Behind the Palace of Earthly Tranquility and trading the north-south axis is the imperial Garden. There are old trees, rare flowers and exotic rock formation in this garden. It cover a space of 11,700 square meters, or roughly 1. 7 percent of the Forbidden City. Most of the structures in the garden are symmetrically arranged. However, each is different in terms of pattern and decoration. Woods clumps of bamboo screen off the garden and strengthens its deep and serene atmosphere.
There main structure of the Imperial Garden is the Qin'an Hall. Positioned in the central-northern part of the garden, this hall is flanked by other halls and pavilions on the east and west. The hall sits on a marble pedestal. The Taoist deity of Zhenwu is enshrined here and emperor would pay homage here a quarterly basis. Taoist rites were held during the reign of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty. In front of the hall there is a cypress that is 400 years old. In all there are a dozen such rare trees in the garden, and most of them are cypresses or pines. To the northwest of the hall, there is the Yanhui (Sustaining Sunshine) Pavilion and to the northeast there lies the Duixiu (Accumulated Refinement) Hill. This Hill was built over the foundation of the Guanhua (Admiring Flowers) Hall of the Ming Dynasty. It is 14 meters in height and made of al kinds of rocks quarried in Jiangsu province. At its base stand two stone lions, each carrying a dragon shooting water 10 meters up into the air from its mouth. There are meandering paths leading to the hilltop. At the top of Duixiu Hill sits the Yujing (Imperial Viewing) Pavilion. Traditionally, On the day of the Double Ninth Festival (the ninth day of the ninth lunar month), the emperor, his consort, and his concubines would climb up to Yujing Pavilion to enjoy the scenery. At the southeastern corner of the Garden is Jiangxue (Crimson Snowy) Verandah. Nearby to the southwest lies Yangxing Study (study of the cultivation of nature). The yangxing study was used as a royal library during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. The last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi once studied English there. In front of the Jiangxue Verandah some Chinese flowering crabapples grow. The structure got its name from the crabapples who blossoms from crimson to snowy white. In front of the Verandah, there grows a rare flower that was brought from henna Province under the order of Empress dowager Cixi. In the northeast is Chizao Tang (Hall of Using Flowery Language), once used as a library where rare books were stored.There are also specific pavilions symbolizing the four seasons. The halls of Wanchun and Qianqiu, representing spring and autumn respectively, are square in shape and are coupled with multiple eaves and bell-shape and are coupled with multiple eaves and bell-shaped ridges. The halls of Chengrui and Fubi, dedicated to winter and summer, are characterized by two verandahs and bridges at their bases. Paths were paved with colorful pebbles and arranged in 900 different designs.
The Imperial Garden can be accessed through the Qiong yuan (Jade Garden ) West gate or the qiong yuan east gate. A third gate, the shunzhen (Obedience and Fidelity) Gate, opens to the north. Its doors are laid in glazed tiles and it was only used by the empress or concubines.
As our tour of the Forbidden City draws to a close, I hope that I have helped you understand why the Palace is a treasure of China and one of the cultural relics of the world. It is under the strict protection of the Chinese government. Since 1949 when the people's Republic of China was founded, nearly one trillion RMB was spent on its restoration and refurbishment. The Forbidden City has undergone four major facelifts to date. Each year, the government earmarks a large sum to gather, sort and study cultural relics. The Palace now contains a total of 930,000 cultural relics. Well, so much for today. Let's go to board the coach. Thank you!
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