北京故宫英文导游词5篇
北京故宫以三大殿为中心，占地面积72万平方米，建筑面积约15万平方米，有大小宫殿七十多座，房屋九千余间。以下是小编整理的北京故宫英文导游词5篇，欢迎阅读参考!
北京故宫英文导游词(1)
Hello, everyone,
We are now going to pay a visit to a place of special interest. This scenic spot is located at the center of Beijing and is characterized by thousands of palatial architectures and purple walls as well as yellow glazed tile roofs- it is simply a sea of palaces. This is the world – famous wonder – the Palace Museum.
The Palace Museum has served as the royal residence during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was here that a total of 24 monarchs ascended the throne and wielded power for some 500 years. The Palace Museum, as the most beautiful spot of interest throughout Beijing, is unique for its location: to the northwest is Beihai(North Sea) Park, famous for its white pagoda and rippling lake; to the west is the Zhongnahai (central and south sea); to the east lies the the Wangfujing Shopping Street; and to the north id Jinshan Park. Standing in the Wanchun (Everlasting Spring) Pavilion at the top of Jingshan(Charcoal Hill) Park, you overlook the skyline of the palace Museum. At the southern end of the palace is Tian` anmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) and the famous square named after it . This is the symbol of the People` s Republic of China.
A world-famous historical site, the Palace Museum is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO and is an embodiment of oriental civilization.
The Palace Museum is rectangular in shape, 960 meters long from north to south and 750 meters wide from east to west, covering a space of 720,000 square meters of which 150,000 is building area . It has 9000-strong rooms in it . According to legend there are 9999.5 room-units in all .The whole compound is enclosed by a 10-meter-hign wall and is accessed through four entrances, namely, the meridian Gate in the south ,the Gate of Military Prowess in the north, Donghua(Eastern Flowery ) Gate in the north, Donghua ( Eastern Flowery) Gate in the east and Xihua(Western Flowery ) Gate in the west. On each corner there is a turret consisted of 9 roof beams, 18 pillars and 72 ridge . Encircling the compound there is a 3,800-meter-long and 52 meter-wide moat, making the Palace Museum a self-defensive city-within-a city.
The Palace Museum was made a center of rule during the Ming Dynasty by Zhun Di, The fourth son of the founding emperor Zhuyuanzhang. The whole complex straddles on an 8-kilometers-long central axis that stretches from Yongding (Forever Stable) Gate in the south to Gulou (Drum Tower) in the north. Prominence was given to the royal power by putting the “three main front halls” and “three back halls ”on the axis while arrange other subsidiary structure around them .The construction of the Palace Museum involved manpower and resources across China. For example, the bricks laid in the halls ,known as “gold brick, ” underwent complex, two –dozen processes. As the final touch ,the fired bricks were dipped in Chinese wood oil. Involving complicated processes and high cost, these brick are called “golden bricks.” The Palace Museum serves as a living embodiment of good tradition and styles unique to China` s ancient architecture. It reflects to the full the ingenuity and creativity of the Chinese working people. A carefully preserved and complete group of royal residences, the Palace Museum is a prominent historical and tourist site.
What we are now approaching is the main entrance to the Palace Museum-the Meridian Gate, which is characterized by red walls, yellow glazed –tile roofs and upturned eaves. On top of this walls, yellow glazed-tile roofs and upturned eaves. On top of this magnificent building ,there stand five lofty halls with a main hall in the center. The main hall is roofed by multiple eaves and covers a space of 9 room-units. It is flanked by two wings on each side .The wings are square in shape ,complete with multiple and four edged eaves and pinnacles. All of these structures are connected by a colonnade. Because these halls resemble a soaring bird, it was also know as wufenglou (Five-phoenix Tower) . Inside the main hall there is a throne. Drums and bells were stored in the wings. Whenever the emperor presided over grand ceremonies or observed rites in the Hall of Upreme Harmony, drums, bells and gongs would be struck to mark the occasion.
As the legend goes, the Meridian Gate used to be a place where condemned ranking officials would be executed. This not true. However, flogging was carried out here by the Ming emperors ,If a courtier falls afoul of the emperor, he would be stripped of his court dress and flogging with a stick .At one point the punishment became so harsh that a total of 11 people died from fatal wound on a single occasion .On the other hand, this building was also used to observe important occasions like the traditional Chinese Lantern Festival (15th day of the first lunar month). On these occasions, Chinese lanterns would be hanged and sumptuous banquets would be given in honour of the whole court of ministers and other ranking officials.
