对称，南达永定门，北到鼓楼、钟楼，贯穿整个紫禁城。规划严整，气魄宏伟，极为壮观。无论在平面布
局，立体效果以及形式上的雄伟、堂皇、庄严、和谐，都属无与伦比的杰作。它标志着我国悠久的文化传
明清工艺美术馆、陶瓷馆、青铜器馆、钟表馆、绘画馆、珍宝馆。以参观珍宝馆和钟表馆的人数最多，钟
表馆设在奉先殿，珍宝馆设在故宫东北角的养性殿、乐寿堂、颐和轩这在座堂里。玩具陈列馆设在坤宁宫
以东的联房叫东板房里。西六宫基本上未动，仍按原来面貌布置。养心殿：乾清门内的养心殿，从雍正清末近200年间，清朝皇帝大多住在这里。在同治、光绪两朝，
thesunwithpurplewallsoccasionallyemergingamidthemandastretchofluxurianttreeleavesflankingoneach
side.ThatistheformerImperialPalace,popularlyknownastheForbiddenCity,fromwhichtwenty-fouremperors
oftheMingandQingDynastiesruledChinaforsome500years——from1420to1911.TheMingEmperorYong
Le,whousurpedthethronefromhisnephewandmadeBeijingthecapital,ordereditsconstruction,onwhich
approximately10,000artistsandamillionworkmentoiledfor14yearsfrom1406to1420.Atpresent,thePalace
isanelaboratemuseumthatpresentsthelargestandmostcompleteensembleoftraditionalarchitecturecomplex
andmorethan900,000piecesofcourttreasuresinalldynastiesinChina.LocatedinthecenterofBeijing,theentirepalacearea,rectangularinshapeand72hectaresinsize,is
surroundedbywallstenmetershighandamoat52meterswide.Ateachcornerofthewallstandsawatchtower
withadouble-eaveroofcoveredwithyellowglazedtiles.Themainbuildings,thesixgreathalls,onefollowingtheother,aresetfacingsouthalongthecentral
north-southaxisfromtheMeridianGate,thesouthentrance,toShenwumen,thegreatgatepiercinginthenorth
wall.Oneithersideofthepalacearemanycomparativelysmallbuildings.Symmetricallyinthenortheastern
sectionliethesixEasternPalacesandinthenorthwesternsectionthesixWesternPalaces.ThePalaceareais
dividedintotwoparts:theOuterCourtandtheInnerPalace.Theformerconsistsofthefirstthreemainhalls,
wheretheemperorreceivedhiscourtiersandconductedgrandceremonies,whilethelatterwasthelivingquarters
fortheimperialresidence.AttherearoftheInnerPalaceistheImperialGardenwheretheemperorandhisfamily
soughtrecreation.ThemainentrancetothePalaceistheMeridianGate(1),whichwassonamedbecausetheemperor
consideredhimselfthe"SonoftheHeaven"andthePalacethecenteroftheuniverse,hencethenorth-southaxisas
theMeridianlinegoingrightthroughthePalace.Thegateiscrownedwithfivetowers,commonlyknownasthe
Five-PhoenixTowers(2),whichwereinstalledwithdrumsandbells.WhentheemperorwenttotheTempleof
Heaven,bellswerestrucktomarkthisimportantoccasion.WhenhewenttotheAncestralTemple,itwasthe
drumsthatwerebeatentopublicizetheevent.BeyondtheMeridianGateunfoldsavastcourtyardacrosswhichtheInnerGoldenWaterRiverrunsfromeast
towest.Theriverisspannedbyfivebridges,whichweresupposedtobesymbolsofthefivevirtuespreachedby
Confucius——benevolence,righteousness,rites,intelligence,andfidelity(3).Atthenorthendofthecourtyardisathree-tieredwhitemarbleterrace,sevenmetersabovetheground,on
which,oneafteranother,standthreemajestichalls;theHallofSupremeHarmony(4),theHallofComplete
Harmony(5),andtheHallofPreservingHarmony(6).TheHallofSupremeHarmony,rectangularinshape,27metersinheight,2,300squaremetersinarea,isthe
grandestandmostimportanthallinthePalacecomplex.ItisalsoChina'slargestexistingpalaceofwoodstructure
andanoutstandingexampleofbrilliantcolorcombinations.Thishallusedtobethethronehallforceremonies
whichmarkedgreatoccasions:theWinterSolstice,theSpringFestival,theemperor'sbirthdayandenthronement,
