AChinese palace is an imperial complex where the court, civil government, royal garden and defensive fortress resided. Its structures are considerable and elaborate. The Chinese characterGong (宮; meaning "palace") represents two connected rooms (呂) under a roof (宀). Originally the character applied to any residence or mansion, but it was used in reference to solely the imperial residence since theQin dynasty (3rd century BC).
A Chinese palace is composed of many buildings. It has large areas surrounded by walls and moats. It contains large halls (殿) for ceremonies and official business, as well as smaller buildings,temples, towers, residences, galleries, courtyards,gardens, and outbuildings.
Model of Xianyang Palace (1st millennium BCE); with architectural styles typical of pre-imperial China
Archaeological evidence shows that the Daming Palace platforms were painted in rose red as opposed to the deep red of the laterForbidden City.
Games taking place inNorthern Song palace gardens (c.10th century). These imperial 'backyards' often came with grand artificial lakes and man-made islands.Linde Hall of Daming Palace, used for recreational purposes and the entertainingforeign embassies.
Frescoes depicting Tang architecture from theMogao Cave.
Song palaces are known to be less grand than both its predecessors and successors, this was due to the relatively egalitarian zeitgeist and policies of the period (seeCulture of the Song dynasty).TheForbidden City as depicted in a Ming painting. Despite significant changes in architectural details, palaces' general layout remained somewhat constant.
Epang Palace (阿房宮 - probable meaning: "The Palace on the Hill"), 20 km/12 miles south of (Qin) Xianyang (咸陽), now 15 km/9 miles west ofXi'an (西安),Shaanxi province: the imperial palace built by the First Emperor in replacement of Xianyang Palace. Traditionally said to be burnt down byXiang Yu, but may not have been completed at the fall of theQin dynasty.
Weiyang Palace (未央宮 - "The Endless Palace"), in (Han)Chang'an (長安), now 7 km/4 miles northeast of downtownXi'an (西安),Shaanxi province: imperial palace of theWestern Han dynasty for two centuries. This is the largest palace ever built on Earth,[1] covering 4.8 km2 (1,200 acres), which is 6.7 times the size of theForbidden City, or 11 times the size of theVatican City. Used after theHan dynasty, rebuilt in theTang dynasty.
Taiji Palace (太極宮 - "Palace of theSupreme Ultimate"), also known as the Western Apartments (西内), in (Tang)Chang'an (長安), now downtownXi'an (西安),Shaanxi province: imperial palace during theSui dynasty (who called it Daxing Palace - 大興宮, "Palace of Great Prosperity") and in the beginning of theTang dynasty (until A.D. 663). Area: 4.2 km2 (1,040 acres), imperial section proper: 1.92 km2 (474 acres).
Daming Palace (大明宮 - "Palace of the Great Brightness"), also known as the Eastern Apartments (東内), in (Tang)Chang'an (長安), now downtownXi'an (西安),Shaanxi province: imperial palace of theTang dynasty after A.D. 663 (it was briefly named Penglai Palace (蓬萊宮) between 663 and 705), but the Taiji Palace remained in use for major state ceremonies such as coronations. Area: 3.11 km2 (768 acres), almost 4.5 times the size of theForbidden City.
Forbidden City (紫禁城), now known in China as the Beijing Gugong (北京故宫), inBeijing (北京): imperial palace of theMing dynasty andQing dynasty from 1420 until 1924. Area: 720,000 m2 (178 acres). The Forbidden City is the world's largest palace currently in existence.[2][3][4]
Apart from the main imperial palace,Chinese dynasties also had several other imperial palaces in the capital city where the empress, crown prince, or other members of the imperial family dwelled. There also existed palaces outside of the capital city called "away palaces" (離宮) where the emperors resided when traveling.
The habit also developed of building garden estates in the countryside surrounding the capital city, where the emperors retired at times to get away from the rigid etiquette of the imperial palace, or simply to escape from the summer heat inside their capital. This practice reached a zenith with theQing dynasty, whose emperors built the fabulous Imperial Gardens (御園), now known in China as theGardens of Perfect Brightness (圓明園), and better known in English as theOld Summer Palace. The emperors of the Qing dynasty resided and worked in the Imperial Gardens, 8 km/5 miles outside of the walls ofBeijing, the Forbidden City inside Beijing being used only for formal ceremonies.
These gardens were made up of three gardens: the Garden of Perfect Brightness proper, the Garden of Eternal Spring (長春園), and the Elegant Spring Garden (綺春園); they covered a huge area of 3.5 km2 (865 acres), almost 5 times the size of theForbidden City, and 8 times the size of theVatican City. comprising hundreds of halls, pavilions, temples, galleries, gardens, lakes, etc. Several famous landscapes of southern China had been reproduced in the Imperial Gardens, hundreds of invaluable Chinese art masterpieces and antiquities were stored in the halls, making the Imperial Gardens one of the largest museums in the world. Some unique copies of literary work and compilations were also stored inside the Imperial Gardens.
In 1860, during theSecond Opium War, theBritish andFrench expeditionary forces looted theOld Summer Palace. Then on October 18, 1860, in order to "punish" the imperial court, which had refused to allow Western embassies insideBeijing, the British generalLord Elgin- with protestations from the French - purposely ordered the torching of this massive complex which burned to the ground. It took 3500 British troops to set the entire place ablaze and took three whole days to burn. The burning of the Gardens of Perfect Brightness is still a very sensitive issue in China today.
Following this cultural catastrophe, the imperial court was forced to relocate to the old and austereForbidden City where it stayed until 1924, when theLast Emperor was expelled by a republican army.
Foxiang Ge (Tower of Buddhist Incense) at Wanshou Shan (Longevity Hill)
Aerial view of the Forbidden City (1900–1901).
Close-up on the left protruding wing of the Meridian Gate
Empress dowagerCixi (慈禧太后) built theSummer Palace or Yiheyuan (頤和園 - "The Garden of Nurtured Harmony") near theOld Summer Palace, but on a much smaller scale than the Old Summer Palace.[6]
^There are currently some projects in China to rebuild the Imperial Gardens, but this appears as a colossal undertaking, and no rebuilding has started.
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