Upon entering the Meridian Gate we began our tour of the Palace Museum. The river foowing in front of us is known as Jin Shui He (Golden Water River) and the five marbles bridges spanning it are known as the Inner Golden Water Bridges. The on in the middle was used exclusive by the emperor and its banisters were carved with dragon and phoenix designs. The bridges flanking the imperial one were reserved for princes and other royal members. The rest were used by palatines. Aside from decoration, the golden Water River was also dug as precaution against fire. Most of the structures within the palace Museum are made of wood. What is more ,according to ancient Chinese cosmology, the South is the abode of fire, so this brook was dug on the southern tip of the Palace. In this way, the Palace Museum reflects traditional Chinese culture.
This building is called the Gate of Supreme Harmony .In the foreground stand two bronze lions. Can anybody tell which is male and which is female? The one on the east playing with a ball is male, symbolizing power and universal unity. The other on the west with a cub cuddling underneath its claw is female? The one on the east playing with a ball is male, symbolizing power and universal unity. The other on the west with a cub cuddling underneath its claw is female, representing prosperity the endless succession. A layout of the Palace Museum is posted by the entrance . From it ,you can see that the Palace Museum has two main parts: the forecourt and the inner court. The three main halls constitute the mainstay of the forecourt, and it was here that the emperor announced decisions and observed rites. Behind the forecourt there is the inner court, consisting of major halls and the Imperial Garden .It was where the emperor attended state affairs, lived and enjoyed his luxurious life. The exhibition system of the Palace Museum involves historical court relics and articles of ancient art and culture. The Palace Museum houses nearly one million articles of rare treasure, or one sixth of the total number in all of China `s museums. There are the three main halls of the Palace museum, built on a triple marble terrace . Since most of China `s architecture is made of wood, the buildings cannot be too tall. To gain the height of the architecture, ingenious ancient artisans built the hall on a gigantic stone terrace .It is also to this end that not a single plant was grown in the square. On stairways of triple marble terrace there are 18 bronze tripods .The verandah is flanked by bronze tortoises and cranes, which served as symbols of longevity .On the east is a sundial, an ancient timepiece. On the west there is a grain measure suggesting that the emperor was just and equitable.
In the front and on each flank ,there is a pair of gilt bronze vats (caldrons ) molded during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty .Each of these weights 2 tons and is filled with water as a precaution in the event of a fire .The structure in the very middle is the Hall of Supreme Harmony ,also known as the throne hall. It is 64 meters in width and is 38 meters from entrance to rear. With terrace exclusive ,the hall is 26.92 meters in height and is 35.03 meters in all .Covering and areaof 2,377 square meters, the Hall of Supreme Harmony is China` s largest exiting wooden structure. The hall is supported by 6 thick ,round pillars carved in a design of coiling dragons. As the holiest place in the hall, the ceiling and colored patterns were made of the finest material available at that time. The throne was placed on a terrace and is flanked by statues of elephants, Luduan (a unicorn which could travel 18,000 kilometers a day and understand all languages), cranes and incense barrels .Over the throne there is the caisson ,or covered ceiling ,which consists of a coiling dragon playing with a ball in its mouth .This ball is known as Xuanyuan Mirror ,and was supposedly made by a Chinese emperor of remote times to serve as a reminder that thee rulers to follow were his hereditary heirs. The throne is made of nanmu and painted in gold .Magnificently built and luxuriously decorated ,this hall did not serve as a place in which the emperor attended to daily affairs. He used his hall for major events such as his birthday, conferral of title of empress or dispatch of generals to war.
Behind the Hall of Supreme Harmony ,there sits the Hall of Complete Harmony. This structure is square in shape .Each side is 24.15 meters. This was the place where the emperor relaxed and greeted his courtiers before proceeding to the hall of supreme Harmony to observe rites. This was also the place where the emperor prepared prayers or examined seeds and sowers before he attended ancestral sacrifices or participated in snowing ceremonies. A grand ceremony was also held here once every 10 years for the emperor to genealogize the royal blood. There are two sedan chairs on display in the hall. Behind the Hall of Complete Harmony ,you will see the Hall of Preserving Harmony, which was used as a place where imperial examinations were held. The imperial examination was the hignest level of competing for meritorious appointment under the feudal system dating back to the Sui Dynasty. China` s last imperial examination was held in 1904 during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty. To the rear of hall there is a marble ramp carved with cloud and dragon designs, the largest of its kind in the whole country . It is 16.57 meters in length, 3.07 meters in width, 1.7 meters thick and weighs 250 tons. It was quarried in Fangshan County in suburban Beijing. To bring this giant piece of stone to Beijing people poured water onto the road and applied rolling blocks during the process.
