”之意，古人相信，門前有大海，就不怕鬧火災。

　　因此，大缸又稱為吉祥缸。

　　它既是陳設品，又是消防器材。

　　在科學不民達的古代，宮中沒有自來水，更沒有消防器材。

　　因此，缸內必須長年儲滿水以備不虞。

　　清代時，共有308口大缸，按其質量分類三種，即鎏金銅缸、燒古銅缸和鐵缸，其中最珍貴的是鎏金銅缸。

　　然而這些鎏金銅缸沒有逃脫侵略者刺刀刮體的厄運。

　　侵略者是誰?是英、美、德、法、俄、日、意、奧八國聯軍。

　　為了鎮壓中國人民反帝的義和團運動，1900年的8月13日至8月15日，八國聯軍攻陷北京，進占紫禁城。

　　救死扶傷和軍官們燒、殺、搶、掠，從宮中及頤和園等處動掠奪的文物在各侵略國使館區堆積如山，至今仍有大量文物被倫敦、巴黎、紐約博物館攫為已有。

　　這一切包括眼前這口缸上的道道刮痕都已成為帝國主義侵略中國的鐵證。

　　是偽統治時期，大缸被拉出宮門，裝上日本侵略軍的卡車，用去制作子彈，再反過來屠殺我國人民。

　　(中和殿前)

　　眼前這個方形建筑是中和殿。

　　皇帝舉行大典前，先到此暫坐休息，會見一些官員。

　　皇帝去天、地、日、月四壇祭祀時，前一天也要在中和殿里看祭文。

　　每年二月皇帝到先家壇舉行親耕儀式，前一天要來這里閱視種子、農具、祝文。

　　這里現在陳列的是乾隆年間的兩面三刀頂肩輿，即八抬大轎

　　城角

　　故宮的四個城角，每一個角上有一座九梁十八柱七十二條脊的角樓，建造的可好看了。

　　這四座角摟是怎么蓋的呢?北京有這么個傳說——

　　明朝的燕王朱隸在南京做了永樂皇帝以后，因為北京是他做王爺時候的老地方，就想遷都北京，于是就派了親信大臣到北京蓋皇官。

　　朱隸告訴這個大臣：要在皇宮外墻——紫禁城的四個犄角上，蓋四座樣子特別美麗的角樓，每座角樓要有九梁十八柱、七十二條脊。

　　并且說：“你就做這個管工大臣吧，如果修蓋的不好是要殺頭的!”管工大臣領了皇帝的諭旨后，心里非常發愁，不知如何蓋這九梁十八柱、七十二條脊的角樓。

　　管工大臣到了北京以后，就把八十一家大包工木廠的工頭、木匠們都叫來，跟他們說了皇帝的旨意，限期三個月，叫他們一定要按期蓋成這四座怪樣子的角樓，并且說：“如果蓋不成，皇帝自然要殺我的頭，可是在沒殺我的頭之前，我就先把你們的頭砍了，所以當心你們的腦袋。

　　”工頭和木匠們對這樣的工程都沒把握，只好常常在一塊琢磨法子。

　　三個月的期限是很短的，一轉眼就是一個月了，工頭和木匠們還沒想出一點頭緒、一點辦法來，他們做了許多樣型，都不合適。

　　這時候，正趕上六七月的三伏天氣，熱得人都喘不上氣來，加上心里煩悶，工頭和木匠們真是坐也不合適，躺也不合適。

　　有這么一位木匠師傅，實在呆不住了，就上大街閑遛去了。

　　走著走著，聽見老遠傳來一片蟈蟈的吵叫聲，接著、又聽見一聲吆喝：“買蟈蟈，聽叫去，睡不著，解悶兒去!”走近一看，是一個老頭兒挑著許多大大小小秫秸編的蟈蟈籠子，在沿街叫賣。

　　其中有一個細秫秸棍插的蟈蟈籠子，精巧得跟畫里的一座樓閣一樣，里頭裝著幾只蟈蟈，木匠師傅想：反正是煩心的事，該死的活不了，買個好看的籠子，看著也有趣兒，于是就買下了。

　　這個木匠提著蟈蟈籠子，回到了工地。

　　大伙兒一看就吵嚷起來了：“人們都心里怪煩的，你怎么買一籠子蟈蟈來，成心吵人是怎么著?”木匠笑著說：“大家睡不著解個悶兒吧，你們瞧……”他原想說你們瞧這個籠子多么好看呀!可是他還沒說出嘴來，就覺得這籠子有點特別。

　　他急忙擺著手說：“你們先別吵吵嚷嚷的，讓我數數再說。

　　“他把蟈蟈籠子的梁啊、柱啊、脊呀細細地數了一遍又一遍，大伙被他這一數，也吸引得留了神，靜靜地直著眼睛看著，一點聲音也沒有。

　　木匠數完了蟈蟈籠子，蹦起來一拍大腿說：“這不正是九梁十八柱七十二條脊么?”大伙一聽都高興了，這個接過籠子數數，那個也接過籠子數數，都說：“真是九梁十八柱、七十二條脊的樓閣啊，”

　　大伙兒受這個籠子的啟發，琢磨出了紫禁城角樓的樣子，燙出紙漿做出樣型，最后修成了到現在還存在的角摟。

　　北京-故宮英文導游詞

　　THE FORBIDDEN CITY(紫禁城)

　　(Infront of the meridian gate)

　　This is the palace museum; also know as the Purple Forbidden City. It is the largest and most well reserved imperial residence inChinatoday. Under Ming Emperor Yongle, construction began in 1406. It took 14 years to build the Forbidden City. The first ruler who actually lived here was Ming Emperor Zhudi. For five centuries thereafter,it continued to be the residence of 23 successive emperors until 1911 when Qing Emperor Puyi was forced to abdicate the throne .In 1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization recognized the Forbidden City was a world cultural legacy.

