Forbidden City of china

What strikes one first in a bird's -eye view of Beijing proper is a vast tract of golden roofs flashing brilliantly in the sun with purple walls occasionally emerging amid them and a stretch of luxuriant tree leaves flanking on each side. That is the former Imperial Palace, popularly known as the Forbidden City, from which twenty-four emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties ruled China for some 500 years——from1420 to 1911. The Ming Emperor Yong Le, who usurped the throne from his nephew and made Beijing the capital, ordered its construction, on which approximately 10,000 artists and a million workmen toiled for 14 years from 1406 to 1420. At present, the Palace is an elaborate museum that presents the largest and most complete ensemble of traditional architecture complex and more than 900,000 pieces of court treasures in all dynasties in China.

　Located in the center of Beijing, the entire palace area, rectangular in shape and 72 hectares in size, is surrounded by walls ten meters high and a moat 52 meters wide. At each corner of the wall stands a watchtower with a double-eave roof covered with yellow glazed tiles.

The main buildings, the six great halls, one following the other, are set facing south along the central north-south axis from the Meridian Gate, the south entrance, to Shenwumen, the great gate piercing in the north wall. On either side of the palace are many comparatively small buildings. Symmetrically in the northeastern section lie the six Eastern Palaces and in the northwestern section the six Western Palaces. The Palace area is divided into two parts: the Outer Court and the Inner Palace. The former consists of the first three main halls, where the emperor received his courtiers and conducted grand ceremonies, while the latter was the living quarters for the imperial residence. At the rear of the Inner Palace is the Imperial Garden where the emperor and his family sought recreation.

　　The main entrance to the Palace is the Meridian Gate(1), which was so named because the emperor considered himself the "Son of the Heaven" and the Palace the center of the universe, hence the north-south axis as the Meridian line going right through the Palace. The gate is crowned with five towers, commonly known as the Five-Phoenix Towers(2), which were installed with drums and bells. When the emperor went to the Temple of Heaven, bells were struck to mark this important occasion. When he went to the Ancestral Temple, it was the drums that were beaten to publicize the event.

Beyond the Meridian Gate unfolds a vast courtyard across which the Inner Golden Water River runs from east to west. The river is spanned by five bridges, which were supposed to be symbols of the five virtues preached by Confucius——benevolence, righteousness, rites, intelligence, and fidelity(3).

At the north end of the courtyard is a three-tiered white marble terrace, seven meters above the ground, on which, one after another, stand three majestic halls; the Hall of Supreme Harmony(4), the Hall of Complete Harmony(5), and the Hall of Preserving Harmony(6).

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, rectangular in shape, 27 meters in height, 2,300 square meters in area, is the grandest and most important hall in the Palace complex. It is also China's largest existing palace of wood structure and an outstanding example of brilliant color combinations. This hall used to be the throne hall for ceremonies which marked great occasions: the Winter Solstice, the Spring Festival, the emperor's birthday and enthronement, and the dispatch of generals to battles, etc. On such occasions there would be an imperial guard of honor standing in front of the Hall that extended all the way to the Meridian gate.

　On the north face of the hall in the center of four coiled-golden dragon columns is the "Golden Throne", which was carved out of sandalwood. The throne rests on a two-meter-high platform with a screen behind it. In front of it, to the left and right, stand ornamental cranes, incense burners and other ornaments. The dragon columns entwined with golden dragons measure one meter in diameter. The throne itself, the platform and the screen are all carved with dragon designs. High above the throne is a color-painted coffered ceiling which changes in shape from square to octagonal to circular as it ascends layer upon layer. The utmost central vault is carved with the gilded design of a dragon toying with pearls. when the Emperor mounted the throne, gold bells and jade chimes sounded from the gallery, and clouds of incense rose from the bronze cranes and tortoises and tripods outside the hall on the terrace. The aura of majesty created by the imposing architecture and solemn ritual were designed to keep the subjects of the "Son of the Heaven" in awe and reverence.

The Hall of Complete Harmony is smaller and square with windows on all sides. Here the emperor rehearsed for ceremonies. It is followed by the Hall of Preserving Harmony in which banquets and imperial examinations were held.

　Behind the Hall of Preserving Harmony lies a huge marble ramp with intertwining clouds and dragons carved in relief. The slab, about 6.5 meters long, 3 meters wide and 250 tons in weight, is placed between two flights of marble steps along which the emperor's sedan was carried up or down the terrace. It is the largest piece of stone carving in the Imperial Palace. Quarried in the mountains scores of kilometers southwest of Beijing, this gigantic stone was moved to the city by sliding it over a specially paved ice road in winter. To provide enough water to build the ice road, wells were sunk at very 500 meters along the way.