We are now standing before the square of the Hall of Heaven Purity. It served as a divide separating the forecourt from the inner court .This building is known as the Gate of Heavenly Purity. Emperor Qianlong held court here. Proceeding further north ,you can find three main rear halls ,i.e. the hall of heavenly purity. the Hall of union and peace and palace of earthly tranquility. The hall of heavenly purity if flanked on either side by two gates named after the sun and moon .Inside the enclosure there are 12 palaces and halls symbolizing constellations. All of the other buildings are centered around the Palace of Heavenly Purity , which was meant to suggest that the monarch` s power was endowed by Heaven. The empress and concubines lived in the inner court.
The hall of heavenly purity was where the emperor lived and attended to daily affairs. Later the emperor moved to live in the Palace of Mental cultivation. Looking up you can see a plaque bearing the Chinese inscription “be open and above-board,” a manifesto to court struggle .Behind the plaque a strongbox was stored containing a will bearing the name of the would –be royal successor. This approach of secretly selecting the next emperor was adopted by Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty. Two copies of the will were prepared .One was stashed by the emperor in person ,the other was placed inside the strong box behind the plaque. After the death of the emperor, the two copies would be compared and successor would be announced. It was in this way that Emperor Qianglong and others have ascended the throne.
Behind the Hall of heavenly purity you will see the hall of union and peace , which is indentical to the hall of complete harmony. It was there that the emperor received congratulations and tributes from imperial officials on major calender occasions , A total of 25 imperial seals are stored there. In the hall, you will see a plaque with the handwritten inscription of “we wei,” exhorting Taoist doctrines.
Further northward is the Palace of Earthly Tranquillity, which once served as the living room of the empresses` . The hall was later converted into a sacrificial place .Through the windowpanes on the eastern wall you can see the royal bed decorated with dragon and phoenix designs. This hall has also served as the bridal chamber of monarchs.
The Gate of Earthly Tranquilliity leads to the Imperial garden (known to westerners as Qianlong` s Garden ),which was used by the emperor ,the empress, and the concubines. A magnificent structure stands in the middle. It is called the Qin `s an (Imperial Peace) Hall. It is the only building in the Palace Museum that was built in Taoist style. It served as a shrine to the Taoist deity. The garden covers a space of 12,000 square meters ,and is 130 meters from east to the west and some 90 meters from north to the south. There are a dozen halls, verandahs, pavilions and waterside houses in the garden . On each of the fur corner there is a pavilion dedicated to the four seasons which is different in construction style and shape. The garden also features an imperial landscape. With rare trees and exotic rockery, the Imperial Garden served as a model for China` s imperial parks .In all ,a total of 10-strong building styles were applied.
The tall building we are now passing is the gate of military prowess, the back door of the Palace Museum. Our visit is now drawing to a conclusion but the architectures of the Palace are not . On the other side of the road is the 43-meter-hign Charcoal Hill , providing natural protection for the Forbidden City. This was also an embodiment of China` s construction style-putting a pool in the front and a hill in the rear. Now let` s climb up to Wanchun (Everlasting Springs ) Pavillion where we` ll have a great view of the Palace Museum.
北京故宫英文导游词(2)
The Forbidden City was the living place of the emperor, so it was also called the imperial palace. In the feudal society, the common people were forbidden enter the city, hence the name, Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City is rectangular in shape, covers an area of 72 hectares, with 52 meters wide moat and 10 meters high city wall surrounded, each corner of the city wall built a watch tower, which was heavily guarded in the old days.
The Forbidden City was first built in early Ming dynasty that was 1420. When the construction of the Forbidden City was completed, the capital of the Ming dynasty moved from Nanjing to Beijing. From the early Ming dynasty to the end of Qing dynasty, altogether 24 emperors lived in here, 14 emperors in Ming dynasty and 10 emperors in Qing dynasty. In 600 years, the Forbidden City witnessed many changes in the Ming and Qing dynasties. After the 1911 Revolution, the Qing dynasty was overthrown. In 1925, the Forbidden City became the historical museum and opened to the public, so it was also called the palace museum. And in 1987, the Forbidden City listed in World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO.