andthedispatchofgeneralstobattles,etc.Onsuchoccasionstherewouldbeanimperialguardofhonorstanding
infrontoftheHallthatextendedallthewaytotheMeridiangate.Onthenorthfaceofthehallinthecenteroffourcoiled-goldendragoncolumnsisthe"GoldenThrone",
whichwascarvedoutofsandalwood.Thethronerestsonatwo-meter-highplatformwithascreenbehindit.In
frontofit,totheleftandright,standornamentalcranes,incenseburnersandotherornaments.Thedragoncolumns
entwinedwithgoldendragonsmeasureonemeterindiameter.Thethroneitself,theplatformandthescreenareall
carvedwithdragondesigns.Highabovethethroneisacolor-paintedcofferedceilingwhichchangesinshapefrom
squaretooctagonaltocircularasitascendslayeruponlayer.Theutmostcentralvaultiscarvedwiththegilded
designofadragontoyingwithpearls.whentheEmperormountedthethrone,goldbellsandjadechimessounded
fromthegallery,andcloudsofincenserosefromthebronzecranesandtortoisesandtripodsoutsidethehallonthe
terrace.Theauraofmajestycreatedbytheimposingarchitectureandsolemnritualweredesignedtokeepthe
subjectsofthe"SonoftheHeaven"inaweandreverence.TheHallofCompleteHarmonyissmallerandsquarewithwindowsonallsides.Heretheemperorrehearsed
forceremonies.ItisfollowedbytheHallofPreservingHarmonyinwhichbanquetsandimperialexaminations
wereheld.BehindtheHallofPreservingHarmonyliesahugemarblerampwithintertwiningcloudsanddragonscarved
inrelief.Theslab,about6.5meterslong,3meterswideand250tonsinweight,isplacedbetweentwoflightsof
marblestepsalongwhichtheemperor'ssedanwascarriedupordowntheterrace.Itisthelargestpieceofstone
carvingintheImperialPalace.QuarriedinthemountainsscoresofkilometerssouthwestofBeijing,thisgigantic
stonewasmovedtothecitybyslidingitoveraspeciallypavediceroadinwinter.Toprovideenoughwaterto
buildtheiceroad,wellsweresunkatvery500metersalongtheway.ThethreehallsoftheInnerPalacearereplicasofthethreehallsinthefront,butsmallerinsize.Theyarethe
PalaceofHeavenlyPurity(7),theHallofUnion(8),andthePalaceofEarthlyTranquility(9).ThePalaceofHeavenlyPuritywasoncetheresidenceoftheMingemperorsandthefirsttwooftheQing
emperors.ThentheQingEmperorYongZhengmovedhisresidencetothePalaceofMentalCultivationand
turneditintoanaudiencehalltoreceiveforeignenvoysandhandledthestateaffairs.Thepromotionanddemotion
ofofficialswerealsodecidedinthishall.Aftertheemperor'sdeathhiscoffinwasplacedherefora49-dayperiod
ofmourning.ThePalaceofUnionwastheempress'sthroneroomandtheHallofEarthlyTranquility,onceaprivateliving
roomfortheempress,waspartitioned.Thewestchamberservedreligiouspurposesandtheeastonewasthebridal
chamberwherethenewlymarriedemperorandempressspenttheirfirsttwonightsaftertheirwedding.TheImperialGardenwaslaidoutduringtheearlyMingdynasty.Hundredsofpinesandcypressesoffer
shadewhilevariousflowersgivecolorstothegardenallyearroundandfilltheairwiththeirfragrance.Inhe
centerofthegardenistheHallofImperialPeace,aDaoisttemple,withaflatroofslightlyslopingdowntothe
foureaves.ThistypeofroofwasrareinancientChinesearchitecture.Inhenortheasterncornerofthegardenisa
rockhill,knownastheHillofthePiled-upWonders,whichistoppedwithapavilion.Atthefootofthehillare
twofountainswhichjettwocolumnsofwaterhighintotheair.Itissaidthatontheninthnightoftheninthmonth