　The three halls of the Inner Palace are replicas of the three halls in the front, but smaller in size. They are the Palace of Heavenly Purity(7), the Hall of Union(8), and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility(9).

　The Palace of Heavenly Purity was once the residence of the Ming emperors and the first two of the Qing emperors. Then the Qing Emperor Yong Zheng moved his residence to the Palace of Mental Cultivation and turned it into an audience hall to receive foreign envoys and handled the state affairs. The promotion and demotion of officials were also decided in this hall. After the emperor's death his coffin was placed here for a 49-day period of mourning.

　The Palace of Union was the empress's throne room and the Hall of Earthly Tranquility, once a private living room for the empress, was partitioned. The west chamber served religious purposes and the east one was the bridal chamber where the newly married emperor and empress spent their first two nights after their wedding.

The Imperial Garden was laid out during the early Ming dynasty. Hundreds of pines and cypresses offer shade while various flowers give colors to the garden all year round and fill the air with their fragrance. In he center of the garden is the Hall of Imperial Peace, a Daoist temple, with a flat roof slightly sloping down to the four eaves. This type of roof was rare in ancient Chinese architecture. In he northeastern corner of the garden is a rock hill, known as the Hill of the Piled-up Wonders, which is topped with a pavilion. At the foot of the hill are two fountains which jet two columns of water high into the air. It is said that on the ninth night of the ninth month of the lunar calendar, the empress would mound the hill to enjoy the autumn scene. It is also believed that climbing to a high place on that day would keep people safe from contagious diseases.

　The six Western Palaces were residences for empresses and concubines. They are kept in their original way for show. The six Eastern Palaces were the residences for them too. But now they serve as special museums: the Museum of Bronze, the Museum of Porcelain and the Museum of Arts and Crafts of the Ming and Qing dynasties. In the northeastern-most section of the Inner Palace are the Museum of Traditional Chinese Paintings and the Museum of Jewelry and Treasures where rare pieces of imperial collections are on display.

　Now the Forbidden City is no longer forbidding, but inviting. A visit to the Palace Museum will enrich the visitors' knowledge of history, economy, politics, arts as well as architecture in ancient China.

　Notes:　1. the Meridian Gate 午门
2. the Five-Phoenix Towers 五凤楼
3. benevolence, righteousness, rites, intelligence, and fidelity 仁、义、礼、智、信
4. the Hall of Supreme Harmony 太和殿
　5. the Hall of Complete Harmony 中和
　6. the Hall of Preserving Harmony 保和殿
　7. the Palace of Heavenly Purity 乾清宫
　8. the Hall of Union 交泰殿
　9. the Palace of Earthly Tranquility 坤宁宫

chinese woodcut picture

Woodcut picture can be traced back to the Han Dynasty when they were used to ward off evils.

In the Song Dynasty (960 A.D.- 1279 A.D.), people used block printing to produce New Year picture. With block printing, many pictures could be produced at a time and put on sale in the market. Therefore woodcut picture began to prosper. The content changed also, from worshipping of nature and god to luck and happiness to stories from legends and folk customs. The pictures used animals to represent things. For example, bat was stand for luck and magpie represented happiness. Various drawings were adapted, such as folk drawing, traditional patterns, paintings by scholars and officials or even western drawing. In the Ming and Qing Dynasty, woodcut picture was quite

popular and several places became the centers of woodcut pictures, such as Tianjin, Suzhou and Shandong. In the late Qing Dynasty, woodcut pictures gradually declined with the introduction of lithographic printing from the west.

Chinese Operas, Dramas

Chinese opera together with Greece tragic-comedy and Indian Sanskrit Opera are the three oldest dramatic art forms in the world. During the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907), the Emperor Taizong established an opera school with the poetic name Liyuan (Pear Garden). From that time on, performers of Chinese opera were referred to as 'disciples of the pear garden'. Since the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368) Chinese opera has been encouraged by court officials and emperors and has become a traditional art form. During the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), Chinese opera became fashionable among ordinary people. Performances were watched in tearooms, restaurants, and even around makeshift stages.

Chinese opera evolved from folk songs, dances, talking, antimasque, and especially distinctive dialectical music. Gradually it combined music, art and literature into one performance on the stage. Accompanied by traditional musical instruments like the Erhu, the gong, and the lute, actors present unique melodies - which may sound strange to foreigners - as well as dialogues which are beautifully written and of high literary value. These dialogs also promoted the development of distinct literary styles, such as Zaju in the Yuan Dynasty. For Chinese, especially older folks, to listen to this kind of opera is a real pleasure.
What appeals to foreigners most might be the different styles of facial make-up, which is one of the highlights of Chinese opera and requires distinctive techniques of painting. Exaggerated designs are painted on each performer's face to symbolize a character's personality, role, and fate. This technique may have originated from ancient religions and dance. Audiences who are familiar with opera can know the story by observing the facial painting as well as the costumes. Generally, a red face represents loyalty and bravery; a black face, valor; yellow and white faces, duplicity; and golden and silver faces, mystery.

