-Largest and most complete Chinese architectural ensemble in existence -9,000 rooms -Walls were built 30 feet high to keep outside people out and those inside in. -Each corner of the rectangular plan has a tower representing one of the four corners of the world -The focus is on the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the throne room and seat of power; it is a wooden structure made with elaborately painted beams; meant for grand ceremonies -Yellow tile roofs and red-painted wooden beams placed on marble foundations unify the structures in the Forbidden City into an artistic whole; yellow is the emperor’s color
--Called forbidden in that no one could enter or leave the inner sanctuaries without official permission -The throne room was placed symbolically at the center -The emperor is associated with the dragon: sits on a dragon throne, wears dragon-themed robes -Animals and figures on the roof were placed to ward off the fire and evil spirits -The surrounding wall of the forbidden city is characteristic of an aspect of Chinese culture -Mandate of Heaven: heaven bestows a mandate on the emperor, who rules with a divine blessing as the Son of Heaven; as a result, his Forbidden City was a relation of heaven itself
-The emperor’s palace; the seat of Chinese power: the capital of the empire during the Ming and Qing dynasties -Originally built to consolidate the emperor’s power. -Ceremonies took place in the Hall of Supreme Harmony for the new year, the winter solstice, and the emperor’s birthday -The hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest building in the complex
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