5-minute Journeys into the Forbidden City
Three “Mistakes” in the Last Emperor
The Last Emperor is still today the movie a lot of people watch before coming to China. The director Bernardo Bertolucci pushed open a window to a history that many people outside China knew little about. The story about the boy emperor Puyi trapped inside his own palace, intrigued a world wide audience, in a way that the film has become a reference in popular China history, but where in his depiction was Bertolucci not correct?
The Unspoken Language that Unified A Nation
Even though Chinese characters bound together the empire for thousands of years, the Chinese language did not get a unified pronunciation till after the last emperor abdicated in 1912.
Confucianism & Dragon Ladies
During the dynasties, filial piety was the backbone of the palace hierarchy. This meant the palace women that had outlived an emperor - or even better, mothered one - could become extremely powerful. In some periods, these “dragon ladies” would even come to be recognized as regents of the empire.
Confusing Confucianism
It is easy for us to think of the Chinese classics as something that did not change for thousands of years, but that is far from the truth. It was common for dynasties to not only compile but also censor and even rewrite portions of the classics. A good example of this is the 18th century Si Ku Quan Shu 《四库全书》, one of the largest encyclopedias ever compiled in Chinese history.
How Forbidden was the Forbidden City?
Historically imperial birthday parties were a time where old people of quite humble backgrounds in Beijing would be allowed a rare glimpse of the innermost parts of the Imperial residence.
The 14 Regrets of Shunzhi Emperor
When the Manchus took over China in 1644, they came prepared. Before the conquest the new rulers had made a strong effort to copy the Imperial Chinese bureaucracy, but when the Shunzhi Emperor died in 1661 a letter was found where he regretted that the Manchus had become too Chinese….
The Colours of Imperial Beijing
During the dynasties the emperor did not impose his power on people through massively high towers reaching for the sky or by erecting statues of himself. It was predominantly a color scheme that would tell people the status of a building.
Fear of Becoming Chinese
When the Manchus took over China they had to find a fine balance between respecting Chinese tradition and protecting their own culture.
Fire in the Forbidden City
During its 600 years fire has been one of the biggest threats to the Imperial Palace. Often the damages caused by the flames would not only be material, but would also shake the believe in the son of heaven and cause a disturbance in the balance of power.