Besides color, lines also function as symbols. For example, a figure can be painted either all white on his face, or just around the nose. The larger the white area painted, the more viperous the role.
Another technique that fascinates people is the marvelous acrobatics. Players can make fire spray out of their mouths when they act as spirits, or can gallop while squatting to act as a dwarf. This reflects a saying among actors: 'One minute's performance on the stage takes ten years' practice behind the scenes.'
Over the past 800 years, Chinese opera has evolved into many different regional varieties based on local traits and accents. Today, there are over 300 dazzling regional opera styles. Kun opera, which originated around Jiangsu Province, is a typical ancient opera style and features gentleness and clearness. This enabled it to be ranked among the World Oral and Intangible Heritages. Qinqiang opera from Shaanxi, known for its loudness and wildness, and Yu opera, Yue opera, and Huangmei Opera are all very enjoyable. Beijing Opera , the best-known Chinese opera style, was formed from the mingling of these regional styles.

chinese embroidery

embroideryArt of decorating textiles with needle and thread. Among the basic techniques are cross-stitch,

crewel work, and quilting. The Persians and Greeks wore quilted garments as armor. The earliest surviving examples of embroidery are Scythian (c. 5th–3rd century BC). The most notable extant Chinese examples are the imperial silk robes of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12). Islamic embroideries (16th–17th century) show stylized geometric patterns based on animal and plant shapes. Northern European embroidery was

mostly ecclesiastical until the Renaissance. European skills and conventions prevailed in North America in the 17th–18th century. The Native Americans embroidered skins and bark with dyed porcupine quills; later the beads they acquired in trade took the place of quills. The indigenous peoples of Central America produced a kind of embroidery with feathers. The Bayeux Tapestry is the most famous surviving piece of needlework.

Chinese Painting

Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Though Chinese painting has much in common with western painting from an aesthetic point of view, it still possesses its unique character. Chinese traditional painting seldom follows

the convention of central focus perspective or realistic portrayal, but gives the painter freedom on artistic conception, structural composition and method of expression so as to better express his subjective feelings. Chinese painting has absorbed the best of many forms of art, like poetry, calligraphy, and seal engraving.Take Mr. Qi Baishi (1863-1957), a great painter for example. Mr. Qi was a skillful poet, calligrapher and seal-cutter. Qi, a native of Hunan Province, injected his ink painting with typical Chinese farmers' tastes -- simple, pure, and humorous. All this made him an artistic giant of the 20th Century.Chinese often consider a good painting a good poem, and vice versa. Hence we often say there is painting in poetry and poetry in painting. In the past, many great artists were also great poets and the calligraphers. The inscriptions and seal on the paintings not only can help us to understand the painter's ideas and emotions, but also provide decorative beauty to the painting.Pines, bamboo and plum blossoms are 'bosom friends in

