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The New Face of Beijing’s Cultural Relics2009/06/01
text by Winnie Li and Rocky Li All the major cultural sites and structures in Now is a good time to take a moment to visit these sites, because the weather is good and the summer tourist crush is yet to get started. An unprecedented 600 million yuan (US$86 million) was spent between 2003 and 2008 under the Beijing Municipal Government’s “Humanistic Olympics Cultural Heritage Preservation Project,” about 120 million yuan (US$17 million) a year, the most ever for cultural heritage protection in The projects involved six World Cultural Heritage Sites, along with other national and city heritage sites. Four are representative of the changes made: the Forbidden City (Gugong), a World Cultural Heritage Site; the Palace of Prince Gong (Gongwangfu), opening the entire residence to the public for the first time; the Confucius Temple (Kongmiao) and Guozijian (the Imperial College), restoring many cultural functions; and the Fire God Taoist Temple (Huoshenmiao), opening to the general public for the first time. Its renovation began in 2002. The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the At the heart of the imperial palace complex, the Hall of Supreme Harmony got its most extensive renovation in 300 years. The palace, commonly known as Taihedian, was the most important structure in the During the renovation, the wooden pillars in the hall were reinforced; its glazed tiles were repaired; its colourful paintings were authentically restored, returning the hall to its fabulous lustre. Li Yongge, director of the Ancient Architecture Repairing Centre of the Li said the paint on the wooden buildings looks natural and has a long lifespan when it is made the old way. He is worried that many skills are being lost because only a few relics workers know about them. There is one thing of special note that arose during these repairs. A symbolic box to ward off evil was put back onto the top of the structure. According to Chinese legend, there should be such a symbolic box in any important structure; a ritual should be held when installing the box to express the people’s wishes for good luck. Jin Hongkui, deputy curator of the
Address: 4 Jingshan Qianjie, Dongcheng District 故宫博物院，东城区景山前街4号 Open: 8: Admission: 60 yuan The The palace was built in 1776 as the residence of He Shen (1750–99), a most powerful and privileged minister during the Qing Dynasty. In 1851, Yixin, Prince Gong (1831–98), moved in and gave the palace its present name. As Prince Gong’s Palace is regarded as a record of half the history of the Qing Dynasty, renovators did everything they could to ensure the renovation's authenticity. Since the main structure in the palace was destroyed by fire in the early 20th century, the renovators used historical documents to restore the buildings to their original appearance. Must-see places in the palace include: • The • Le Dao Tang. He Shen’s son married to Princess He Xiao (the daughter of Emperor Qianlong, 1736–95), and Le Dao Tang was where she lived in this palace. During the renovation, a colourful, gilded painting of a phoenix was found on a beam, affirming her imperial status. • Bao Guang Hall, especially its precious coloured paintings under the eaves. The painting skill and technique epitomized the highest standards of Qing Dynasty style. All the golden patterns in the paintings were gilded. With the renovation, the palace became an exhibition hall. • Xi Jin Zhai. This room follows the style of the
Address: A14, Liuyin Jie, Xicheng District 恭王府，西城区柳荫街甲14号 Open: 8: Admission: 30 yuan Confucian Temple and Imperial College The Confucian Temple was built in 1302, and was completed in 1306 during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368). Emperors of the Yuan, Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties offered sacrifices to Confucius, whose thinking, known as Confucianism, was the dominating ideology for feudal China. The temple covers 22,000 square metres and has three rows of buildings and courtyards. The Xianshi Gate (Gate of the Supreme Teacher), Dacheng Gate (Gate of Great Success), Dacheng Hall and Chongsheng Memorial Temple are arranged along a central axis. The Imperial College was built 1308. It served as China’s highest institution of learning while the administrative organ for education during three successive dynasties, the Yuan, Ming and Qing. It covers 28,000 square metres with three courtyards also arranged along a central axis, including the Jixian Gate, Taixue Gate (Gate of Imperial College), Glazed Memorial Arch, Piyong Hall, Yilun Hall and Jingyi Pavilion. Neighbouring the Confucian Temple on the east, the Imperial College is the best-preserved site of an ancient institution of education in China. Beginning in the 1950s, the Confucian Temple and Imperial College were occupied by the Capital Museum and Capital Library for nearly half a century. In 