The Meridian Gate is the main entrance and the front gate of the Forbidden City. In ancient China, the front gate of the large-scale constructions usually is the south gate. The Meridian Gate mainly served as the passage for the emperor only, which want to go to the Temple of Heaven to worship the god of heaven. It was called Meridian Gate because the emperor believe that the Meridian Line went through the Forbidden City and his residence was the cosmic center. A small square located in front of the gate, it was the place to announce the new lunar calendar on the first day of 10th lunar month every year. When a general returned from the battle, his captives would be offered on a ceremony here.
Enter the Meridian Gate; you have come into the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is the largest imperial construction in the world. According to the common people saying, the Forbidden City has 9999.5 rooms. It consists of two parts, which are the outer court and the inner court. The outer court is the political quarter and the inner court is the living quarter.
The Gate of Supreme Harmony is the entrance of the outer court. The inner golden river comes across here, with five marble bridges spinning over it. They were symbolizing the five virtues by Confucius, benevolence, righteousness, rites, intelligence and fidelity. Confucius is the most famous philosopher in China. He born in 7th century BC, at that time it was also called the spring and autumn period. In the five marble bridges, the middle bridge used for emperor only. Its railing carving is dragon, and the other bridges' railing carvings are lotus. The dragon is an imaginary animal. Saying about the word of the dragon, Chinese people definitely think of a gigantic best with the head of ox, the horns of deer, the eyes of shrimp, the claws of hawk, the body of snake and the tail of lion, whose whole body is covered by fish scales. In Chinese tradition, the dragon was the symbol of power, and the phoenix was the symbol of lucky. In the feudal society, the emperor symbolized dragon, and the empress symbolized phoenix. Because the dragon live in the water, can control the flood, so you can see lots of the dragon temple built the place nearby rivers or lakes. Therefore more than one million dragons in the Forbidden City, they are appearing in paintings, carvings, clothing and decorations. You can look for the dragon pattern by yourself in the Forbidden City.
Entering the Gate of Supreme Harmony, there is a sketch map. In ancient China, all of the constructions have central axis. The most beautiful and important buildings are built along the central axis. Today, we will visit along the central axis, including the emperor's hall, office, bedroom and garden.
Go through the Gate of Supreme Harmony, you will see the largest hall in China. It named the Hall of Supreme Harmony. It was the place where hold some important ceremonies, like the ceremony of emperor birthday, the emperor marriage, ceremony about success war, receive foreign country's envoy. When the ceremony began, the civil and military officials all performed the three kowtows and nine prostrations on the square.
In addition, you can see the color of the glazed tiles on the roofs of all buildings is yellow. Saying about the colors of the roof, they can be divided into three rankings: the highest ranking is blue, symbolize sky, you can see it only in the Temple of Heaven; the second ranking is yellow, symbolize power, it used in some imperial constructions, such as the Forbidden City or Ming Tombs; the third ranking is green, symbolize official, the families of high ranking official can be allowed used this color. The common people only allowed use the grayer tiles. If you use another colors of the tiles, you would commit a crime, will be killed.
A large marble terrace beneath the Hall of Supreme Harmony, we called it Xumi Mountain. The name comes from Buddhist scripture. According to scripture, Xumi Mountain is the highest mountain in the cosmic. So, here we called it Xumi Mountain in order to show that the Hall of Supreme Harmony is the place having the highest power. There are 18 incense burners placed on the triple marble terrace. When ceremony began, burning some pine and cypress, to make smoke. The officials on the square find the hall was in the cloud. It can make state atmosphere.
On the marble terrace, you can see the sundial on the eastside, and the imperial grain measure on the west. They placed here to symbolize the emperor's justice and rectitude. The copper tortoise and stork symbolize longevity. In fact, they are all of incense burners.
This is the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The wood materials of the building come from the southwest China. Each pillar is single branch. In front of the hall, you can see inside decoration. In the hall, a sandal wood terrace built in the center; the dragon chair on it, some cloisonné incense burners placed front side, a big carpet with dragon pattern in front. So many people jam are there. I will wait for you near the copper tortoise.
Because there are lots of wooden buildings in the Forbidden City, catch fire easily. Therefore, many big vats in the city in order to store water against fire. Some of them were gilded, but in 1860, when the Anglo France allied forces invaded Beijing, they break into the Forbidden City and robbed a lot of treasures. Lastly, some soldiers discovered the gilded vats; they scrape off the gold from the surface of the vats by their bayonets.
