Lao Kong is more than half a year, in all cities and regions in China have experienced the local scenery and beauty, there are good and bad old Kong will share the beautiful scenery of each region or city with you, I hope everyone can enjoy the beautiful scenery in a limited time! I also hope that everyone will learn more about the history and culture inside.
I hope you will be patient and able to understand the historical and cultural background inside!
1. The Palace Museum:
Built on the basis of the Forbidden City, the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties, it is the world's largest and most well-preserved wooden palace complex, and is also the pride of the Chinese nation and the precious cultural heritage of all mankind.
Walking into the Forbidden City and walking along the central axis, you can feel the broad mind of the prosperous dynasty. The first thing that catches your eye is the Meridian Gate, which is the main gate of the Forbidden City, named because of its location in the meridian direction. In front of the noon gate, there are Duan Gate, Tiananmen Square, etc., and there are neat corridors arranged on both sides of each gate, this layout form is influenced by the system of "five gates and three dynasties", highlighting the majesty and solemnity of the palace building. The north gate floor of the noon gate is nine rooms wide, the top of the yellow tile hall of the heavy eaves, there are thirteen rooms on the east and west city platforms, the shape is like the wings of a goose, commonly known as "five phoenix floors".
After passing through the noon gate, you came to the center of the outer dynasty - the Taihe Palace, the Zhonghe Palace, and the Baohe Palace. The Taihe Palace, commonly known as the Jinluan Palace, is the most spectacular building in the Forbidden City and the largest wooden palace in China. It has red walls and yellow tiles, vermilion and gold, and is golden and brilliant in the sun. The Zhonghe Hall is located between the Taihe Hall and the Baohe Palace, and is a place for the emperor to rest or worship officials before going to the Taihe Hall ceremony. The original name of the Baohe Palace was the Jinshen Palace, and then it was renamed the Jianji Palace, and it was changed to the current name in the second year of Shunzhi, which means "the will is not to gallop, and the god is guarded".
After walking through the Baohe Palace, you entered the harem. Behind the Qianqing Gate of the harem are the three major halls of the inner court: the Qianqing Palace, the Jiaotai Palace and the Kunning Palace. The Qianqing Palace is the place where the emperor deals with daily government affairs, approves and reads the chapters and receives foreign envoys, and has also held family banquets and thousands of banquets here, and the famous "Zhengda Guangming" plaque is hung here. The Jiaotai Hall is mainly a place for the queen to receive congratulations, store timing and time signaling instruments, and treasure the treasure seal of the Son of Heaven. The main function of Kunning Palace is to serve as a wedding room for the emperor's wedding, and the second is to hold shaman sacrifices.
You can see the intricate furnishings in the East and West Sixth Palaces, where the concubines lived and rested. The East Sixth Palace has Chengqian Palace, Jingren Palace, Zhongcui Palace, Jingyang Palace, Yonghe Palace, and Yanxi Palace; The six palaces in the west include Yongshou Palace, Yikun Palace, Chuxiu Palace, Xianfu Palace, Changchun Palace, and Qixiang Palace (Taiji Palace).
In addition to the palace architecture, the Forbidden City has some other attractions that are worth visiting. For example, the Treasure Hall displays a large number of precious cultural relics such as gold and silverware, jade, porcelain, calligraphy and painting, each of which contains profound historical and cultural heritage. The Watch Hall displays exquisite clocks and watches from ancient China, which not only have exquisite appearances, but also complex functions and mechanical structures, reflecting the exquisite skills and artistic value of ancient clocks.
Ningshou Palace is the place where Emperor Qianlong is ready to retire after his abdication, completely imitates the Forbidden City and builds, there are Huangji Palace, Ningshou Gate, Ningshou Palace, Yangxing Palace, etc., as well as the famous Nine Dragon Wall and the first theater of the Forbidden City - Changyin Pavilion, which is very exquisite and beautiful.
The Imperial Garden is a place for the emperor and empress to relax and entertain, and the garden design is full of the essence of traditional Chinese culture, with exotic flowers and plants, rockeries and flowing water.
Every grass, tree, brick and tile of the Forbidden City carries a rich historical and cultural connotation, and strolling through it, as if traveling through time and space, you can appreciate the glory of the Ming and Qing dynasties and the wisdom of the Chinese nation.
In addition, the Cining Palace of the Forbidden City has lived many famous queen mothers and concubines; There is also a Zhenfei Well in the Zhenshun Gate to the north of Ningshou Palace, and there is a well-known story behind it. The construction techniques of the Forbidden City are also unique, such as the endurance and stability of masonry, the inclusion of earthworks, the mutual support of scaffolding, the harmonious size of carpentry, the combination of movement and stillness of tilework, the standard size of painting, the ornate decoration of color painting, The outer softness and inner rigidity of papering (mounting) all show the superb skills of ancient Chinese architecture.
