The Forbidden City, a palace complex spanning more than 600 years, is still shrouded in a veil of mystery. While modern visitors can enjoy most of these magnificent buildings, there is still one forbidden place that has been officially closed for a long time: the infamous "Cold Palace". What is the reason why this place where countless disgraced concubines were imprisoned is permanently sealed? Could it really be that there is some kind of secret hidden in it that no one else can see? Or is there something else going on here? With these questions in mind, let's explore the mystery of the cold palace in the Forbidden City.
1. The cold palace is in turmoil in the past life
When it comes to the word cold palace, it is easy for people to think of those creepy palace stories. Indeed, the tragic fate of many concubines in history is closely related to the cold palace.
Everyone doesn't know that in the early Ming Dynasty, there was actually no building specifically called "Cold Palace" in the Forbidden City. When Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the construction of this palace city, he hoped to imitate the establishment of Nanjing, with three courtyards and six palaces, all of which had their own uses, but did not consider the place to place those disgraced concubines in the future. It was not until the Yongle period that Zhu Di succeeded to the throne and ordered people to rebuild the Forbidden City in the style of the Nanjing Imperial City, but this problem was not solved in terms of layout.
Seeing that there were more and more beauties in the harem, but there was nowhere to place those who were left out, someone finally offered a plan to vacate a side courtyard in the Qianxi area on the west side of the imperial garden as a temporary place to resettle. At that time, several concubines had already been beaten here, which buried the rumor that Qianxi was a cold palace.
This rumor has been circulating until the end of the Ming Dynasty, when the emperor swept Concubine Li out of the house and sent her to Qianxi, and the palace people believed that Qianxi was the so-called "cold palace". Since then, there have been some extravagant and wasteful, extravagant and lascivious relics in Qianxi District, and there are also gloomy old things where concubines committed suicide.
After entering the Qing Dynasty, this Qianxi area, which was once known as the "Cold Palace", still retains the traces of the senseless life and death of the Ming Dynasty. However, in the Yongzheng period, the Qianxi area was demolished and rebuilt into buildings such as the imperial study and the 36 views of the imperial view, and there was no trace of the "cold palace" of the year.
It was not until the Guangxu period of the late Qing Dynasty that Cixi angrily imprisoned Concubine Zhen in the North Third Institute, and the North Third Institute slowly replaced the status of the "cold palace" in Qianxi District and became the new "cold palace" in people's mouths. It is also the area of the North Three Institutes that has been covered with a layer of mystery and gloom for a long time.
Two. Legendary resentment
From the background and links of the story, describe what kind of bleak situation the cold palace was
Imagine, in that feudal society that restricts women, it can be said that the biggest shame in life is that the concubines who have fallen out of favor are thrown into the cold palace. They were suddenly relegated from their pampered environment to this dark, damp, cobweb-strewn place, where they could only eat leftovers every day, physically and mentally tormented.
What is even more tragic is that they have to endure the humiliation and abuse of eunuchs all the time. Because of their humble status, their personal safety is completely insecure. It is said that there was a beautiful palace maid who was coerced by the eunuchs, and finally she couldn't bear this shame, so she crashed to death on the stone pillar.
Another concubine was repeatedly beaten and abused in the cold palace, and finally went insane and went crazy, smirking and pacing there. Her fate is unknown, perhaps frozen to death in the cold room.
There are also concubines who are lonely and miserable, with no tiles on the top and no pins on the bottom, and they are starved to death in this hell on earth. These tragedies are horrific to hear, not to mention the hardships of the prisoners who experienced it firsthand.
talked about the mysterious saying of the old Beijingers about the resentment of the cold palace at night
It is precisely because there have been too many inhumane things that have happened in this eerie and terrifying place, so a rumbling saying has been handed down.
It is said that in the quiet hours of the night, there is always a cry coming from the ground, which sounds terrible, as if the dead are wailing. Those who dared to be curious to check found that the voice seemed to come from the ruins of the former cold palace.
The people of old Beijing have a lot of opinions about this, and they believe that this voice is the resentful women in the cold palace who are cursing the perpetrators of the year. Humiliated and tortured, they are so resentful after death that their souls cannot leave the world, so they can only linger on this land forever and wail.
A modern idealist interpretation of the grievance argument
From an idealist point of view, this statement is actually a metaphor for an indictment and rebellion against a cruel system of oppression.
The very existence of the cold palace is the product of a barbaric and backward system. In that era, women did not have any rights and dignity and fell victim to imperial and male power. How much hurt and cruelty they have suffered will make such a strong "resentment" not dissipate after hundreds of years.
The wail of the so-called "resentment" is actually a call for the world to return to fairness and justice, and for people to value the value of every life. In terms of meaning, it gives a kind of sustenance to countless oppressed groups. As long as you are alive for one day, you must persist in struggle, so that your fate will no longer be shackled by shackles and humiliated by others.
3. Pu Yi solved the mystery himself
Quoting Pu Yi's memoirs about the cold palace
For the mystery of the cold palace in the Forbidden City, a party once gave the most authoritative explanation. He was Pu Yi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty.
In his memoirs in his later years, Pu Yi elaborated on the reason for the existence of the cold palace. He said that by the time he ascended the throne, the rule of the Qing Dynasty had already existed in name only, and the country's strength was on the verge of poverty. After the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution, he was forced to abdicate, and although he was still allowed to live in the Forbidden City, the income of the imperial family was much lower than before.
Under these circumstances, the annual maintenance expenses of the palace were already heavy, and it was simply unable to repair some idle old buildings. At that time, places similar to the "cold palace" such as the North Third Institute had been unused for many years, so they could only be left to be dilapidated.