winter.' The three plants are upright and show rectitude. They become favorite objects for Chinese painters. Chinese painting is a combination in the same picture of the arts of poetry, calligraphy, painting and seal engraving. They were indispensable elements, which supplement and enrich each other in contributing to the beauty of the whole picture.Chinese paintings can be divided into four categories according to its format: murals, screens, scrolls, and albums and fans. In addition, they are frequently mounted against exquisite backgrounds to enhance their aesthetic effect.In terms of technique, Chinese painting can be divided into two broad categories: paintings minutely executed in a realistic style and those that employ freehand brushwork.Classified according to subject matter, they can be divided into paintings of figures, landscapes, buildings, flowers, birds, animals, insects and fish. The brush techniques so much emphasized in Chinese painting include line and texture (cunfa), the dotting method (dianfa) and the application of color (ranfa).It is very difficult, if not impossible, to appreciate Chinese paintings without a profound knowledge about different styles characteristic of the different historical periods.During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), the culture flourished with the economic development. Painting was elegant in style, reflecting the general prosperity of the golden age of Chinese feudal society. The paintings of Song Dynasty (960-1279AD), however, favored abstract, implied meanings rather than direct expressions, painting skills matured considerably, and the realistic style was in full blossom. The Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD) witnessed the flourish of the expressionist school and many painters indulged in painting solely for personal pleasure. The painters of Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) took painting as a vehicle to express their interests and feelings. They painted with a vigorous boldness, caring little for meticulous refinement. Gradually, Chinese painting became artistically 'perfect' during the Qing Dynasty.However, 'perfection' sometimes causes stagnation or even retrogression in art creation. That was why vigorous Chinese painting almost became stereotyped for a long period in the 19th century.At the beginning of the 20th century, some painters from Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Beijing started to challenge the old tradition of Chinese painting by introducing new art concepts from the West and establishing art school to train artists. The joint efforts were paid off. Most of these pioneer painters later became the backbone of New China's Art after 1949. And some are still active even today.The ink painting has conducted certain reforms earlier this century, which may fall into two types. One reform was to get rid of the morbid psychology of self-admiration that some scholar painters in feudal China harbored, and establishes a healthy style. In this respect, Qi Baishi, whose name we mentioned previously, stood high above his contemporaries.Qi's favorite subjects included flowers, insects, birds, landscapes and human figures. He not only studied the skills of these forerunners such as Xu Wei, Zhu Da, Yuan Ji and Wu Changshuo but also carefully observed the objects that he sketched. Outwardly he seemed to be very casual, but the flowers and birds that blossomed and flew from his brush all possessed the kind of characteristics they should have. With fluent lines and bright colors, he created a world full of life and rhythm.The second type of reform was to accept Western art concepts and techniques and combine them with good tradition of Chinese painting. The pioneers tried to create a brand new national painting form on the basis of the existing form. One of the representatives in this bold experiment was Xu Beihong (1895-1953), who served in his lifetime as president of the Central Fine Arts Institute and chairman of the Chinese Artists Association.Xu was most famous for his painting of horses. With a solid foundation in Chinese painting, he borrowed the best techniques from Western painting. In his paintings of human figures or animals, he was most accurate in the depiction of both spirit and form. Xu's works demonstrated not only his strong personality and creative spirit but also his patriotism, his sympathy with the working class, and his deep hatred for all evils.Good paintings require good materials. The materials used in Chinese painting are writing brushes, ink sticks and slabs, and paper and silk, you can find all these materials in most of the souvenir shops.

Chinese Calligraphy

Easier - Calligraphy is the art of making beautiful or elegant handwriting. It is a fine art of skilled penmanship.

Harder - The word calligraphy literally means beautiful writing. Before the invention of the printing press some 500 years ago, it was the way books were made. Each copy was handwritten out by a scribe working in a scriptorium. The hand writing was done with quill and ink onto materials like vellum or parchment. The lettering style applied was one of the period bookhands like rustic, carolingian, blackletter, etc.

Today, there are three main types or styles of calligraphy: (1) Western or Roman, (2) Arabic, and (3) Chinese or Oriental. This project focuses mainly on Western calligraphy with a glimpse at the other two styles.

Jingdezhen porcelain

Jingdezhen porcelain is the pearl in the treasure house of Chinese art and culture. In its long and glorious history, a brilliant art and craft has been handed down and masters have been brought up in a number of dynasties. In the long time development, the artists and craftsmen in Jingdezhen brought their full talent into play and created numerous masterpieces. Thanks to their hard working, Jingdezhen porcelain has been formed its own four special features, that is, “White like jade, bright as a mirror, thin as paper, sound like a chime.” Different kinds of porcelain wares, showed in here, will help you to get acquainted with Jingdezhen’s “ the colorful famile-rose porcelain ”, “ the elegant blue and white porcelain ”, “ the delicate and transparent rice pattern porcelain ”, “ the exquisite egg-shell porcelain ”, “ the brilliant colored glaze porcelain ” and “ the vivid sculpture porcelain ”.

chinese kite

The Birth of"the Kite capital of the World to the kite organizations throughout the world and received a number of calls in support of the proposal.At the presidium meeting of the 5th Weifang International Kite festival on Apr.1st,1988,Mr.David Chocolate,the Chairman of the Seattle Kite Association who was well-known in the American kite circles ,read out The Proposal of Electing Weifang as the Kite Capital of the World in which he spoke highly of the long history and consummate skills of Weifang kites and the contributions the city had made for the worldwide development of kite as a sport and toutism program.The delegates from many countries unanimously agreed on the proposal and signed their names on it. Tht is how Weifang was elected the "the Kite Capital of the World". Kites made in Tianjin, Beijing and Weifang are more superior among many styles. Beijing is also famous for kite making. With large variety in shape, Beijing kites, which are made of paper or silk and painted totally by hand, have a good market reputation home and abroad. The most experienced craftsman in Beijing, named Fei Baolin, has developed several hundred kinds of kites in different shapes and sizes. The smallest is as small as the palm of your hand. Weifang in Shandong province also is famous for its kite making and flying customs. Each year, Weifang International Kite Festival is held in April, and kiteflying from all over the world will take part in and compete in the festivity

Paper cutting

Paper cutting can be seen in many parts of China during the Spring Festival. People paste patterns on the window, door lintel or desks for the festival atmosphere。