The cultural and historical value of the Forbidden City is immeasurable, and it is an outstanding representative of ancient Chinese palace architecture, attracting countless tourists to explore and feel its unique charm. In order to better visit the Forbidden City, it is recommended to learn about the relevant historical background and attraction information in advance, or you can choose to follow a guide or rent interpretive equipment to gain an in-depth understanding of the story and significance behind each attraction. At the same time, pay attention to the protection of cultural relics and the environment, civilized visits. Due to the large size of the Forbidden City, visitors can choose a suitable tour route according to their time and interests.
2. Summer Palace:
It is a royal garden of the Qing Dynasty in China, located at No. 19 Xinjian Gongmen Road, Haidian District, Beijing, adjacent to the Old Summer Palace Ruins Park and Haidian Park, covering an area of 3.009 square kilometers. It was built in the 15th year of Qianlong (1750), formerly known as "Qingyi Garden", and later renamed Summer Palace in the 14th year of Guangxu (1888). In 1953, the Summer Palace was opened to the public as a park. In 1961, it was announced by the State Council as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units, in 1998 it was included in the "World Heritage List", and in 2007 it was rated as a national AAAAA tourist attraction.
The Summer Palace can be divided into three areas: the palace area, the front mountain and lake scenic area, and the back mountain and back lake scenic area, with many famous scenic spots.
Entering from the Beigong Gate, the first thing that catches your eye is Suzhou Street. It is also called the buying and selling street, it is a water street built in imitation of the south of the Yangtze River, with a total length of more than 300 meters, teahouses, restaurants, money shops, etc., which are specially for the emperor to visit. Nowadays, visitors can taste a variety of traditional Chinese snacks and specialties here.
After crossing the bridge of Suzhou Street and crossing the archway, you can see a number of Tibetan religious buildings on the top of the hill - the four continents. The four major continents are "South Zhanbu Continent", "North Julu Continent", "Dongsheng Shenzhou" and "West Niuhe Continent", which were built in the Qianlong period.
Continuing south, there is a brightly colored building on the top - the Wisdom Sea. Because it has no beams and columns to bear the load, it is also called "beamless hall". The exterior of the Wisdom Sea is decorated with yellow and green glazed tiles, and there are Buddhist shrines on the walls, embedded with 1,110 Amitayus Buddhas.
The Foxiang Pavilion is the tallest building in the park, with an eight-sided three-story heavy eaves structure and a height of about 59.8 meters, which is one of the landmark buildings of the Summer Palace. Here you can overlook many of the park's attractions. Buddha incense pavilion enshrines the bronze cast gold wrapped in a thousand hands Guanyin Bodhisattva standing statue, 5 meters high, weighs 10,000 catties, built in the Ming Dynasty Wanli years, under the backdrop of the load-bearing iron pear wood optimus pillar that runs through the whole pavilion up and down, wonderful and solemn, shining, has extremely high cultural relics and artistic value.
On the east side of Wanshou Mountain is the palace area of the Summer Palace, where the Empress Dowager Cixi lived. The location of Le Shou Tang is superior, facing Kunming Lake, backed by Wanshou Mountain, east to Renshou Palace, west to the promenade, is the best location in the park to live. A group of copper deer, copper crane and copper bottle are displayed on both sides in front of the hall, which means "Liuhe Taiping".
Renshou Hall is located in the southeast of Le Shou Hall, is one of the main buildings in the palace area, faces seven rooms, rolls shed on the top of the mountain, is the emperor's place of governance. During the Qianlong period, the original name was Qinzheng Palace, after the reconstruction of the Guangxu period, it was renamed Renshou Palace, which was the main hall of Cixi and Guangxu sitting in the court to listen to the government. The interior of the Renshou Hall is richly decorated, with a nine-dragon throne carved from rosewood, and a palm fan made of peacock feathers is placed behind the seat, and a screen engraved with more than 200 different ways of writing the word "Shou". On the wall of the warm pavilion of the main hall, there is also a big "Shou" word, which is decorated with colorful clouds and bat patterns, called "Hundred Bats Holding Shou".
