City of Indulgence and Isolation

Entering the Forbidden City

At the heart of Beijing lies THE FORBIDDEN CITY, home for about five hundred years to twenty-four Ming and Qing dynasty emperors (1420-1911.)  The giant complex of brilliant gold, yellow, red, blue and green hues reflects a once-rigid hierarchical structure, extravagant imperial living, and a belief in the rulers' omnipotence and divinity.  

It is important to understand that these emperors regarded all of China's land and people as their personal property.  From his throne on high and hidden behind a screen of smoke, the emperor ruled as military commander, law-maker, judge, government administrator, moral leader, patron of the arts and learning.  

Today the Forbidden City is a well-preserved palace museum displaying countless works by China's finest artists, architects, craftsmen, and poets.  Indeed, its rooms are dusty and show signs of aging despite frequent restoration efforts.  But in my opinion, the layers of loess only add charm and calm to this sprawling labyrinth of courtyards and assembly halls.  

Note:  If you visit this museum, be advised to wear comfortable shoes.  This woman obviously did not read the guide books (and lacks common sense).  See what ridiculous footwear she was wearing?!

Please allow me to give you a brief overview of the city's magnificent history...

Only the Emperor Wore Yellow

After the collapse of the Mongol (Yuan) dynasty, the Ming emperor Yongle usurped the throne from his uncle in a bloody civil war.  Soon thereafter he laid out the Forbidden City upon the site of the former Mongol ruler, Kublai Khan's winter capital (made famous by the Italian explorer, Marco Polo)--and within riding distance of the Great Wall.  It took over one million laborers and artisans to build the city out of the finest Chinese materials: lacquer, marble, exquisite tiles and precious woods.   

In keeping with the ancient idea of feng shui, (harmonizing the human existence with the cosmos and surrounding natural environment), the palace was faced south with gates fixed in all four cardinal directions (north, south, east and west). 

Grandiose buildings and spaces were laid out in symmetry and identified with organs of the human body: the head, trachea, heart, and so forth.  However, despite the city's blaze of color and immense size, it was actually quite an isolated place for the inhabitants.  Those who dwelt inside the fortress walls knew little of country life, and had existences unimaginable to the masses.   

According to feng shui tradition, a fifth cardinal direction also exists:  the Center.  That was the location from which the Son of Heaven (the emperor) fostered a harmonious relationship between earthly affairs and the cosmos.  As intercessor for his subjects, he felt a heavy burden, for he alone worshiped Heaven.  He alone made effective sacrifices.  He alone had the duty to avoid Heaven's wrath (in the form of famines, earthquakes, floods, droughts, natural disasters).  And he alone was responsible for earning Heaven's blessing upon China.  It all required strict adherence to ancient traditions and proper conduct:  pure moral behavior, devotion to religious rituals, and scrupulous government administration.  Only if "good fortune" failed to come was overthrow of the dynasty permissible.  In such case, the Emperor lost the "Mandate of Heaven." 

Besides constructing the Forbidden City, Yongle is also famous for commissioning six treasure ship voyages led by Admiral Zheng He.  While showing off China's wealth and military might around the Indian Ocean, his officials demanded tribute (gifts) from countries as far away as East Africa.  The giant fleets returned home heavily-laden with loot:  vessels of gold, silver and porcelain, carvings of jade, ivory and scented wood, gems, perfumes, richly embroidered silk and wool fabrics, medicines, and even a giraffe for the imperial zoo.  The Forbidden City stored most of it-- and following centuries collected ever more.  

While treasures flowed in, edicts and memorials flowed out.  Like all bureaucracies, the Chinese officials produced much paperwork.   Many documents per day were submitted to the Emperor, most dealing with routine matters of state but some requiring heightened attention.  Private matters written on long rolls of paper often required his personal notations--always written in red ink.  While business matters were handled privately, grand audiences were summoned solely to demonstrate the power of the Son of Heaven.  When the Emperor was absent from these ceremonial affairs, reverence was paid to an empty throne. 

Besides the Empress and scores of concubines, 3,300 eunuchs were in the court on any one day, scurrying about performing various functions.  Out of economic necessity, most eunuchs had actually volunteered for castration!  One old eunuch said, "It seemed a little thing to give up one pleasure for so many.  My parents were poor, yet by suffering that small change I could be sure of an easy life in surroundings of beauty and magnificence; I could aspire to intimate companionship with lovely women unmarred by their fear or distrust of me.  I could even hope for power and wealth of my own."  Depending upon one's perspective, the Forbidden City might appear as a great fortress from a life of troubles-- or a gilded prison.

No doubt, the Forbidden City was filled with petty, lonely, quarrelsome women. However, no fragments of journals or diaries by concubines have been found in existence to tell the stories!  The woman's sole purpose was to lie in the emperor's bed for a brief time in the hopes that she might eventually bear him a son.  Immediately following, eunuchs escorted her from the Emperor's bedchamber to one adjacent where she spent the remainder of the night utterly alone.  If only the cracks in the walls could speak about the jealousies, sorrows, boredom, idleness, and intrigue inside the Forbidden City!  

China's Son of Heaven ruled over the largest population in the world.  For example, in the year 1500, Peking (now called Beijing and the Forbidden City is still the center) was the largest city in the world with 672,000 people.  It was followed by three other Chinese cities:  Hangchow:  275,000, Nanking: 285,000, and Canton: 25,000.   Here are estimated populations for other major cities in 1500:  Cairo, Egypt: 450,000,  Paris, France: 225,000, Venice, Italy: 115,000, and London, England: 50,000

A Large Statue of the Great Helmsman

"Revolutionary Realism" Art

 














TODAY, with over 1.3 billion people, China is still the largest country in the world and has been ruled since 1949 by the world's largest political party, the Chinese Communist Party, or CPC. After the fall of the last dynasty, the Nationalists briefly ruled China before Mao's CPC fought its way to power.  Question:  Could the CPC lose the "Mandate of Heaven" today?  If so, how?