The function of the Hall of Complete Harmony actually is the retiring room. Before the emperor held big ceremony, he had a rest in there. And it was also the place where the emperor read the sacrificial scripture before he went to the Temple of Heaven to worship the god and his ancestors. The layout inside of the hall same to that hall, also has dragon chair, incense burners and carpet. You can have a look and take some pictures.
In early time, the function of the Hall of Preserving Harmony likes the banquet hall of the Great Hall of the People in nowadays. Traditionally, the emperor would hold a banquet to the Mongolian nobles and envoys in the spring festival. In the Qing dynasty, there also served as the place to hold the imperial examination. In feudal society, the national exam can be divided into four rankings, which are the county exam, province exam, capital exam and imperial exam. The imperial exam is the highest-ranking examination. If you can pass it, you could be a high-ranking official.
There are big stone carving behind of the hall. It is the largest stone carving in the Forbidden City, with 16 meters long and 3 meters wide, 1.7 meters thick, more than 250 tons. The stores were transported from the southwest Beijing, about 70 kilometers. In early time, we transported the big stone very hardly. Winter is the good time to transportation because we must dig out a well every 500 meters and took the water throw to earth to make it slippery. Used the rolling wood beneath the stone, many people pull and push. So, it is really a very difficult work.
There are two buildings out of the red wall. They used to be the military office. The military officials discussed the military affairs in there before they met emperor. Now, the two buildings have changed another functions, the west one become a souvenir shop, and the east one become the Star Buck coffee.
Ok, later I will guide you to visit the bedroom of the emperor, which called the Hall of Mantel Cultivation. Firstly, everybody look here. Here is a big jade carving placed in front of the gate. This is a single piece jade that comes from the western China, square in shaped with an around hole in the center. In Chinese ancient people's mind, heaven is around and the earth is square. The carving placed here is according to Chinese geomancy. And the jade is also considered can ward off the evil spirits. In China, we called the knowledge is Fengshui, the science of the wind of water in English. This courtyard is not the largest one, but it is really the most important one. The front building is the office of emperor, and the rear yard is the bedrooms of emperor and empress. The west chamber of the front building is the military office; emperor and military officials discussed military affairs in there. Because the military affair is very important in a whole country, built two special walls ward off overhear. The inner chamber is the special room for emperor collected the art about calligraphy, because it very valuable in China. We often called it one-character costs one million dollars. Sir, have you seen any Chinese movie? Maybe you tell me yes, like Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon, the Last Emperor, Hero, etc. But what I want to point out is another movie named Power Behind Hinging; it's also very famous in the world. The movie describe that a very powerful woman, Empress Dowager Cixi, she controlled the child emperor and controlled the whole country. Some cases in that movie were took place in the east chamber. Here, you can see the silk hanging. There's a big chair for the Empress Dowager Cixi behind the hanging, and a small chair for the child emperor in front of it. In the chamber, seem as the emperor handle state affairs. But it is really power behind hinging.
The rear yard is the living quarter of emperor and empress. A big crystal placed in the center of the yard, symbolize chastity. The inner yard is the bedroom of emperor, and the north chamber is the bedroom of empress. Today we preserved the inside layout of these chambers from late Qing dynasty. You can see what is emperor's favor, such as clocks, jade carvings, silk, pearl and so on. One of them is special thing that we called it cloisonné， which is beautiful handicraft that is imperial ware only in Beijing. There are five chambers located on the east side; we called them the waiting chambers that each chamber has a concubine wait for emperor in everyday evening. Because of the security problem, all concubines must bare and no clothing on their bodies, a silk carpet around their bodies and sit in the waiting chambers. When the emperor finished his daily affairs, he would like to walk along the corridor and select a concubine. If he find the best one, he would place a jade carving in front of the window of the chamber, which the best one sit inside. This concubine has the right to sleep with the emperor. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, emperor has only on empress, but he has abundance of the concubines. The largest number is more than 3000 concubines; even some concubines haven't one chance to met emperor in their whole life. In early time, you can differentiate the ranking from the small concubine to empress by their pearl earring. The empress has the largest one; we called it the Queen of the Pearl.
After we visited the Hall of Mantel Cultivation, we will go to visit the last attraction, which is the Imperial Garden. The scale of the garden is so small. In early time, the emperor is very busy, which has lots of state affairs to handle. If he has over one day to relax, he would like to go to the summer to enjoy holiday. If he has half day for rest, maybe he would to go to the Beihai imperial garden or the Coal Hill garden to walk. If he has only 2 hours, he hasn't enough time to go out of the Forbidden City, can but go here to play Chinese chess or chat with concubines. There are some rockeries built in the garden that all be man-made. And some fantastic trees in the garden, their name is Dragon Claw Tree. Some cypresses are very longevity, aged over 500 years.