The promenade is the longest building in the Summer Palace and the boundary between Wanshou Mountain and Kunming Lake. It takes the Paiyun Hall as the center, extends to the east and west sides, starts from the Moon Gate in the east, and reaches the Shizhang Pavilion in the west, with a total length of 728 meters. In the long corridor, there are also four octagonal heavy eaves pavilions of Liujia, Jilan, Qiushui, Qingyao, and there are various colorful paintings such as figures, landscapes, flowers and birds painted on the beams, which are gorgeous and colorful, and are amazing.
To the south of the promenade is Kunming Lake, which occupies three-quarters of the Summer Palace, and is taken from the allusion of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty who dug the Kunming Pond to practice water warfare. The layout of Kunming Lake is similar to the waterscape of the south of the Yangtze River, known as the reputation of "West Lake", the lake surface is sparkling, the islands are scattered, and the South Lake Island, Zhijingge Island and Zaojiantang Island together constitute the beautiful picture of "one pond and three mountains".
The famous 17-hole bridge in Kunming Lake is the longest existing bridge in the imperial gardens of the mainland, connecting the east embankment in the east and Nanhu Island in the west, with a total length of more than 150 meters.
The Summer Palace is the culmination of traditional gardening art, borrowing the surrounding landscape environment, not only the magnificent and magnificent momentum of the royal garden, but also full of natural interest, which highly embodies the gardening principle of Chinese gardens "although made by man, just like the opening of heaven", and is an outstanding representative of Chinese garden art.
If you have the opportunity to visit the Summer Palace in person, you will be able to appreciate its unique charm and rich cultural connotations more deeply. Before you go, you can learn more about the opening hours, ticket prices, cruise services, and other details through the official website of the Summer Palace or other official channels to better plan your trip.
3. Yungang Grottoes:
Located at the southern foot of Wuzhou (Zhou) Mountain and the north bank of Wuzhou River, about 16 kilometers west of Datong City, Shanxi Province, the grotto is excavated according to the mountain, stretching for about 1 km from east to west. There are 45 main caves, 252 large and small cave niches, and more than 51,000 stone statues, which is one of the largest ancient grottoes in China.
The excavation of Yungang Grottoes began from the beginning of Emperor Wencheng and the beginning of peace (460 years) and continued until the fifth year of Emperor Zhengguang of Xiaoming Emperor (524 years), more than 60 years before and after. The magnificent, rich and colorful statues of the grottoes are the crowning stone carvings of Chinese stone carving art in the 5th century AD and are known as the pinnacle of ancient Chinese Buddhist art.
The early Tanyao Five Caves in the grottoes are grand and simple. Its Buddha statue is tall and majestic, with a plump and round face, a high nose bridge, slender eyebrows and eyes, broad shoulders, and a robe, giving people a sense of majesty and solemnity. These Buddha statues not only show superb carving skills, but also reflect the profound connotation and influence of Buddhist culture at that time.
The middle grottoes are known for their elaborate carvings and ornate decorations. The shape of the cave and the carving of Buddha statues have become more diverse, and many new themes and expressions have emerged. The costumes of the Buddha statues are more ornate, the postures are more graceful, and the facial expressions are more vivid, showing a very high artistic standard. At the same time, the relief carvings on the cave wall are rich in content, including the story of Buddha, the story of Bunsen, the statue of the offering person, etc., which vividly reflects the social life and religious beliefs of the time.
The scale of the late grottoes is smaller, but the layout of the cave chambers and the style of the statues are more flexible and changeable, and more attention is paid to the expression of localization and secularization. At this time, the shape of the Buddha statue was more delicate, and the costumes gradually approached the style of the Central Plains at that time, reflecting the integration of Buddhist art and traditional Chinese culture.
The carving art of Yungang Grottoes is not only reflected in the shaping of Buddha statues, but also in the architectural structure and decoration of the grottoes. The roof, wall, stone pillars and other parts of the grotto are covered with exquisite reliefs and decorative patterns, such as lotus patterns, honeysuckle patterns, flying heavens, etc., showing extremely high artistic value.
The Yungang Grottoes bear witness to the history of cultural exchanges between China and India in ancient times, and also reflect the process of the localization of Buddhism in China. It is a treasure of ancient Chinese art, attracting countless tourists and scholars to come to watch and study, and providing valuable material materials for us to understand ancient history, culture and art.
When you walk into the Yungang Grottoes, it is as if you have traveled through time and space and have a dialogue with history. The lifelike Buddha statues and exquisite reliefs all tell the glory and vicissitudes of the past, and make you deeply feel the wisdom and creativity of the ancient working people.
4. Potala Palace:
Located on the Red Mountain in the center of Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, this magnificent building is the world's highest altitude and largest palace-fortress complex integrating palaces, monasteries and castles, and is also a landmark building in the Tibet Autonomous Region, representing the highest achievement of Tibetan architecture and a symbol of the old Tibetan system of integration of politics and religion.
