The forbidden City,Beijing - an ancient palace whose name evoke awe and intrigue. It's the biggest palace complex in the world consisting almost 10,000 rooms. So big that it is a city unto itself, built for one man - the emperor of China.
For 500 years it was the seat of the most powerful man on earth who had absolute power over life and death.
Until the 20th century, the Forbidden City was one of the most secret places on earth. The inner precincts were out of bounds to all males except the emperor and his trusted eunuchs.
To trespass into the palace has but a single result - death. 
Today, while it attracts 8 millions visitorss a year,only a small part of it is open to the public. But on the eve of the 600th anniversary of its construction, all the doors as open to National Geographic Channel's cameras. As it approaches its 600th birthday an ambitious restoration project turns back the clock and returns the palace to its former glory. The renovation unravels old misteries and uncovers new ones.
Construction of the Forbidden City started in 1407 and it took 14 years to build the huge palace. It's the biggest palace complect on the planet. For 500 years it was the heart of the Chinese Empire, the seat of its goverment and the home of its emperor.
In the 17th century, the Chinese emperor discovered western music. The emperor commanded foreigners who could play a musical instrument to perform for him. The musicians penetrated where ordinary Chinese could not. The high walls around the Forbidden City kept the ordinary people out but also kept the emperor shut in, isolated and unapproachable.
In 1601, a Jesuit priest, Matteo Ricci, brought the first mechanical clock into the forbidden City as a gift for the emperor. Ricci was a missionary and he wanted to use the emperor to spread Christianity. The emperor wasn't interested in meeting Ricci, but he was interested in Ricci's clock. In fact, later emperors become so obsessed with clocks that they even set up a clock-making department within the Forbidden City itself and its creations do more than just tell time.
The largest clock in the collection is a mechanical marvel that is more than two metre tall. Called "Clock with a Writing Man", it's just one of the millions treasures in the palace collections. Today tourists come from around the world to admire the treasures of the forbidden city.
The Forbidden City is the best preserved imperial palace in China and the largest ancient palatial structure in the world. An egotistical emperor built the palace to create awe and almost 600 years later it continues to awe. But now it draws visitors from around the world.
没有评论:
发表评论