OK, we will go out of the Forbidden City. Please pay attention to the private dealers. We will spend about 5 minutes to arrive the parking lot.
北京故宫英文导游词(3)
The Forbidden City was the living place of the emperor, so it was also called the imperial palace. In the feudal society, the common people were forbidden enter the city, hence the name, Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City is rectangular in shape, covers an area of 72 hectares, with 52 meters wide moat and 10 meters high city wall surrounded, each corner of the city wall built a watch tower, which was heavily guarded in the old days.
The Forbidden City was first built in early Ming dynasty that was 1420. When the construction of the Forbidden City was completed, the capital of the Ming dynasty moved from Nanjing to Beijing. From the early Ming dynasty to the end of Qing dynasty, altogether 24 emperors lived in here, 14 emperors in Ming dynasty and 10 emperors in Qing dynasty. In 600 years, the Forbidden City witnessed many changes in the Ming and Qing dynasties. After the 1911 Revolution, the Qing dynasty was overthrown. In 1925, the Forbidden City became the historical museum and opened to the public, so it was also called the palace museum. And in 1987, the Forbidden City listed in World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO.
The Meridian Gate is the main entrance and the front gate of the Forbidden City. In ancient China, the front gate of the large-scale constructions usually is the south gate. The Meridian Gate mainly served as the passage for the emperor only, which want to go to the Temple of Heaven to worship the god of heaven. It was called Meridian Gate because the emperor believe that the Meridian Line went through the Forbidden City and his residence was the cosmic center. A small square located in front of the gate, it was the place to announce the new lunar calendar on the first day of 10th lunar month every year. When a general returned from the battle, his captives would be offered on a ceremony here.
Enter the Meridian Gate; you have come into the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is the largest imperial construction in the world. According to the common people saying, the Forbidden City has 9999.5 rooms. It consists of two parts, which are the outer court and the inner court. The outer court is the political quarter and the inner court is the living quarter.
The Gate of Supreme Harmony is the entrance of the outer court. The inner golden river comes across here, with five marble bridges spinning over it. They were symbolizing the five virtues by Confucius, benevolence, righteousness, rites, intelligence and fidelity. Confucius is the most famous philosopher in China. He born in 7th century BC, at that time it was also called the spring and autumn period. In the five marble bridges, the middle bridge used for emperor only. Its railing carving is dragon, and the other bridges' railing carvings are lotus. The dragon is an imaginary animal. Saying about the word of the dragon, Chinese people definitely think of a gigantic best with the head of ox, the horns of deer, the eyes of shrimp, the claws of hawk, the body of snake and the tail of lion, whose whole body is covered by fish scales. In Chinese tradition, the dragon was the symbol of power, and the phoenix was the symbol of lucky. In the feudal society, the emperor symbolized dragon, and the empress symbolized phoenix. Because the dragon live in the water, can control the flood, so you can see lots of the dragon temple built the place nearby rivers or lakes. Therefore more than one million dragons in the Forbidden City, they are appearing in paintings, carvings, clothing and decorations. You can look for the dragon pattern by yourself in the Forbidden City.
Entering the Gate of Supreme Harmony, there is a sketch map. In ancient China, all of the constructions have central axis. The most beautiful and important buildings are built along the central axis. Today, we will visit along the central axis, including the emperor's hall, office, bedroom and garden.
Go through the Gate of Supreme Harmony, you will see the largest hall in China. It named the Hall of Supreme Harmony. It was the place where hold some important ceremonies, like the ceremony of emperor birthday, the emperor marriage, ceremony about success war, receive foreign country's envoy. When the ceremony began, the civil and military officials all performed the three kowtows and nine prostrations on the square.
In addition, you can see the color of the glazed tiles on the roofs of all buildings is yellow. Saying about the colors of the roof, they can be divided into three rankings: the highest ranking is blue, symbolize sky, you can see it only in the Temple of Heaven; the second ranking is yellow, symbolize power, it used in some imperial constructions, such as the Forbidden City or Ming Tombs; the third ranking is green, symbolize official, the families of high ranking official can be allowed used this color. The common people only allowed use the grayer tiles. If you use another colors of the tiles, you would commit a crime, will be killed.