It's difficult to tell when it originated. One saying is that it originated from the religious ceremony or offering sacrifices. The ancient people cut papers into animals or people. They either buried them with the dead or burned them on the funerals, wishing that things that paper stand for could be with the dead. A thousand years ago, paper cut was used for decoration. According to historic books, women in the Tang Dynasty used paper cut as headdress. In the Song Dynasty, it was the decoration of the gifts. People pasted on windows or doors or used it as decorations on walls, mirrors or lanterns. Some people made a living by it.
Paper cutting is all made by hand. It is easy to learn the rudiments. Non-craftsmen need only a knife and paper. For craftsman, they need knives and gravers of various types to make complicated patterns. It can be one piece of paper or many pieces. Simple patterns can be cut with a knife. For complicated patterns, people first pasted the pattern on the paper and then used various kinds of knives to make it. No mistake can be made during the process otherwise the work would fail.
Paper cutting covers nearly all topics, from flowers, birds, animals, legendary people, figures in classic novels, to types of facial make-up in Peking opera. Paper cutting has various styles in different parts of China.

In the past, women living in the countryside gathered in their free time to make paper cutting, which is a way to judge their skillfulness. As society develops, fewer and fewer people learn this skill while there are some who still regard it as a profession. At present, there are factories and associations for paper cutting in China. Exhibitions and exchanges are held regularly and books of this kind are published. Paper cutting has changed from decoration to a kind of art. At the same time, paper cutting also appears in cartoons, on stage, in magazines or in TV series.

Chinese music

A:hi,i heard that you know a lot about chinese folk music,can you tell me something about it

B:ok.folk music in china has a long history,it happeded in four or five thousand years ago.some of the folk music is played on solo instruments or ensembles of plucked and bowed stringed instruments.

A:what are they

B:well,woodwind has dizi,sheng,paixiao,guan,bells,bowed stings has erhu,dahu,banhu,jinghu,plucked and stuck strings has guqin,yangqin,ruan,pipa,something like that

A:i see,tell me more

B:ok.in some places,a genre of traditonal ballads,they are sung by a woman accompanied by a xiao and a pipa and other traditional instruments.the music is generally sorrowful and mouring and typically deals with love_stricken women.silk and bamboo music from jiangnan is a style of instrumental music,often played by musicians in teahouses in shanghai.

A:oh yes,i remember it,i watched it in hangzhou.is that the same type

B:i think so.i like it a lot

A:thank you for telling me those about folk music.i would like ask more next time

B:anytime

Wuhou Temple of Sichuan China

China has a recorded history of some 3,600 years, beginning with the Shang Dynasty（16th——12th century BC）.The first stage is the primitive society. The history was much associated with the supposed pre-Xia Dynasty（21th-16th centuy BC）. The second major periob lasted from about 2,000 to 200 BC. The history dated the beginning of the slave society from the Xia Dynasty, which constituted the first Chinese state.
The third stage extended all the way from 221BC, when Qin Shihuang united China, to the Opium War of 1840. Historical docments name the third period as the Feusal Imperial Rule. The feudal society in China passed through a period of disunity beginning at the Three Kingdom Period, and ending in shoet-lived Sui Dynasty（581——618）, Western Jin（265——316）via Eastern Jin（317——439） and the Southern and Northern Dynasties（386——589）.

　　
The following story occurred in the three Kingdom Period. At the rnd of the Eastern Han Dynasty（25——220） a gtrat peasant revolt happened. Many local officials developed into warlords to assisty the Han Emperor in suppressing the rebellion. During this period the watlotds took the opportunity to build uyp their own political and military strengty and made themselves into autonomous regional warlords. Finally the warlords carved the Han Empire into three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu. The populous episodic novel,The Romance of the Three Kingdoms traces the rise and fall of the three kingdoms and vividly depicts the turbulent social conditions at that time. The rulers of the three independent kingdoms struggled for supremacy. Cao Cao and his son established the kingdom of Wei at Loyang. He was in actual control of only the North China homeland. Two rivals soon proclaimed emperors themselves elsewhere. The kingdom of Wu with its capital in Nanjing occupied dChangjiang Valley, The kingdom of Shu was created with its capital in Chengdu. Ti was in the control of Sichuan and parts ojf the highland of south China.