Practical reasons: repair costs, building disrepair
Pu Yi explained that the state of preservation of the "cold palace" buildings left behind by the North Third Institute is extremely poor. Some buildings are crumbling and threaten to collapse at any moment; Some roofs are leaking and rotten, and overgrown with weeds and weeds; There are even animals nesting in it, and there is a foul smell in the air.
It would take a lot of money and resources to renovate these buildings and reopen them for viewing. At that time, the Qing family was already destitute, barely able to maintain the most basic expenses of the royal family. Therefore, the North Third Institute and other places were completely closed, and the gate was tight, so they could only be left to fend for themselves.
Eliminated the speculation that there was a "secret" in the cold palace
To sum up, Pu Yi gave the most reasonable explanation for the mystery of the cold palace: the reason why the so-called "cold palace" buildings in the Forbidden City have been closed for a long time is that the Qing room is unable to repair, and the buildings are too dilapidated and have potential safety hazards, so they are simply closed and not opened.
This explanation undoubtedly shattered the previous speculation that "there are some ulterior secrets inside the cold palace". In Pu Yi's view, it is true that these buildings are no longer suitable for opening to the public, but only because they are too dilapidated and there are no other hidden motives.
Fourth, there is no fixed spatial location in the cold palace
The location of the cold palace in the Ming and Qing dynasties is uncertain
Although people have an eerie association with the term "cold palace", in fact, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, there was no fixed building or space specifically called "cold palace".
It stands to reason that the palace where the emperor lived should be available, and there should be clear rules on where to deal with those concubines who have fallen out of favor. However, the Ming Dynasty seems to have ignored this point when it built the Forbidden City, so there was no special "cold palace" in the early stage.
It was not until the middle and late Ming Dynasty, with the gradual increase in the number of people in the harem, in order to manage in an orderly manner, that a partial courtyard was vacated on the north side of the Xiqianqing Palace and temporarily used as a place for resettlement. Because of the relatively deserted geographical location, it is named "Cold Palace".
After entering the Qing Dynasty, this practice was continued. However, due to the change of rulers and the reform of the palace system throughout the later period, the actual position of the so-called "cold palace" is also constantly changing.
Here are a few palaces that were once used as cold palaces
For example, in the Yongzheng period, the partial courtyard on the north side of the Xiqianqing Palace was demolished and rebuilt, and replaced by buildings such as the imperial study; In the Qianlong period, Chuxiu Palace was used as a temporary "cold palace".
In the late Qing Dynasty, the infamous Zhenfei "entering the well" incident occurred in the partial house of the North Third Institute. As a result, the North Third Institute has become a new "cold palace" in people's minds.
In general, the Ming and Qing dynasties never fixed the space of the "cold palace", but temporarily designated a remote place according to the actual situation to temporarily place those concubines who had fallen out of favor.
The cold palace is actually a folk art concept, and it is not officially set up
Looking back at history, we can find that the "cold palace" has never been an officially recognized and set up building or space. It is just a generalization and joking name for an artistic expression by ordinary people.
In ancient court plays, some plots were often arranged, such as the emperor belittled his concubines in anger and imprisoned them in a humble place. This kind of cold house and side courtyard is jokingly called "cold palace" by the director or the audience.
Over time, the term "cold palace" was equated with the meaning of "prison cell" and "prison" among the people, and was used to allude to the final fate of the poor concubines who were subservient to the royal family.
It is precisely because of this common technique and expression in artistic creation, coupled with the influence of military force, gossip and derivative culture of the government and the opposition, that the fictitious place name of "Cold Palace" has been firmly remembered and spread by people.
5. The story of the cold palace written by modern literati
The cold palace has become a popular subject in literary and artistic creation
Since ancient times, the dark, depressing, and tragic side of the palace has become the subject of conversation among literati and artists. And the story of the "cold palace" has become their favorite content.
Whether it is an old style of poetry or a new novel, as long as it involves court characters and plots, the authors often deliberately exaggerate and exaggerate this element, depicting the "cold palace" as a miserable, desperate, and eerie place.
For example, there is an ancient style order, which reads, "In the past, the beauty is now in the cold palace, and the sandalwood fiber is dripping with sand." Crying out for unscrupulous salvation of the world, who is sorry for the red and the green? It is not difficult to see that the author has deep sympathy and pity for the palace maids and concubines who are imprisoned in the "cold palace".
The artistic value and influence of works on the theme of the cold palace
Undoubtedly, these works have had a positive impact on revealing the dark side of feudal dynasties and arousing people's attention to women's rights.
However, from a purely artistic point of view, many literati are actually exaggerating and sensationalizing, which makes people have too much reverie and suspicion about the "cold palace" in history.
It was not until modern times that some literati and scholars began to describe and analyze the subject of "cold palace" more objectively. Their works began to be closer to historical facts, less fictional and exaggerated.
A re-examination of the "cold palace" in modern fiction
For example, Shen Congwen's novel "The Legend of the Cold Palace" has made a new interpretation and interpretation of the concept of "cold palace". The whole book depicts the lives of those palace maids who were relegated to the "cold palace" in a slow and calm tone and technique.
The author does not exaggerate like the ancients, but directly shows their various living conditions in the "cold palace": some are gradually going crazy, some are still holding their dignity, and some are idle all day long. Through these plain portrayals, readers can more truly feel the mental torture endured by those concubines in the "cold palace".
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Overall, whether it is mystifying or being realistic, it has become an eternal theme and symbol in literature, reflecting an era's thinking about power, gender, and humanity.