1997, the Confucian Temple and Imperial College were thoroughly refurbished. Seventy years later, in April 2005, the two complexes were renovated again. The recent renovation addressed damaged cultural relics, fire protection, security equipment, structural needs and paintings. The renovation took three years at a cost of 20 million yuan (US$2.9 million) and attempted a restoration of the authentic look of these complexes. Some modern buildings in the Confucian Temple and Imperial College were removed. About 95 percent of the ancient buildings were refurbished to retain their original styles. Lightning rods were installed on the buildings’ roofs. Some big historical errors were corrected during this refurbishment. During the repainting of the pillars, workers discovered that black paint had been painted over with modern red paint. Experts turned to an old illustration of the Imperial College, drawn during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1875–1908) of the Qing Dynasty to authenticate the find; they discovered that black was the proper colour; so parts of the buildings were repainted black instead of vermilion. The discovery of the score and name list stele of the students who’d attended the Imperial College was a big surprise to the experts and may be a wonder to visitors as well. The stele was discovered, buried in the Jingyi Pavilion Courtyard; it is an important example of the marks given using the grading system at the Imperial College. An emperor’s throne graces the Piyong Hall; Emperor Qianlong (1736–95) used this ceremonial chair when he lectured students at the Imperial College. The chair had disappeared from the Imperial College for about half a century but was finally recovered and returned to Piyong Hall. The Fire God Taoist Temple It was rebuilt in 1346, during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368). In 1605, during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), the temple was expanded under Emperor Wanli (1573–1620), who provided glazed tiles to prevent fires, which frequently threatened and destroyed imperial buildings. The temple became the imperial Fire God Temple, the only one in Chinese history. It had last been renovated in 1759 during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911). The Hall of the Perfect Sovereign of Great Kindness, also known as the Heavenly General of the Jade Pivot Fire Office, is located at the southern end. At the northern end lies its main section, the Southern Fire Patriarch Hall in honour of the Perfect Sovereign of the Virtue of Fire, the Fire God, or Fire Patriarch. In the past, a tablet with Emperor Qianlong's handwriting and couplets were seen inside the Hall. To the north of the temple stands the Big Dipper Hall. Another tablet from Emperor Qianlong was hung inside. At the far northern end is the Hall of the Jade Emperor, the supreme ruler of the universe, which also used to feature a tablet provided by Emperor Qianlong. In the past, both wings of the hall consisted of long corridors leading to two separate doors. At the end of the corridors was a wooden pavilion overlooking Shichahai. The “birthday” of the Fire God falls on the 22nd day of the 6th lunar month. In the past, on that day, the emperor would send officials to the temple, paying respects to the Fire God on the emperor’s behalf. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Fire God Taoist Temple was used to host the Middle Origin Celebration (Zhongyuan Fahui). On that day, a very big Boat for Universal Salvation, which was normally donated by rich local families, would be burned on the ground of the corridor outside the temple, in the presence of countless spectators. With the passage of time, the temple fell into disrepair. The Beijing Municipal Government renovated it in 2002 at a cost of 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million). Today, the main structure of the temple has been restored with its original features dating to the Ming and Qing dynasties. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, this temple was used as a hotel by the army. The Beijing Municipal Government took over the temple and renovated it. Hidden dangers to the structure were alleviated with the use of modern electrical wiring and sewage-handling equipment. During the renovation, its old style was retained. Sixty percent of the painting was restored, but just cleared of dust. In the temple, many paintings of the Ming and Qing dynasties and the Republic of China Period (1912–49) were kept in their original colours. The visitors can easily discern their authenticity. During the renovation, many relics were found, including a stone base of a pillar that surprised the experts. The stone was once the base of an archway. The archway in the temple was rehabilitated.
Address: 77 Di’anmenwai Dajie, Xicheng District 西城区地安门外大街77号 Open: August 2009 Admission: unknown |
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