北京故宮博物館中英導(dǎo)游詞

1、精選優(yōu)質(zhì)文檔-傾情為你奉上北京故宮博物館導(dǎo)游詞 （故宮午門前） 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，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(tǒng)治中國長達(dá)五個世紀(jì)之久。帝王之家，自然規(guī)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(guī)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(xiàn)了我國古代建筑藝術(shù)的優(yōu)秀傳統(tǒng)和獨(dú)特風(fēng)格，所以在建筑史上具有十分重要的地位，是建筑藝術(shù)的經(jīng)典之作，1987年已被聯(lián)

2、合國教科文組織評定為世界文化遺產(chǎn)。 故宮又稱紫禁城，究其由來，是由天文學(xué)說和民間傳說相互交融而形成的。中國古代天文學(xué)家將天上所有的星宿分為三垣、二十八宿、三十一天區(qū)。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(rèn)為紫外線微垣是天帝之座，故被稱為紫宮?；实凼翘斓壑印⑷碎g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(xiàn)其位居中央，環(huán)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(guān)，關(guān)令尹喜見有紫氣從東來，知道將有圣人過關(guān)。果然老子騎了青牛前來，喜便請他寫下了道德經(jīng)。后人因此以“紫氣東來”表示祥瑞。帝王之家當(dāng)然希望出

3、祥瑞天象，那么用“紫”字來命名也就順理成章了?！敖弊值囊馑季捅容^明顯了，那就是皇宮禁地，戒備森嚴(yán)，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(yán)，神圣不可侵犯??！ 紫禁城建在北京，是有其歷史的，也因?yàn)檫@里是一塊風(fēng)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(jù)道家陰陽五行學(xué)說認(rèn)為，五行包括金，木，水，火，土，其中土占中央方位，因?yàn)槿A夏民族世代生息在黃土高原上，所以對黃色就產(chǎn)生了一種崇仰和

4、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(diào)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(hù)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(jié)構(gòu)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(shè)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

5、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(nèi)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(chǎn)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(dāng)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(nóng)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(jié)日，都要在這里陳設(shè)鹵簿，儀仗。此外，

6、國家凡有征戰(zhàn)凱旋時，皇帝在午門接受獻(xiàn)俘典禮，如果皇帝親征也從午門出駕。 關(guān)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(shí)際上是明代朝廷命官犯罪，有的在午門廷杖，當(dāng)然嚴(yán)重的可能也有被當(dāng)場打死的。 （進(jìn)午門后金水橋前） 現(xiàn)在我們已經(jīng)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(guī)模如此宏大的建筑群，不但沒有紛雜現(xiàn)象，反而給人以結(jié)構(gòu)嚴(yán)謹(jǐn)，色彩輝煌和布局規(guī)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(jī)地結(jié)為一體，北從鐘樓，南至永定門，總長度約8公里，皇家禁區(qū)

7、苑內(nèi)的部分約占三分之一。宮內(nèi)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(shè)計(jì)和布局都表現(xiàn)了封建君主的“尊嚴(yán)”和對封建等級制度的森嚴(yán)。 故宮分外朝內(nèi)廷?，F(xiàn)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(yán)，兇悍，成了門前橋頭的守衛(wèi)者，象征著權(quán)力與尊嚴(yán)?；实圪F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(quán)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(nèi)廷”兩

8、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(cè)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(nèi)最高大、最壯麗的古代木結(jié)構(gòu)建筑。乾清門以內(nèi)為“內(nèi)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(wù)的地方。兩側(cè)的東、西六宮是嬪妃的住所，東、西一所是皇子的住所。“內(nèi)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(nèi)金水河沿“內(nèi)廷”

9、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(yán)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(dú)具特色。比如殿基的處理，殿頂?shù)男问?，吻獸和垂脊獸的數(shù)目，彩繪圖案的規(guī)制等等。這樣，不僅使主要建筑更顯得高大，壯觀，而且還表現(xiàn)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(shù)，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(shí)際上紫禁城有房9000余間，所謂的這半間是根本不存在的。文

10、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(jīng)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(nèi)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(jīng)歷了三次火災(zāi)和一次兵燹的毀壞，現(xiàn)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(jù)說可以辟邪，而

11、且數(shù)量越多，表明建筑越重要。太和殿上有9個，9是陽之極數(shù)，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(dá)3萬平方米。整個廣場無一草一木，空曠寧靜，給人以森嚴(yán)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(jìn)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(jié)冰。為什么要建這么大的廣場呢·那是是

12、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(lán)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(nèi)的琺瑯仙鶴盤上點(diǎn)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(cè)香煙繚繞，全場鴉雀無聲?；实鄣巧蠈氉鶗r，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(quán)威與尊嚴(yán)。 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(dāng)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(rèn)為此話不吉祥，說來也

