In 1421, Ming Chengzu Zhu Di built the city of Beijing and the Forbidden City. Since then, it has become the residence of the Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. But wherever the emperor lived, there will always be some stories, and there may be inexplicable "strange legends". To this day, there are still 3 more "weird" places in the Forbidden City, especially one of them: even experts say they can't figure it out.
One: The eerie arrow on the plaque of the Forbidden City
A half-truncated arrow remains on the plaque of the Forbidden City today, and it is said that it remained on the plaque for more than 200 years. According to the "Draft History of the Qing Dynasty", during the reign of the Jiaqing Emperor, an uprising movement broke out at that time when Lin Qing, the leader of the Tianli Sect, attacked the imperial city. In 1813, Lin Qing led more than 100 people to break into the Imperial City, and the Imperial Forest Army guarding the Imperial City launched a fierce battle with them. Although this group of people was heroic, the number was too small, and in the end almost all of them were sacrificed at the gate of the Forbidden City. The arrows on the plaque are the marks left over from the battles of that year. The Tianli Sect uprising was a shock to the Jiaqing Emperor, and in order to let future emperors not forget this historical lesson, this arrow has been preserved.
Two: The strange dragon belly on the wall of the Nine Dragons
There is a must-visit attraction in the Forbidden City - the Nine Dragon Wall. The dragon is a mythical object in ancient Chinese legends and a symbol of the Son of Heaven, and the Forbidden City where the emperor lives must also have a dragon to reflect the majesty of the royal family. Built during the Qianlong period, the Nine Dragon Wall is made of exquisite glass, but one part of its abdomen is made of wood. Ordinary people don't look very carefully, and they really can't see the strange appearance of this dragon. At that time, when repairing the Nine Dragon Wall, the Qianlong Emperor would definitely personally check it out, and if anyone dared to deduct Liu Li's profit from it, it was estimated that he was impatient with life, and there would even be a danger of slashing at the door. So "cutting corners" is impossible.
Some people think that the wood of the Nine Dragon Wall is a button for the mechanism to start. Because the Forbidden City is so big and is where the emperor lives, it is necessary to set up organs. Later, someone did a special experiment, but found that there was no organ in it. Nor does the "organ say" stand. But experts still find the answer in the historical data. It turned out that Qianlong wished the empress dowager a happy birthday and specially built the Nine Dragon Wall as a congratulatory gift. However, due to the tight construction period at that time, the Nine Dragon Wall inevitably had a flaw in the process of rushing to make it: a piece of glass accidentally broke. Because the empress dowager's birthday was approaching, the craftsmen at that time had to take wooden blocks to fill it. Whether Qianlong knew the mystery in it, it was impossible to verify.
Three: The strange lion of the Broken Rainbow Bridge
As the saying goes, "There are too many lions in Lugou Bridge to count." "But the Broken Rainbow Bridge in the Forbidden City also has a lot of lions." The lions of various shapes come to life, but one of them is very special: with a look of pain on its face and covering its lower body with its small paws. To put it simply and rudely, the lion looked miserable and covered its "awkward crotch" with its small paws. The Forbidden City where the emperor lived appeared such a disrespectful lion, which revealed a bit of "weirdness".
According to legend, the Daoguang Emperor once kicked his son to death. The prince was killed by his hand because he angered his father, and afterwards Daoguang was full of remorse, but he was powerless to return to heaven. Therefore, in order to commemorate his dead son, he specially ordered someone to create such a "strange" lion to commemorate it. However, this event cannot be found in the historical data, so it is not recognized by people. Until today, the "weird" lion of the Broken Rainbow Bridge has become a major mystery of the Forbidden City, and experts have not figured it out.