北京故宫英文导游词(4)
Ladies and Gentlemen, the great hall we are approaching is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the biggest and tallest of its king in the Forbidden City. This structure covers a total building space of 2,377 square meters, and is know for its upturned, multiple counterpart eaves . The Hall of Supreme Harmony sits on a triple “H”-shaped marble terrace the is 8meters high and linked by staircases. The staircase on the ground floor has 21 steps while the middle and upper stairways each have 9.
The construction of the Hall of Supreme Harmony began in 1406. It burned down three times and was severely damaged once during a mutiny. The existing architecture was built during the Qing Dynasty. On the corners of the eaves a line of animal-nails were usually fastened to the tiles. These animal-nails were later replace with mythical animals to ward off evil spirits. There are altogether 9 such fasteners on top of this hall. The number nine was regarded by the ancients to be the largest numeral accessible to man and to which only the emperors were entitled.
There was a total of 24 successive emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties who were enthroned here. The ball was also used for ceremonies which marked other great occasions: the Winter Solstice, The Chinese Lunar New Year, the Emperor` s birthday, conferral of the title of empress, the announcement of new laws and policies, and dispatches of generals to war .On such occasions, the Emperor would hold audience for his court officials and receive their tributes.
This area is called the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square, which covers a total of 30,000 square meters, Without a single tree or plant growing here, this place inspires visitors to feel its solemnity and grandeur. In the middle of the square there is a carriageway that was reserved for the Emperor. On both sides of the road the groud bricks were laid in a special way seven layers lengthwise and eight layers crosswise, making up fifteen layers in all. The purpose of this was to prevent anyone from tunneling his way into the palace. In the count yard there are iron vats for storing water to fight fires. In the whole complex there are altogher 308 water vats. In wintertime, charcoal was burned underneath the vats to keep the water from freezing .Why so vast a square? It was designed to impress people with the hall` s grandeur and vastness. Imagine the following scene. Under the clear blue sky, the yellow glazed tiles shimmered as the cloud-like layers of terrace, coupled with the curling veil of burning incense, transformed the hall of supreme Harmony into a fairyland. Whenever major ceremonies were held, the glazed, crane-shaped candleholders inside the hall would be it, and incense and pine branches burnt in front of the hall. When the Emperor appeared, drums were beaten and musical instrument played. Civilian officials and generals would kneel know in submission.
The last Qing emperor Puyi assumed the throne in 1908, at the age of three, His father carried him to the throne. At the start of the coronation, the sudden drum-beating and loud music caught the young emperor unprepared .He was so scared that he kept crying and shouting,”I don’t want to stay here. I want to go home.” His father tried to soothe him, saying, ”It` all soon be finished .It` all soon be finished ”The ministers present at the event considered this incident inauspicious. Coincidentally, the Qing dynasty collapsed three years later and there with concluded China `s feudal system that had lasted for more than 2,000 years.
(On the stone terrace of the Hall of Supreme Harmony)
This is a bronze incense burner. In it incense made of sandalwood would be burnt on important occasions. There are altogether 18 incense burners, representing all of the provinces under the rule of the Sing monarchs. On either side of the Hall, 4 bronze water-filled vats were placed in case of fire. Next to the terrace on either side, there is a bronze crane and tortoise, symbols of longevity. This copper-cast grain measure is called ”jialiang.” It served as the national standard during the Qing dynasty. It was meant to show that the imperial ruler were just and open to rectification. On the other side there is a stone sundial, an ancient timepiece. The jialiang and the sundial were probably meant to show what the Emperor represented: that he was the only person who should possess the standards of both measure and time.
In the very forefront of the Hall of Supreme Harmony , there are 12 scarlet , round pillars supporting the roof. The hall is 63 meters from east to west and 37 meters from north to south, It is 35 meters in height. In front of this architechture, there stands a triple terrace with five staircases leading up to the main entrance .It has 40 gold doors and 16 gold-key windows with colored drawings on the pillars and beams. In the middle of the hall, a throune carved with 9 dragons sits on a 2-meter-high platform. Behind the throne there is a golden screen and in front of it, there is a imperial desk . The flanks are decorated with elephants, Luduan(a legendary beast), cranes, and incense barrels. The elephant carries a vase on its back that holds five cereals(i. e. rice, two kinds of millet, wheat and beans),which was considered a symbol of prosperity. As ancient legend has it that luduan can travel 18,000 li (9,000 kilometers )in one day and knows all languages and dialects. Only to a wise adjust monarch will this beast be a guardian.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony is also popularly known as Jinluan Dian (gold bell hall or the throne hall). The floor of the hall is laid with bricks that turn it into a smooth, fine surface as if water has been sprinkled on it .The so-called golden brick, in fact, has nothing to do with gold. Reserved exclusively for the construction of the royal court, it was made in a secretive, and complex way, and, when struck, sounds like the clink of a gold bar. Each brick was worth the market price of one dan (or one hectoliter ) of rice.
