The Banquet of Thousand Aged People(千叟宴)
The Banquet of thousand Aged people many be one of the most famous banquets in history. According to historical documents of the Qing Dynasty, the Banquet of Thousand Aged People was held for four times during the reign of Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong.
The first time was in 1713 when it was held by Qing Emperor Kangxi in Changchunyuan, one of the five gardens built at that time. Nearly 2,000 aged men, above 65, attended the banquet. The second time was also held by Emperor Kangxi in 1722, when more than 730 people who were over 65 years old went to the banquet in the Palace of Heavenly Purity of the forbidden City. Emperor Qianlong held the banquet a third time in 1785, and more than 3,000 old people who were over 60 years old attended the banquet, which was held in the Palace of Heavenly Purity of the Forbidden City.
The last time was in 1796, during Emperor Qianlong's reign, and it was the largest banquet of this kind and also the last banquet in the Hall of Imperial Supremacy(Huangjidian 皇极殿) of the Forbidden City. 3,056 old men took part in the banquet and all of them were above the age of 60, including members of the royal family, ministers of the former Dynasty, and old men from common people who were summoned to the capital. At the banquet, people gorged themselves with food and drinks. It's said that a lot of old men fainted, or passed out because of too much laughter, food or drink.
Zhen Fei Well(珍妃井)
There is a kraurotic well near Jingqige Pavilion called Zhenfei Well. Emperor Guangxu's imperial concubine Zhenfei died here.
In 1898, Emperor Guangxu pushed a reform; it is called 100-day reform because it lasted only about 100days. When it encroached the nobles' advantage, so Empress Dowager Cixi took action , and Emperor Guangxu was put under house arrest in Yingtai at the edge of Zhongnanhai Lake. Zhengfei was put under house arrest in a little yard near Jingqige pavilion. In 26th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign, the foreign armies began to attack Beijing. Cixi wanted to escapee with Guangxu. Before leaving, Cixi ordered eunuchs to drow Zhenfei in the well. This is the history of Zhenfei Well.
第五：故宫后廷内西路主要建筑及御花园(养心殿;储秀宫;御花园)
The Six Western Palaces are located on the west side of the three rear palaces. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, these palaces were the residential areas for the imperial concubines. In the six Western Palaces area today, tourists mainly visit the Hail of Mental Cultivation, the Palace of Eternal Spring(Changchungon)，the Palace of Assisting the Empress(Yikungong)and the Palace of Gathering Elegance(Chuxiugong)。
The Hall of Mental Cultivation is on the south side of the Six Western Palaces, located in the Inner Court and close to the Outer Court. After Emperor Yong Zheng of the Qing Dynasty moved his living quarters here, this palace had become the most important building besides the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City.
After the third Qing Emperor Yongzheng moved his residential area from the Palace of Heavenly Purity to here, the rest of the Qing emperors all resided here; then it became the place where the emperors conducted state affairs and held their private audiences.
On February 12th, 1912, Empress Dowager Longyu, the empress of Emperor Guangxu ,had to issue the imperial edict in declaring the abdication in the Hall of Mental Cultiences.
(1)The Central Hall(正殿)
The central hall is the main hall in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. It was the audience chamber where the read documents, gave audience to the high-ranking officials, summoned his ministers for consultation, and received important ministers. The emperor's throne is placed in the center of the hall. Behind the throne are bookshelves with a blue curtain on both sides. The books on the shelves were written by the previous emperors about their experiences and lessons in ruling the country so the newly enthroned emperor could learn lessons from them. An imperial desk is located in front of the throne with some incense burners in front of the imperial desk. Above the throne, a plaque is hung bearing the Chinese characters meaning “Just and Benevolent” in Emperor Yongzheng's handwriting. In the center of the coffered, is a sculpture of a dragon playing with a huge pearl.
(2)The Western Chamber(西暖阁)
The Western Chamber was partitioned into different rooms. A horizontal board with four Chinese characters “Qin Zheng Qin Xian”(diligent in handling state affairs and respectful to the talented)， in Emperor Yongzheng's handwriting, is hung on the wall in one of the Western Chambers. It was the place where the emperor read reports, signed documents, and discussed the important military and political affairs with his officials.
(3)The Room of Three Rare Treasures(三希堂)
There is another room in the Western Chamber specially named the “Room of Three Rare Treasures.” In 1746, Emperor Qinglong had a collection of three precious outstanding calligraphy masterpieces which he kept in this chamber. They were written by three famous calligraphy of the Jin Dynasty (265~420AD)， Wan Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi and Wang Xun(“Clear Sky after Snow” by Wang Xizhi,“ Mid Autumn ”by Wang Xianzhi and“ Bo Yuan ”by Wang Xun“。 Emperor Qianlong believed that they were rare treasures; hence the name the ”Room of Three Rare Treasures‘。 In this room people can see the royal seat next to a small reading and writing desk containing writing brushes and ink stones. Since the Western Chamber served as a place for the emperor to discuss the important military affairs with his military officials, a bock partition was built in front of the Western Chamber which served as a soundproof wood wall to prevent the secret talks between the emperor and his ministers from being overheard.
