1.Tian’anmen and Tian’anmen Square of the Ming & Qing Dynasties

　　Ladies an Gentlemen:

　　I am very pleased to serve as your guide. First of all,I would like to say a few words about Tian’anmen and Tian’anmen sqare of the Ming &Qing Dynasties.

　　Tian’anmen was first named Chengtianmen(Gate of Heavenly Succession) when it was completed in 1420 as the main gate of the former Imperial City.In the early Ming Dynasty,it was a five –room wide wooden structure with five entrances.The building was double-eave gable roof style.It was burned down by lightning in 1457,and rebuilt in 1465,but destroyed at end of Ming dynasty in 1644.It received its present name in 1651 of Qing Dynasty.

　　The Tian’anmen Rostrum covers an area of 4800 square meters, consists of two sections : terrace and tower. The whole building was 33.7 meters in height before it was renovated in 1970.It was a nine-room-wide and five-room –long gate tower to reflect the highly-exalted status of the emperor.The roof was covered with yellow glazed tiles .Inside there were 60 red columns,the floor was paved with golden bricks .made in suzhou and Jiangning areas.

　　Number nine could be seen everywhere in Tian’anmen gate tower. For instance ,the tower was nine-room wide, nine animal figures on the eave corner,thirty-six windows and doors.that was four times of nine,and on each surface of the door there were enghty-one knobs,nine times nine,that was the metaphor of heaven.

　　In Ming and Qing Dynasties ,there would be grand ceremonies on the rostrum during important occasions,such as Emperor’s enthronement,or when the emperors comferred honorable titles upon their empresses and crown princes, and dispatching generals and soldiers to the battle fields.Imperial edicts were sent down in a gilded box shaped like a phoenix to officials kneeling below. The edict was then taken to the Board of Rites, where copies were made for dispatch to the whole country. The emperor would go through the gate whth his followers when he was leaving on a journey or a battle ,going to the Temple of Heaven,Temple of Earth and Altar of Agriculture to worship.

　　In front of Tian’anmen, there are seven beautiful white marble bridges called Outer Goldedn Water Bridges.They are respectively Brigde of Imperial Way. Royal Bridges, Ranking Bridges and Public Bridges. Tian’anmen Gate is guarded by pairs of stone lions,they served as door keepers, symbolizing imperial power and prosperity. At the front and back of Tian’anmen, there are four sculpted white marble columns called “huabiao”which used for ornamental purposes and to ward off evil spirits.

　　During the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Tian’anmen Square was in “T” shape. It was surrounded by a red wall. To its east was Left Chang’an Gate: the west was Right Chang’an Gate .On the southern end of the Imperial Way (it used to run from south to north through the center of the square ) was Gate of Great Ming .the northern end was the Gate of Heavenly Succession. The Thousand –step Corridor used to be along each side of the Imperial Way. All together there were 288 rooms inside the corridor. In the central part of the square outside the red wall, there were government offices, all designed according to the “civil east and military west” pattern. On the east ,there used to be Board of Rites. Board of Personnel .Board of Revenue. etc. On the west ,there were Military headquarters. Left Chang’an Gate and Right Chang‘an Gate used to situate on Chang’an Avenue ,facing east and west with three entrances. They were single-eave, galbe-roof brick and stone structures of five-room wide and three-room long. Left Chang’an Gate was on the east (in the old days, after the imperial examinations, the top competitors would go through this gate .Hence the name ’Dragon Gate’)and Right Chang’an Gate on the west (criminals went through this gate ,so the gate was also called “Tiger Gate”) .Both of them were torn down for traffic in 1953.

　　The Gate of Great Ming was called Gate of Great Qing in the Qing dynasty and in 1912 the name was changed to Zhonghua Gate .It was a brick and stone structure with Single-eave gable-roof style. There were three entrances and a pair of stone lions in front of the gate .flanking by two stone tablets inscribed with the words “dismounting horse’. When it was built in the years of Ming emperor Yongle ,the couplets on the gate were written by grand academician Xie Jin. The gate was intact in the Qing and was pulled down in 1958 when the square was expanded In 1976 Chairman Mao Memorial Hall was built on the sight .

　　The South Facing Gate (Zhengyangmen Gate ) was located at south of Damingmen Gate built in 1420(18th year of Ming Emperor Yongle).The name of the gate implied that the emperor was the sun and in the middle of the sky :the Empire was held in high esteem by all countries.

　　In Ming & Qing dynasties, South Facing Gate included gate tower, arrow tower ,jar city.

　　Guandi Temple,Guanyin Temple in the jar city ,South Facing bridge and five-archway (Wupailou).They made up a complex of magnificent architectures at central south of Beijing inner city. The Front Gate (Qianmen Gate)itself and arrow tower were the most splendor and tallest among the gates and arrow towers of the inner city. The Gate tower was 40.36meters high. There were 94 battlements at the arrow tower. In 1900(26th year of Qing Emperor Guangxu),the gate was destroyed by the gunfire of the Eight Allied army. In 1901(27th year of Qing Emperor Guangxu),it was renovated. The arrow tower was reconstructed in 1906(32nd year of Qing Emperor Guangxu)

　　There was a small square hundred steps in diameter between South Facing Gate and Gate of Great Ming. The passage placed with stone railings in cross shape was called ‘Chess-board Street’. The street connected South Facing Gate at the south. Gate of Great Ming at the north. Dongjiangmixiang(now Dongjiaominxiang lane) at the east .Xijiangmixiang(Xijiaominxiang lane )at the west. In the Ming & Qing common folks were not allowed to go through the imperial city. so the chessboard street became an important road for interflow of the citizens of eastern and western districts.

　　Well, that is all for my topic. Thank you for your attention. I’m looking forward to your next visit. Good luck and see you!

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（实习编辑：高奕飞）