The hall is supported by a total of 72 thick pillars .Of these, 6 are carved in dragon patterns and painted with gold and surround the throne. Above the very center of this hall there is a zaojing, or covered ceiling, which is one of the Specialities of China `s ancient architure. In the middle of the ceiling is a design of a dragon playing with a ball inlaid with peals. This copper ball, hollow inside and covered with mercury, is known as the Xuanyuan Mirror and is thought to be made Xuanyuan, a legendary monarch dating back to remote antiquity. The placing of the caisson above the throne is meant to suggest that all of China` s successive emperors are Zuanyuan` s descendants and hereditary heirs. Now you might have noticed that the Xuanyuan mirror is not directly above the throne. Why? It is rumored that Yuan Shikai, a self-acclaimed warlord-turned emperor moved the throne further back because he was afraid that the mirror might fall on him .In 1916 when Yuan Shikai became emperor, he removed the original throne with a Western-style, high-back chair. After the foundation of the People` s Republic of China in 1949 the throne was found in a shabby furniture warehouse. It repaired and returned to the hall.
北京故宫英文导游词(5)
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am pleased to serve as your guide today.
This is the palace museum; also know as the Purple Forbidden City. It is the largest and most well reserved imperial residence in China today. Under Ming Emperor Yongle, construction began in 1406. It took 14years to build the Forbidden City. The first ruler who actually lived here was Ming Emperor Zhudi. For five centuries thereafter, it continued to be the residence of23 successive emperors until 1911 when Qing Emperor Puyi was forced to abdicate the throne. In 1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization recognized the Forbidden City was a world cultural legacy.
It is believed that the Palace Museum, or Zi Jin Cheng (Purple Forbidden City), got its name from astronomy folklore, The ancient astronomers divided the constellations into groups and centered them around the Ziwei Yuan (North Star) . The constellation containing the North Star was called the Constellation of Heavenly God and star itself was called the purple palace. Because the emperor was supposedly the son of the heavenly gods, his central and dominant position would be further highlighted the use of the word purple in the name of his residence. In folklore, the term “an eastern purple cloud is drifting” became a metaphor for auspicious events after a purple cloud was seen drifting eastward immediately before the arrival of an ancient philosopher, LaoZi, to the Hanghu Pass. Here, purple is associated with auspicious developments. The word jin (forbidden) is self-explanatory as the imperial palace was heavily guarded and off-explanatory as the imperial palace was heavily guarded and off-limits to ordinary people.
The red and yellow used on the palace walls and roofs are also symbolic. Red represents happiness, good fortune and wealth. Yellow is the color of the earth on the Loess Plateau, the original home of the Chinese people. Yellow became an imperial color during the Tang dynasty, when only members of the royal family were allowed to wear it and use it in their architecture.
The Forbidden City is rectangular in shape. It is 960 meters long from north to south and 750 meter wide from east west. It has 9,900 rooms under a total roof area 150,000 square meters. A 52-meter-wide-moat encircles a 9. 9-meter—high wall which encloses the complex. Octagon —shaped turrets rest on the four corners of the wall. There are four entrances into the city: the Meridian Gate to the south, the Shenwu Gate (Gate of Military Prowess) to the north, and the Xihua Gate (Gate of military Prowess) to the north, and the Xihua Gate (Western Flowery Gate ) to the west, the Donghua (Eastern Flowery Gate) to the east.
Manpower and materials throughout the country were used to build the Forbidden City. A total of 230,000 artisans and one million laborers were employed. Marble was quarried from fangshan Country Mount Pan in Jixian County in Hebei Province. Granite was quarried in Quyang County in Hebei Province. Paving blocks were fired in kilns in Suzhou in southern China. Bricks and scarlet pigmentation used on the palatial walls came from linqing in Shandong Province. Timber was cut, processed and hauled from the northwestern and southern regions.
相关文章：
北京故宫英文导游词5篇
