The courtyard beyond covers a space of 10,000 square meters. There are no
trees on the square since in ancient China emperors considered themselves Son of
Heaven, born to reign over the country, so they should occupy the highest
position. Nothing was allowed to overwhelm the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the
highest building in the Forbidden City and trees were no exception.
The ground in the palace was laid in a very special way -- seven layers
lengthwise and eight layers crosswise, totaling fifteen layers to protect
assassins from digging tunnels into the palace. And the bricks were specially
made to sound nice when walking on. The rooms on each side were said to serve as
warehouses for storing such items as fur, porcelain, silver, tea, silk, satin
and clothes.
Taihemen, north of the square, is the main gate of the Outer Court and fairly
grand. The gate is guarded by a couple of gilded bronze lions which were aimed
to show imperial dignity. The east one is male, with its front right paw put on
a ball, meaning imperial power extended worldwide. The lioness on the west puts
its front left paw on a lion cub, indicating prosperously growing family.
The gate is an important place where emperors' wedding ceremonies were
usually held.
Taihedian (Hall of Supreme Harmony)
Entering Taihemen, you will see Taihedian (Hall of Supreme Harmony) across
the spacious square, which covers a space of 30,000 square meters. Sitting on a
three-tier marble terrace, the grandest timber framework ever in China will
overwhelm anyone.
The hall was first built in 1406 and later repaired many times. As the heart
of the Forbidden City, the so-called Golden Carriage Palace, used to be the
place where emperors received high officials and practiced their rule over the
nation. Also grand ceremonies would be held to celebrate new emperor's ascending
to the throne, emperors' birthdays and wedding ceremonies and other important
occasions such as Winter Solstice, the Chinese New Year and dispatching generals
into war fields.
Along the three-tier terrace stairs, there are 18 bronze Dings, a kind of
ancient Chinese vessel, to represent 18 provinces of the nation then. On the
terrace, which was luxuriously balustraded, a bronze crane and a bronze tortoise
can be seen. They were put there to expect everlasting rule and longevity. The
marble Rigui, an ancient timer in the east and the Jialiang, an ancient
measuring vessel in the west were put there to show that emperors were just and
fair. In front of the hall, there are a couple of gilded bronze vats, which were
used to hold water in case of fire.