　　It is believed that the Palace Museum, orZi Jin Cheng (Purple Forbidden City), got its name from astronomy folklore, The ancient astronomers divided the constellations into groups and centered them around the Ziwei Yuan(North Star). The constellation containing the North Starwas called the Constellation of Heavenly God and star itself was called the purple palace. Because the emperor was supposedly the son of the heavenly gods,his central and dominant position would be further highlighted the use of theword purple in the name of his residence. In folklore, the term ”an eastern purple cloud is drifting” became a metaphor for auspicious events after apurple cloud was seen drifting eastward immediately before the arrival of anancient philosopher, LaoZi, to the Hanghu Pass. Here, purple isassociated with auspicious developments. The word jin (forbidden) isself-explanatory as the imperial palace was heavily guarded and off-explanatoryas the imperial palace was heavily guarded and off-limits to ordinary people.

　　The red and yellow used on the palace wallsand roofs are also symbolic. Red represents happiness, good fortune and wealth.Yellow is the color of the earth on the Loess Plateau, the original home of the Chinese people. Yellow became an imperial color during the Tang dynasty, whenonly members of the royal family were allowed to wear it and use it in their architecture.

　　The Forbidden Cityis rectangular in shape. It is 960 meters long from north to south and 750meter wide from east west. It has 9,900 rooms under a total roof area 150,000square meters .A 52-meter-wide-moat encircles a 9.9-meter—high wall which enclosesthe complex. Octagon —shaped turrets rest on the four corners of the wall.There are four entrances into the city: the MeridianGate to the south, the Shenwu Gate(Gate of Military Prowess) to the north, andthe Xihua Gate(Gate of military Prowess) to the north, and the Xihua Gate(Western Flowery Gate )to the west ,the Donghua (Eastern Flowery Gate) tothe east.

　　Manpower and materials throughout thecountry were used to build the Forbidden City.A total of 230,000 artisans and one million laborers were employed. Marble wasquarried from fangshan Country Mount Pan in Jixian County in Hebei Province.Granite was quarried in Quyang County in Hebei Province. Paving blockswere fired in kilns in Suzhou in southernChina. Bricksand scarlet pigmentation used on the palatial walls came from linqing in Shandong Province .Timber was cut ,processed and hauled from the northwestern and southern regions.

　　The structure in front of us is the Meridian Gate. It is the main entrance to the forbidden City. It is also knowsas Wufenglou(Five-Phoenix Tower). Ming emperorsheld lavish banquets here on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar year in hornor of their counties .They also used this place for punishingofficals by flogging them with sticks.

　　Qing emperors used this building toannounce the beginning of the new year. Qing Emperor Qianlong changed the original name of this announcement ceremony from ban li(announcement ofcalendar)to ban shou(announcement of new moon )to avoid coincidentalassociation with another Emperor` s name, Hongli, which was considered a tabooat that time. Qing Dynasty emperors also used this place to hold audience andfor other important ceremonies. For example,when the imperial army returnedvictoriously from the battlefield ,it was here that the Emperor presided overthe ceremony to accept prisoners of war.

　　(After entering the Meridian Gate andstanding in front of the Five Marble Bridges on Golden Water River)

　　now we are inside the Forbidden City.Beforewe start our tour, I would like to briefly introduce you to the architectural patterns befour us .To complete this solemn, magnificent and palatial complex,a variety of buildings were arranged on a north-south axis, and8-kilometer-long invisible line that has become an inseparable part of the Cityof Beijing. The Forbidden City covers roughly one –third of this central axis. Most of the important building in the Forbidden City weree arranged along this line. The designand arrangement of the palaces reflect the solemn dignity of the royal courtand rigidly –stratified feudal system.

　　The Forbidden Cityis divided into an outer and an inner count.We are now standing on the southern most part of the outer count. In front of us lies the Gate of supreme Harmony .The gate is guarded by a pair of bronze lions ,symbolizing imperial power and dignity. The lions were the most exquisite and biggest of its kind.The one on the east playing with a ball is a male, and ball is said to represent state unity. The other one is a female. Underneath one of its foreclaws is a cub that is considered to be a symbol of perpetual imperial succession. The winding brook before us is the Golden Water River. It functions bothas decoration and fire control .The five bridges spanning the river representthe five virtues preached by Confucius :benevolence, righteousness, rites,intellence and fidelity. The river takes the shape of a bow and the north-southaxis is its arrow. This was meant to show that the Emperors ruled the countryon behalf of God.