13、巧，3年后清朝果真就滅亡了，從而結(jié)束了我國2000多年的封建統(tǒng)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(cè)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(dāng)時量的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)器，表示皇帝公平處事，誰半斤,誰八兩，心中自然有數(shù)。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(zhǔn)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(jìn)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

14、棟，豪華富麗。殿內(nèi)中央設(shè)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(nèi)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(hù)駕身旁。 太和殿也叫金鑾殿，為什么這么叫呢？因殿內(nèi)為金磚墁地而得名。金磚墁地平整如鏡，光滑細(xì)膩，像是灑了一層水，發(fā)著幽暗的光。那么金磚真的含金嗎？其實(shí)這是一種用特殊方法燒制的磚，工藝考究，復(fù)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(dāng)于一石大米的價錢，可見金磚雖不含金，但也確實(shí)貴重

15、。 殿內(nèi)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(shè)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?yàn)殂~胎中空，外涂水銀），此球叫軒轅鏡，傳說是遠(yuǎn)古時代軒轅黃帝制造的，懸球與藻井蟠龍聯(lián)在起，構(gòu)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(tǒng)繼承者。它使殿堂富麗堂皇，雍容華貴。鏡下正好對著寶座，據(jù)說是袁世凱怕大球掉下來把他砸死，故將寶座向后挪到現(xiàn)在的位置。關(guān)于龍椅，這里面有段故事。1916年（民國五年）袁世凱登

16、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(shè)計(jì)的帝國徽號。據(jù)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(jù)過去的一張照片，在破家具庫找到了一把破椅，經(jīng)專家鑒定，這椅子就是皇帝寶座，后經(jīng)修復(fù)展出。 （帶客人至太和殿東或西側(cè)銅缸處） 古人把陳設(shè)在殿堂皇屋宇前的大缸，稱為“門海”，門海者，蓋“門前大?！敝?，古人相信，門前有大海，就不怕鬧火災(zāi)。因此，大缸又稱為吉祥缸。它既是陳設(shè)品，又是消防器材。在科學(xué)不民達(dá)的古代，宮中沒有自來水，更沒有消防器材。因此，缸內(nèi)必須長年儲滿水以備不虞。 清代時，共有308口大缸，按其質(zhì)量分類三種，即鎏金銅缸、燒古銅缸和鐵缸，其中最珍貴的是

17、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(yùn)。侵略者是誰？是英、美、德、法、俄、日、意、奧八國聯(lián)軍。為了鎮(zhèn)壓中國人民反帝的義和團(tuán)運(yùn)動，1900年的8月13日至8月15日，八國聯(lián)軍攻陷北京，進(jìn)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(qū)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(tǒng)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?；实叟e行大典前，先到此暫坐休息，會見一些官員?；实廴ヌ?、地

18、、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(nóng)具、祝文。這里現(xiàn)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?yàn)楸本┦撬鐾鯛敃r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?dú)㈩^的！”管工大臣領(lǐng)了皇帝

19、的諭旨后，心里非常發(fā)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?dú)⑽业念^，可是在沒殺我的頭之前，我就先把你們的頭砍了，所以當(dāng)心你們的腦袋?！惫ゎ^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(zhuǎn)眼就是一個月了，工頭和木匠們還沒想出一點(diǎn)頭緒、一點(diǎn)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

20、一位木匠師傅，實(shí)在呆不住了，就上大街閑遛去了。 走著走著，聽見老遠(yuǎn)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(xì)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，

21、就覺得這籠子有點(diǎn)特別。他急忙擺著手說：“你們先別吵吵嚷嚷的，讓我數(shù)數(shù)再說。“他把蟈蟈籠子的梁啊、柱啊、脊呀細(xì)細(xì)地?cái)?shù)了一遍又一遍，大伙被他這一數(shù)，也吸引得留了神，靜靜地直著眼睛看著，一點(diǎn)聲音也沒有。 木匠數(shù)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(shù)數(shù)，那個也接過籠子數(shù)數(shù)，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(fā)，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(xiàn)在還存在的角摟。 Hello, everyone,We are now going to pay a visit to a place of

22、special interest. This scenic spot is located at the center of Beijing and is characterized by thousands of palatial architectures and purple walls as well as yellow glazed tile roofs- it is simply a sea of palaces. This is the world famous wonder the Palace Museum.The Palace Museum has served as th

23、e royal residence during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was here that a total of 24 monarchs ascended the throne and wielded power for some 500 years. The Palace Museum, as the most beautiful spot of interest throughout Beijing, is unique for its location: to the northwest is Beihai(North Sea) Park