　　
Wuhou Temple is much associated with the kingdom of Shu. It is the place to commemorate Zhu Geliang, Prime Minister of the kingdom. Wuhou was a top official title conferred upon Zhu Geliang after his death. It is unfortunate that no historical documents have recorded the time of its establishment. However, Du Fu, a top Tang Dynasty poet wrote a poem of kwhich two lines say as below:"Where would I find the Prime Minister's shrine?Somewhere outside Jinguan, in a dense cypress glade."
　　This poem helps us infer that Zhu Geliang Temple was already in ezistence in the Tang Dynadty. During the Tang and Song Dynasties Zhu Geliang and Emperor Liu Bei had their independent temples in Chengdu, At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty the two temples merged into one. Towards the end of the Ming Dynasty the merged tempke was destroyed during war chaos. The present buildings date from the Qing Dynasty in 1672. The main entrance gate hangs a horizontal inscribed board. It says, "Han Zhaolie Temple".Han refers to the kingdom of Shui; zhaolie was Liu Bei's posthumous title. The board indicates that the whole temple was built in honor of Liu Bei. But why do all the people call it Zhu Geliang Tempke instead of Han Zhaolie Temple? It is due to Zhu Geliang's invaluable historical contribution, and his political and military strategies to the development of the kingdom. In the view of the local peopoe his prestige far gan to call it Zhu Grliang Temple regardless of the emperor's dignity and the temple's original name. Gtadually more and more people accepted the new name of the temple through common practice.
　　The temple compound consists of five mainbuildings: the Front Gate, the Second Gate, Kiu Bei's Hall, Zhu Geliang's Hall and Liu Bei's Tomb. The buildings are all located aling an imaginative axis line in a regular shape. Six huge stone tablets are flanked in the yard between the front and the second gates. Four of them were of the Qing Dynasty, one of the Ming and one opf the Tang. The tablets of the Qing state the storise about the reestablishment of the temple; the one of the Ming describes the development of the temple. The one of the Tang is far more famous than the other five. It was set up soon after Wu Yuanhen, a local top military commander in west Sichuan and his 27assistants worshiped Zhu Grliang in the temple in 809 during the Tang Dynasty. Pei Du,who served as a prime minister for his three Tang emperors ijn different times, composed an rssay associated with the worship. In the essay he eulogized Zhu Geliang for his great contribution to and his spare-no-efforts in unifying the whole China and the development of Sichuan, Liu Gingchuo, a well-known Tang calligrahist, copied the essay on the tablet according to the pattern of Liu's handwriting. The three well-known persons joined hands to perfect the tablet, so later in people called it "The Three Perfecdstion Tablet".