(4)The Eastern Chamber(东暖阁)
The Eastern Chamber is the chamber that has special historical significance. It was here that Empress Dowager Cixi gave audience behind the screen during the reigns of Emperor tongzhi(1862~1874)and Emperor Guangxu(1875-1908)。 So the well-known “Power Behind the Throne” or “Holding Court Behind the Curtain” was staged here by Empress Dowager Cixi since 1862.
The Palace of Gathering Elegance is where Empress Dowager Cixi once lived when she was an imperial concubine. It was here that she gave birth to a son who later came to the throne as the throne as the eighth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Tongzhi. The Palace of Gathering Elegance was restored several times during the Qing Dynasty. In 1884, they spent a great amount of silver to refurbish the hall to celebrate Empress Dowager Cixi's 50 th birthday celebration, Empress Dowager Cixi lived here for about ten years. Even today, we still can see an inscription of “Eulogy of Longevity” inscribed on the eastern wall written by two scholars to wish her a long life for the birthday celebration of Empress Dowager Cixi. The last hostess in this hall was empress Wan Rong, wife of the last emperor puyi.
The Imperial Garden is located on the north-south axis almost at the northern end of the Forbidden City. It is rectangular in shape; 90 meters long from north to south, 130 meters wide from east to west, and has an area of 12,000 square meters. The Imperial Garden contains more than 20 different types of building, pavilions, terraces, towers, rockeries, etc. This fully shows the colorful and rich atmosphere of the imperial palace. The pine trees and cypress trees are green and luxuriant; the flowers are in blossom, and intermittent rockeries and pavilions make a sharp contrast with the solemn atmosphere of the whole Imperial Palace.
(1)The Hall of Imperial Peace( Qinandian 钦安殿)
The Hall of Imperial Peace is the main building in the Imperial Garden and also the only religious building built along the central axis, which is located inside the Tian Ti Gate. It is a Taoist temple and inside the hall the statue of the King of Xuan Wu, made of gilded bronze, used to be enshrined. Xuan Wu was believed to be the God of Water who could prevent the palace buildings from catching fire. On the first day of each Chinese lunar year, the first and fifteenth day of every month in the lunar calendar, and at the beginning of spring, summer, autumn and winter every year, a table with a tablet of King of Xuan Wu was set up for the emperor to come here for offering sacrifices to the God of Water.
(2)The Twin Cypress Trees(连理柏)
The Twin Cypress Trees are two 400-year-old cypress trees in front of the Hall of Imperial Peace. Because these two trees, with their branches entwined, look like two lovers embracing they are called Twin Cypress Trees.
(3)The Big Incense Burner(铜香炉)
The big bronze incense burner is 4 meters high and has six smoke outlets in the shape of two dragons playing with a ball. It is the largest bronze incense burner in the Forbidden City.
(4)Four pavilions(四季亭)
The four pavilions are located on the left and right of the Hall of Imperial Peace, two on each side, representing the four seasons of the year. The two pavilions to the east of the Hall of Imperial Peace are: Pavilion of Floating Green (Fu Bi Ting) and Pavilion of 1,000 autumns (Qian Qiu Ting)。 Fubi and Chengrui Pavilion, on the northern part of the Imperial Garden, are square sized pavilions with a fishpond under them. It is a wonderful sight in summer when water lilies are in blossom with gold fish swimming among them. Qianqiu and Wanchun Pavilions are the structures with two layers of eaves, which are round shaped above and square blow for the ancient people believed that heaven was round while the earth was square.
(5)The pathway(甬路)
The pathway in the Imperial Garden was paved with tiny cobblestones. On the winding path, there are more than 900 multi-colored mosaic designs, such as scenes of water and mountains, historical figures, birds and flowers, folk stories, etc. The designs are rich and colorful covering a wide range of subjects such as: sword fighting between Guan Yunchang and Huang Zhong of the three Kingdoms, heron, goat, crane and deer enjoying spring time, the Summer Palace in spring time, as well as the henpecked husbands, etc.
(6)The Piled Elegance Hill(Duixiushan 堆秀山)
The piled Elegance Hill is near the north gate in the Imperial Garden. It is an artificial hill of Taihu rocks which came from Taihu Lake in Jiangsu province. The pavilion which stands on the rockery is called “Imperial View Pavilion”。 In the old days, on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the emperor would climb up to the Imperial View Pavilion with his empress and concubines to enjoy the scenic beauty both in and outside the imperial palace. The old saying in China goes that on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month people climbing up hills can escape any misfortune. That is why even today the Chinese people, especially the aged, still climb up the hills to celebrate the Double Ninth Festival every year in this way.