24、, famous for its white pagoda and rippling lake; to the west is the Zhongnahai (central and south sea); to the east lies the the Wangfujing Shopping Street; and to the north id Jinshan Park. Standing in the Wanchun (Everlasting Spring) Pavilion at the top of Jingshan(Charcoal Hill) Park, you overloo

25、k the skyline of the palace Museum. At the southern end of the palace is Tian anmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) and the famous square named after it . This is the symbol of the People s Republic of China.A world-famous historical site, the Palace Museum is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO and is an

26、 embodiment of oriental civilization.The Palace Museum is rectangular in shape, 960 meters long from north to south and 750 meters wide from east to west, covering a space of 720,000 square meters of which 150,000 is building area . It has 9000-strong rooms in it . According to legend there are 9999

27、.5 room-units in all .The whole compound is enclosed by a 10-meter-hign wall and is accessed through four entrances, namely, the meridian Gate in the south ,the Gate of Military Prowess in the north, Donghua(Eastern Flowery ) Gate in the north, Donghua ( Eastern Flowery) Gate in the east and Xihua(W

28、estern Flowery ) Gate in the west. On each corner there is a turret consisted of 9 roof beams, 18 pillars and 72 ridge . Encircling the compound there is a 3,800-meter-long and 52 meter-wide moat, making the Palace Museum a self-defensive city-within-a city.The Palace Museum was made a center of rul

29、e during the Ming Dynasty by Zhun Di, The fourth son of the founding emperor Zhuyuanzhang. The whole complex straddles on an 8-kilometers-long central axis that stretches from Yongding (Forever Stable) Gate in the south to Gulou (Drum Tower) in the north. Prominence was given to the royal power by p

30、utting the “three main front halls” and “three back halls ”on the axis while arrange other subsidiary structure around them .The construction of the Palace Museum involved manpower and resources across China. For example, the bricks laid in the halls ,known as “gold brick, ” underwent complex, two d

31、ozen processes. As the final touch ,the fired bricks were dipped in Chinese wood oil. Involving complicated processes and high cost, these brick are called “golden bricks.” The Palace Museum serves as a living embodiment of good tradition and styles unique to China s ancient architecture. It reflect

32、s to the full the ingenuity and creativity of the Chinese working people. A carefully preserved and complete group of royal residences, the Palace Museum is a prominent historical and tourist site.What we are now approaching is the main entrance to the Palace Museum-the Meridian Gate, which is chara

33、cterized by red walls, yellow glazed tile roofs and upturned eaves. On top of this walls, yellow glazed-tile roofs and upturned eaves. On top of this magnificent building ,there stand five lofty halls with a main hall in the center. The main hall is roofed by multiple eaves and covers a space of 9 r

34、oom-units. It is flanked by two wings on each side .The wings are square in shape ,complete with multiple and four edged eaves and pinnacles. All of these structures are connected by a colonnade. Because these halls resemble a soaring bird, it was also know as wufenglou (Five-phoenix Tower) . Inside

35、 the main hall there is a throne. Drums and bells were stored in the wings. Whenever the emperor presided over grand ceremonies or observed rites in the Hall of Upreme Harmony, drums, bells and gongs would be struck to mark the occasion.As the legend goes, the Meridian Gate used to be a place where

36、condemned ranking officials would be executed. This not true. However, flogging was carried out here by the Ming emperors ,If a courtier falls afoul of the emperor, he would be stripped of his court dress and flogging with a stick .At one point the punishment became so harsh that a total of 11 peopl

37、e died from fatal wound on a single occasion .On the other hand, this building was also used to observe important occasions like the traditional Chinese Lantern Festival (15th day of the first lunar month). On these occasions, Chinese lanterns would be hanged and sumptuous banquets would be given in

38、 honour of the whole court of ministers and other ranking officials.Upon entering the Meridian Gate we began our tour of the Palace Museum. The river foowing in front of us is known as Jin Shui He (Golden Water River) and the five marbles bridges spanning it are known as the Inner Golden Water Bridg

39、es. The on in the middle was used exclusive by the emperor and its banisters were carved with dragon and phoenix designs. The bridges flanking the imperial one were reserved for princes and other royal members. The rest were used by palatines. Aside from decoration, the golden Water River was also d

40、ug as precaution against fire. Most of the structures within the palace Museum are made of wood. What is more ,according to ancient Chinese cosmology, the South is the abode of fire, so this brook was dug on the southern tip of the Palace. In this way, the Palace Museum reflects traditional Chinese

41、culture.This building is called the Gate of Supreme Harmony .In the foreground stand two bronze lions. Can anybody tell which is male and which is female? The one on the east playing with a ball is male, symbolizing power and universal unity. The other on the west with a cub cuddling underneath its