　　Inside the Second Gate is Liu Bei's hall. His statue stands behind the front altar, flanked by his son snd gtandson. To the right of the main shrine is a red faced image called Guan Yu; the left is General Zhang Fei, represented with a black face. Liu,Guan and Zhang are sworn brothers as prescribed in the novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
　　There are two galleries in the yard, which contain terracotta figures of the Qing Dynasty, 28 in all, generals on the right and minisiters on the lelt. During the Three Kingdom Period the rulers of the independent kingdoms fought each other for supremacy.This period was regarded as a romantic epoch of knightly dering-do.The site is just about holy to thousands of Three Kingdom enthusiasts.The well-loved figures in the temple are the historical source from which later novels and dramas have captured the imaginations of generations of Chinese readers and audience.
　　Behind Liu Bei's hall is the second yard where Zhu Geliang's hall is located.Zhu Geliang's hallis obviously lower than Liu Bei's. Visitors bave to walk down several steps before they can get into the second yard.The disparity in the construction height displays the traditional Chinese hierarchical social system.Emperor is the son of Heaven.He is superior;and other people are inferior.
　　On the top of the entrance gate of Zhu Geliang's hall hangs a horizontal wooden board,which says,"Eternal Glory All Over the World （名垂宇宙）."Many ancient couplets hang inside the hall, but the most famous one is right in the middle of the hall.It says,“能攻心则反侧自消，从古知兵非好战；不审势即宽严皆误，后来治蜀要深思。”　　It means that try to persuade an enemy to stop his attack during a war and the war will then disappear. No soldier wants to fight since ancient times.Try not to forget to weigh the conditions and situation, ogherwise leniency and strict punishment will all fail. Those,who come to manage Sichuan,should think it over again.
　　This couplet contains two stories. Once as Zhu Geliang was the general commander of the shu Kingdom, he was scheduled to attack the Wei Kingdom in north China.However, he was worried that the troops of the minorities might take a chance to harass the Shu Kingdom in southwest China.He came to tealize that the good relationship with the minorities was very important. So he went the southwestern area with his troops. Meng Huo（ 孟获）,the top leader of the minorities didn't accept Zhu Geliang's good-wish.He used his soldiers to fight against the groops from the kingdom.Zhu Geliang successfully defeated his attack and caught Meng Huo. Instead of punishing him,Zhu Geliang set him free.Then Meng Huo launched another attack and he met with the same defeat.Zhu Geliang set him a free again.On the seventh time after Meng Huo was caught,he prostrated himself before Zhu Geliang saying ghat he and his soldiers had given rp any atrelationship with the Shui Kingdoh.From then on the minority people and lf the Shui Kingdon lived in amity.
　　The other story tells how Zhu Geliang streng-thened discipline. Once Zhu Gelian Launched another military campaign against the Wei Kingdom.In order to make the campaign successful Zhu Geliang ordered Ma Shu，his close assistant to garrison the Shu army troops in Jie Ting,a vital strategic place to fight the coming soldiers from the Wei.Ma Shu thought of himself highly and placed his troops on the top of a hill near Jie Ting.As result,the Wei army soldiers occupied the strategic place.Ma Shu and his soldiers were defeated.Zhu Geliang had to withdraw his troops back to ghe Shu Kingdom.His carefully arranged campaign thus failed.Ma Shu had a close relationship with Zhu Geliang due to his hardworking and his contribution to the development shui's army.Tears ran down Zhu Geliang's face when he ordered to execute Ma Shu for his error.
　　The two storied displayed Zhu Geliang's flexible tactics in accordance with different occasions.More-over,Zhu Geliang used the same method to manage his government and the kingdom for the social stability and economic prosperity.
　　The second yard,dedicated Zhu Geliang, has a bell tower on the right and a drum tower on the left of the entrance.A most unusual casting iron incense burner is in the imddle of the path, which leads to the hall.Zhu Geliang's statue,accompainied by his son on the right and his grandson on the left, stands in the middle of the hall.The statue is 2m high. Zhu Geliang is dressed in a golden overcoat with a feather fan in his hand .He looks as if he was still concerned about his kingdom and his local people .On the left side of Zhu Geliang's statue is a bronze drum, a relic dated back to the 5th century.Originally ancient minority groups in souhest China often used it as a cooket.Later it became a sort of music instrument for some special occasions.
　　It was said that during Zhu Geliang's southwest expedition his soldiers used it as a cooker during the day and struck it at night as emergency approached.
　　Zhu Geliang was renowned military strategist and statesman in the early three Kingdom period.A native of Shandong Province,he was living in Long Zhong,Hubei when Liu Bei went to his house three times.Liu Bei sincerely invited Zhu Geliang to join in reconquest of the Han Empire,but for the first two times it was said that Zhu Geliang was not at home. On the third time when Liu Bei met Zhu Geliang in his house,he agreed to assist Liu Bei .It was in his house that Zhu Geliangand Liu Bei had a dialogue relating to the current situation and reconquest of the Han Empire, In Liu Bei's hall hangs Zhu Geliang's ambitious "Long Zhong dialogue（ 隆中对）"and his "Letter To The Throne Before An Expedition".Zhu Geliang served as Prime minister of the Shu Kingdom for twenty years .During his administration Zhu Geliang brought peace to the kingdom due to his northern and southern xepeditions.The local farming production and water conservancy has advanced. He died of his hard word conservancy has advanced. He died of his hard work at the age of 54.After his death people set up temples one after another to commemorate him in the areas where Zhu Geliang worked.He was generally regarded as an excellent example of administrators in Chinese feudal dynasties.
　　To the west of the Zhu Geliang's hall is the site of ghe Liu Bei's tomb.It is 80m in circumference and 12m high,surrounded by a circular wall.For 1700 years the tomb has remained untouched, but what is inside is unknown.

