Last Emperor Pu Yi
The Forbidden City was for a long time, a place of intrigue and mystery. Entering it without permission would mean death. It was a place where the Emperor was a god. On 3 December 1908, the last Emperor came to rule over 300 million subjects. Pu Yi was only two years old, and his authority had been absolute.
Pu Yi would rule as the Xuantong Emperor until 12 February 1912 and then briefly again from for 12 days in July 1917. After 500 years, visitors were allowed back into the Forbidden City.
Opposite the Hall of Supreme Harmony
Today the mysteries and rumours still prevail. What happened amongst these walls? Where did all the riches go? Was the last living family cursed?
The Palace was the centre of the world/cosmos for all Chinese citizens and its Emperors divine beings. The focal point is the 'Hall of Supreme Harmony' from here the Emperor would submit his commandments for the nation. Next to the hall was the Jing Long Garden where the Emperor would relax and entertain guests.
The Forbidden City is the largest Palace complex in the world. Dispute reigns until today about the conception of the Palace. According to history, it was a 14C Buddhist Monk, who had dreamt of a grand palace. Yung Lo, also known as the Black Dragon, an ambitious prince, seized power and then started to work on building the Palace. Perhaps the reason for this may have been to try to cement his power by moving the capital city from Nanjing to Beijing.
Construction began in 1404 with 500,000 construction workers. It took fifteen years building the Palace. One hundred million bricks went into its creation! Materials and equipment were brought from all corners of the kingdom. By 1424 the Forbidden City was almost complete. However, ironically, the Black Dragon would never enter the Palace after dying on a military expedition to Mongolia the year before.
The architecture is a representation of Feng-shui. It essentially embodies the architecture with spiritual harmony. The majority of Beijing is quite flat, so the architects built 'Prospect Hill' at the back of the Palace, which would not allow 'Chi' to escape. Today people in China buy homes with the guide of a Feng-shui expert who can tell whether the house will have the presence of 'Chi' a mystical force.
It rained quite a bit during my visit!
Up to 3000 Eunuchs were employed by the Emperor to carry out duties in the Palace. They would go on to become some of the wealthiest individuals in the kingdom. In 1923 a fire of unknown origin blazed through the imperial storehouses. Gold statutes, handcrafted furnishings, silk robes worn by the Emperors all went missing. Evidence points to the Eunuchs starting the fire as a cover for their private stealing of state jewels. Today, some of these treasures can be found in Japan, North America, Europe while some may even have sunk to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Historians still don't know what the value of the treasures was lost.
Prospect Hill, guarding the ‘Chi’ or ‘Energy Force’
Looking at the top of Prospect Hill
So how did it all end? In 1644 the Ming Dynasty came to an end as the impoverished masses rose against the decadence of the ruling Emperor. The Chang dynasty came into power. The curse was said to have been uttered by a Manchurian prince. In the final moments of his fiery death, he said that a woman from his land would bring an end to the Chang Dynasty. For over two hundred years the emperors would not take any concubines from the Yehe tribe until 1853.
A 17-year-old Yehe girl, Cixi would go on to give birth to the Emperor's only son three years later. Her power was now cemented and became the official empress. She would command her power through child rulers over the next five decades. Her excessiveness and greed are reasons suggested by historians for the final demise of the imperial household. On her deathbed, she chose her two-year-old nephew Pu Yi so she could maintain her power. In 1912 the Chinese Empire came to an end. Perhaps the curse had finally come to fruition.
Empress Dowager Cixi
Last known picture of Pu Yi
Pu Yi would be forced to abdicate power at the age of seven but continued living the Palace until 1925. While exiled in Manchuria, he was forced to become the ruler again by the Japanese invasion. In 1945 he was captured by the Soviet Army and imprisoned in Siberia. After 15 years he was pardoned and returned to China. He would go on to be a gardener before passing away in 1967.
After almost a hundred years of neglect, the government started working on the restoration of the Palace. The Qinglong Gardens were first restored in 2004. Then renovations of the first, second, and third courtyards to be finished this year in time for the 600th anniversary of the Forbidden City.