42、claw is female? The one on the east playing with a ball is male, symbolizing power and universal unity. The other on the west with a cub cuddling underneath its claw is female, representing prosperity the endless succession. A layout of the Palace Museum is posted by the entrance . From it ,you can

43、see that the Palace Museum has two main parts: the forecourt and the inner court. The three main halls constitute the mainstay of the forecourt, and it was here that the emperor announced decisions and observed rites. Behind the forecourt there is the inner court, consisting of major halls and the I

44、mperial Garden .It was where the emperor attended state affairs, lived and enjoyed his luxurious life. The exhibition system of the Palace Museum involves historical court relics and articles of ancient art and culture. The Palace Museum houses nearly one million articles of rare treasure, or one si

45、xth of the total number in all of China s museums. There are the three main halls of the Palace museum, built on a triple marble terrace . Since most of China s architecture is made of wood, the buildings cannot be too tall. To gain the height of the architecture, ingenious ancient artisans built th

46、e hall on a gigantic stone terrace .It is also to this end that not a single plant was grown in the square. On stairways of triple marble terrace there are 18 bronze tripods .The verandah is flanked by bronze tortoises and cranes, which served as symbols of longevity .On the east is a sundial, an an

47、cient timepiece. On the west there is a grain measure suggesting that the emperor was just and equitable.In the front and on each flank ,there is a pair of gilt bronze vats (caldrons ) molded during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty .Each of these weights 2 tons and is filled with wa

48、ter as a precaution in the event of a fire .The structure in the very middle is the Hall of Supreme Harmony ,also known as the throne hall. It is 64 meters in width and is 38 meters from entrance to rear. With terrace exclusive ,the hall is 26.92 meters in height and is 35.03 meters in all .Covering

49、 and areaof 2,377 square meters, the Hall of Supreme Harmony is China s largest exiting wooden structure. The hall is supported by 6 thick ,round pillars carved in a design of coiling dragons. As the holiest place in the hall, the ceiling and colored patterns were made of the finest material availab

50、le at that time. The throne was placed on a terrace and is flanked by statues of elephants, Luduan (a unicorn which could travel 18,000 kilometers a day and understand all languages), cranes and incense barrels .Over the throne there is the caisson ,or covered ceiling ,which consists of a coiling dr

51、agon playing with a ball in its mouth .This ball is known as Xuanyuan Mirror ,and was supposedly made by a Chinese emperor of remote times to serve as a reminder that thee rulers to follow were his hereditary heirs. The throne is made of nanmu and painted in gold .Magnificently built and luxuriously

52、 decorated ,this hall did not serve as a place in which the emperor attended to daily affairs. He used his hall for major events such as his birthday, conferral of title of empress or dispatch of generals to war.Behind the Hall of Supreme Harmony ,there sits the Hall of Complete Harmony. This struct

53、ure is square in shape .Each side is 24.15 meters. This was the place where the emperor relaxed and greeted his courtiers before proceeding to the hall of supreme Harmony to observe rites. This was also the place where the emperor prepared prayers or examined seeds and sowers before he attended ance

54、stral sacrifices or participated in snowing ceremonies. A grand ceremony was also held here once every 10 years for the emperor to genealogize the royal blood. There are two sedan chairs on display in the hall. Behind the Hall of Complete Harmony ,you will see the Hall of Preserving Harmony, which w

55、as used as a place where imperial examinations were held. The imperial examination was the hignest level of competing for meritorious appointment under the feudal system dating back to the Sui Dynasty. China s last imperial examination was held in 1904 during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing

56、 Dynasty. To the rear of hall there is a marble ramp carved with cloud and dragon designs, the largest of its kind in the whole country . It is 16.57 meters in length, 3.07 meters in width, 1.7 meters thick and weighs 250 tons. It was quarried in Fangshan County in suburban Beijing. To bring this gi

57、ant piece of stone to Beijing people poured water onto the road and applied rolling blocks during the process.We are now standing before the square of the Hall of Heaven Purity. It served as a divide separating the forecourt from the inner court .This building is known as the Gate of Heavenly Purity

58、. Emperor Qianlong held court here. Proceeding further north ,you can find three main rear halls ,i.e. the hall of heavenly purity. the Hall of union and peace and palace of earthly tranquility. The hall of heavenly purity if flanked on either side by two gates named after the sun and moon .Inside t

59、he enclosure there are 12 palaces and halls symbolizing constellations. All of the other buildings are centered around the Palace of Heavenly Purity , which was meant to suggest that the monarch s power was endowed by Heaven. The empress and concubines lived in the inner court.The hall of heavenly purity was where the emperor lived and attended to daily affairs. Later the emperor moved to live in the Palace of Mental cultivation. Looking up you can see a plaque bearing the Chine