　　(In front of the Gate of Supreme Harmony)

　　The Forbidden Cityconsists of an outer countyard and an inner enclosure. The out count yardcovers a vast space lying between the Meridian Gate and the Gate of HeavenlyPurity. The “three big halls” of Supreme Harmony, Complete Harmony and Preserving Harmony constitute the center of this building group. Flanking themin bilateral symmetry are two groups of palaces: Wenhua (Prominent Scholars)and Wuying (Brave Warriors) . The three great halls are built on a spacious“H”-shaped, 8-meter-high, triple marble terrace, Each level of the tripleterrace is taller than the on below and all are encircled by marble balustradescarved with dragon and phoenix designs. There are three carved stone staircases linking the three architectures .The hall of supreme Harmony is also thetallest and most exquisite ancient wooden-structured mansion in all ofChina. From thepalace of Heavenly Purith northward is what isknown as the inner court, which is also built in bilaterally symmetrical patterns. In the center are the Palaceof Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Unionand Peace and Palace of Earthly Tranquility, aplace where the Emperors lived with their families and attended to stateaffairs. Flanking these structures are palaces and halls in which concubinesand princes lived. There are also three botanical gardens within the innercount, namely, the imperial Garden, Caning garden and Quailing garden. An inner Golden Water Riverflows eastwardly within the inner court. The brook winds through three minorhalls or palaces and leads out of the Forbidden City.It is spanned by the White Jade Bridge.The river is lined with winding, marble –carved balustrades. Most of thestructures within the Forbidden City haveyellow glazed tile roofs.

　　Aside from giving prominence to thenorth-south axis, other architectural methods were applied to make every groupof palatial structures unique in terms of terraces, roofs, mythical monstersperching on the roofs and colored, drawing patterns. With these, the grandcontour and different hierarchic spectrum of the complex were strengthened.Folklore has it that there are altogether 9,999 room-units in the Forbidden City. Since Paradiseonly has 10,000 rooms, the Son of Heaven on earth cut the number by half aroom. It is also rumoured that this half –room is located to the west of the Wenyuange Pavilion (imperial library). As a matter of fact, although the Forbidden City has more than 9,000 room-units, this half-room is nonexistent.The Wenyuange Pavilion is a library where “Si Ku Quan Shu”- China `s first comprehensive anthology-was stored.

　　(After walking past the Gate of SupremeHarmony)

　　Ladies and Gentlemen, the great hall we are approaching is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the biggest and tallest of its kingin the Forbidden City. This structure covers a total building space of 2,377 square meters, and is know for its upturned,multiple counterpart eaves . The Hall of Supreme Harmony sits on a triple“H”-shaped marble terrace the is 8 meters high and linked by staircases. The staircase on the ground floor has 21 steps while the middle and upper stairways each have 9.

　　The construction of the Hall of Supreme Harmony began in 1406. It burned down three times and was severely damaged onceduring a mutiny. The existing architecture was built during the Qing Dynasty.On the corners of the eaves a line of animal-nails were usually fastened to thetiles. These animal-nails were later replace with mythical animals to ward offevil spirits. There are altogether 9 such fasteners on top of this hall. The number nine was regarded by the ancients to be the largest numeral accessibleto man and to which only the emperors were entitled.

　　There was a total of 24 successive emperorsduring the Ming and Qing dynasties who were enthroned here. The ball was alsoused for ceremonies which marked other great occasions: the Winter Solstice,The Chinese Lunar New Year, the Emperor` s birthday, conferral of the title ofempress, the announcement of new laws and policies, and dispatches of generalsto war .On such occasions, the Emperor would hold audience for his courtofficials and receive their tributes.

　　This area is called the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square, which covers a total of 30,000 square meters, Without a single tree or plant growing here, this place inspires visitors to feel its solemnity and grandeur. In themiddle of the square there is a carriageway that was reserved for the Emperor.On both sides of the road the groud bricks were laid in a special way sevenlayers lengthwise and eight layers crosswise, making up fifteen layers in all.The purpose of this was to prevent anyone from tunneling his way into thepalace. In the count yard there are iron vats for storing water to fight fires.In the whole complex there are altogher 308 water vats. In winter time, charcoal was burned underneath the vats to keep the water from freezing .Why so vast asquare? It was designed to impress people with the hall` s grandeur andvastness. Imagine the following scene. Under the clear blue sky, the yellowglazed tiles shimmered as the cloud-like layers of terrace, coupled with thecurling veil of burning incense, transformed the hall of supreme Harmony into afairyland. Whenever major ceremonies were held, the glazed, crane-shapedcandleholders inside the hall would be it, and incense and pine branches burntin front of the hall. When the Emperor appeared, drums were beaten and musicalinstrument played. Civilian officials and generals would kneel know insubmission.

　　The last Qing emperor Puyi assumed the throne in 1908, at the age of three, His father carried him to the throne. At the start of the coronation, the suddendrum-beating and loud music caught the young emperor unprepared .He was soscared that he kept crying and shouting,"I don’t want to stay here."