Tian'anmen square

Tian'anmen（the Gate of Heavenly Peace）， is located in the center of Beijing. It was first built in 1417 and named Chengtianmen（the Gate of Heavenly Succession）。 At the end of the Ming Dynasty， it was seriously damaged by war. When it was rebuilt under the Qing in 1651， it was renamed Tian'anmen，and served as the main entrance to the Imperial City，the administrative and residential quarters for court officials and retainers. The southern sections of the Imperial City wall still stand on both sides of the Gate. The tower at the top of the gate is nine-room wide and five–room deep. According to the Book of Changes，the two numbers nine and five，when combined，symbolize the supreme status of a sovereign. During the Ming and Qing dynasties， Tian'anmen was the place where state ceremonies took place. The most important one of them was the issuing of imperial edicts， which followed these steps：
1） The Minister of Rites would receive the edict in Taihedian（Hall of Supreme Harmony），where the Emperor was holding his court. The minister would then carry the decree on a yunpan（tray of cloud），and withdraw from the hall via Taihemen（Gate of supreme Harmony）
2）The Minister would put the tray in a miniature longting（dragon pavilion）。 Beneath a yellow umbrella and carry it via Wumen（Meridian Gate），to Tian'anmen Gate tower.
3）A courtier would be invested to proclaim the edict. The civil and military officials lining both sides of the gateway beneath the tower would prostrate themselves in the direction of the emperor in waiting for the decree to the proclaimed.
4）The courtier would then put the edict in a phoenix-shaped wooden box and lower it from the tower by means of a silk cord. The document would finally be carried in a similar tray of cloud under a yellow umbrella to the Ministry of Rites.4）The edict，copied on yellow paper，would be made known to the whole country. Such a process was historically recorded as " Imperial Edict Issued by Golden Phoenix". During the Ming and Qing dynasties Tian'anmen was the most important passage. It was this gate that the Emperor and his retinue would go through on their way to the altars for ritual and religious activities.On the Westside of Tian'anmen stands ZhongshanPark（Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Park），and on the east side，the Working People's Cultural Palace. The Park was formerly called Shejitan（Altar of Land and Grain），built in 1420 for offering sacrificial items to the God of Land. It was opened to the public as a park in 1914 and its name was changed in 1928 to the present one in memory of the great pioneer of the Chinese Democratic Revolution. The Working People's Cultural Palace used to be Taimiao（the Supreme Ancestral Temple），where tablets of the deceased dynastic rulers were kept.The stream in front of Tian'anmen is called Waijinshuihe（Outer Golden River），with seven marble bridges spanning over it . Of these seven bridges，historical records say the middle one was for the exclusive use of the emperor and was accordingly called Yuluqiao（Imperial Bridge）。 The bridges flanking it on either side were meant for the members of the royal family and were therefore called Wanggongqiao（Royal's Bridges）。Farther away on each side of the two were bridges for officials ranking above the third order and were named Pinjiqiao（ministerial Bridges）。The remaining two bridges were for the use by the retinue below the third order and were called Gongshengqiao（common Bridges）。They are the one in front of

the Supreme Ancestral Temple to the east and the one in front of the Altar of land and Grain to the west.The two stone lions by the Gate of Tian'anmen，one on each side were meant as sentries. They gaze toward the middle axis，guarding the emperor's walkway. In front of the gate stands a pair of marble columns called Huabiao. They are elaborately cut in bas-relief following the pattern of a legendary dragon. Behind the gate stands another pair of similar columns. The story of Huabiao may be traced to a couple of sources. One of the versions accredits its invention to one of the Chinese sage kings named Yao，who was said to have set up a wooden pillar in order to allow the ordinary people to expose evil-doers， hence it was originally called a slander pillar. Later it was reduced to a signpost，and now it serves as an ornament.The beast sitting on the top of the column is called "hou"，a legendary animal，which is said to have been a watcher of an emperor's behaviour. He was doing such duties as warning the emperor against staying too long outside the palace or indulging in pleasure and urging him to go to the people for their complaints or return in due time. Therefore，the two pairs of beasts were given the names "Wangjunhui"（Expecting the emperor's coming back） and "wangjunchu"（Expecting the emperor's going out） respectively。

Grotto Art in Dazu County

Dazu County, located in the southeast of Sichuan province, is 271 kilometres away from Chengdu and 163 kilometres away from Chongqing. "Dazu" here means "harvest and abundance (Dafeng, Dazu)".
　　

The work of Dazu Rock Carvings began in the first year of Yonghui in the Tang Dynasty (650A.D.), and continued until the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now, it enjoys equal popularity with theYungang and Longmen Grottoes. The general term of "Dazu Rock Carvings" refers to all the cliffside carvings in Dazu County, which includes the carvings in Beishan (including Beita), Baodingshan, Nanshan, Shizhuanshan and Shimenshan. Baoding Grotto, 15 kilometres northeast of the county seat, is the largest and best preserved one and is a key cultural relic site under state protection.
　　There are more than 50,000 Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian rock carvings and 100,000 characters of inscriptions dotted around Dazu. The carvings not only include the statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva but also include that of monarchs, ministers, military officers, high and low-ranking officials, jailers, executioners, monks, rich and poor people, and folk art performers. The earliest grotto was carved in the early Tang Dynasty and most of them have a history over 1000 years.
　　Many of the carvings in Baoding Grotto reflect religious doctrines and another set of carvings reflects Confucianism, specifically filial piety. What the carvings offer to visitors is not only the wonderful enjoyment of the magnificent art but a Buddhist teaching like this: One can free himself from earthly worries by self-cultivation and does not need to go beyond his own inner world to
　　find the truth of Buddhism. There are also many other carvings at the site that tell Buddhist doctrines through the lives of ordinary people. With rich images as well as inscriptions, the Dazu Grottoes are regarded as an art treasure house that fully reflected the society, philosophy, religion and folklore of that time. In 1999, UNESCO listed Dazu Stone Carvings as a world cultural heritage site. One point to be noted is that the Dazu Grottoes are the only ones that were implemented according to an overall design among over 100 grottoes in China.