The Forbidden City Essay

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The Forbidden City, built in 1406 during the Ming and Qing dynasties in Beijing, was the seat of imperial power in china at the time, during which it was inhabited the emperors of each respective dynasty. During this time it was the center of political matters and was a symbol of the strength of the empire. The common folk were forbidden entrance almost completely from the home of the emperors, hence the name “the Forbidden City”, further showing the strength of the emperor. In fact the name “the Forbidden City” is a translation of the Chinese name Zijin Cheng, which literally means “Purple Forbidden City”(Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang).
Construction of the Forbidden City began in 1406, the construction being ordered by the Yongle emperor Zhu Di (Forbidden City Palace Museum). The construction lasted for 15 years, and required the work of over a million laborers and slaves. (History of the Forbidden City) The result …show more content…

Rather than the names that usually included “supremacy” or “extremity” that the Ming favored so greatly, the Qing liked names that meant things like “peace” and “harmony”. For example, the building named the “Hall of Imperial Supremacy” was changed to the “Hall of Supreme Harmony”. The signs and nameplates were translated into both Chinese and Manchu as well (History of the Forbidden City).
The palace ceased being the home of the emperors when emperor Puyi was abdicated in 1912. The palace, as well as Beijing, was taken over in 1924 by Feng Yuxiang. In 1949 there was much debate among the Chinese as to whether to destroy or to restore the Forbidden City. In this time artifacts were dismantled, name tablets were taken, and other such minor damage was caused to the city (History of the Forbidden City). In 1987 the City was declared a world heritage site due to its role in Chinese culture (Forbidden

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