The Potala Palace was built in 631 AD during the Songtsen Gampo period and has a history of more than 1,300 years. It was destroyed by war, but was rebuilt in 1645 during the reign of the Fifth Dalai Lama, and was expanded by successive Dalai Lamas. After many renovations, it finally took on the current size and form.
The Potala Palace covers an area of 360,000 square meters, with a total building area of 130,000 square meters, mainly composed of the Red House and the White House, and also includes a series of surrounding annexes.
The White House was built in 1645 and took 8 years to build. It is centered on the original holy Guanyin Hall in the Songtsen Gampo period, and a huge temple is built from east to west, which is named after the white powder on the two wings. The 7-storey White House is the largest hall of the Potala Palace, where the Dalai Lama Lama has held major religious and political events such as enthronements and pro-government ceremonies. The 5th and 6th floors are the regency's offices and living rooms. The highest floor (7th floor) is the Dalai Lama's Winter Palace, which is commonly known as the "Hall of Daylight" because of its large natural area. The furnishings in the hall are luxurious, with golden pots and jade bowls; Outside the palace, there is a large balcony overlooking the whole city of Lhasa.
The Red Palace is located in the center of the Potala Palace, with a red façade and a main building with 115 meters high and a total of 13 floors. It adopts a mandala layout, and many scripture halls and Buddha halls are built around the spiritual pagoda hall of the Dalai Lama, which is connected with the White House. The main building of the Red Palace is the spiritual pagoda hall of the Dalai Lama of all dynasties, with a total of five. The largest of them is the Fifth Dalai Lama Spiritual Pagoda Hall (Tibetan Forest Jingji), the hall is three floors high, supported by sixteen large square pillars, the Fifth Dalai Lama Spiritual Pagoda is placed in the center, and the spiritual pagodas of the 10th and 12th Dalai Lamas are placed on both sides. The Fifth Dalai Lama's Spiritual Pagoda Hall is the largest hall in the Red Palace, with a height of more than 6 meters and an area of 725.7 square meters. In the hall, the plaque of "Yonglian Chudi" written by Emperor Qianlong is hung, and the Dalai Lama throne is placed below. There are 698 murals in the whole hall, and the content is mostly related to the life of the fifth Dalai Lama. To the west of the Red Palace is the 13th Dalai Lama's Pagoda (Gelaidunjue), built in 1936 and the latest building in the Potala Palace, comparable in scale to the Fifth Dalai Lama's Pagoda. In addition to the spiritual pagoda, there is also a silver statue of the 13th Dalai Lama and a magic object "manza" made of 200,000 pearls and coral beads.
The Holy Guanyin Hall (Pabalakang) is the main offering hall of the Potala Palace, which was built in the seventh century AD during the reign of the 33rd Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet, and has a history of more than 1,300 years. The hall is located on the north side of the highest floor of the Red Palace, and the main hall is for the treasure level cultural relics of the Potala Palace-Holy Guanyin Statue. At the same time, it is also the place where the Dalai Lama's ninth, 10th and eleventh "reincarnated spirit boys" were examined, and it is the oldest and most sacred Buddha hall in the Potala Palace. In addition to the main offering of the Buddha Logsha Re (Saint Guanyin Shizi) in the center of the central shrine on the north side of the Buddha hall, there are also sandalwood Logsha Re statues imitated by the 7th Dalai Lama on the left, and alloy Loge Share statues imitated by the 8th Dalai Lama on the right. There are also statues of Tsongkhapa, the Fifth Dalai Lama, the Seventh Dalai Lama, the Eighth Dalai Lama, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, the eight disciples of the Buddha in the red sandalwood, the eight good deceased stupas in silver, the white gold to save the eight difficult mothers, a large bronze gilt Dharma wheel, it is said that Tsongkhapa, Padmasambhava, the Holy Nagarjuna, the 12th Dalai Lama stepped on the stone when he was a child, and there are more than 100 Buddha statues of the ancient alloy six-sided and twelve-armed Yama King statues, bronze gilt and floor-high Vajrapani Bodhisattva statues. Outside the hall door, hang the Qing Tongzhi Emperor's imperial pen "Futian Miaoguo" golden plaque, and the top floor of the Buddha hall covers a hexagonal golden roof.
Located on the south side of the west hall of the Red Palace, the Dhammyung Hall (Rinzen Lakang) was built between 1690 and 1693 AD to house a silver statue of Guru Padmasambhava. On both sides of this statue are the statues of Padmasambhava's Bengali concubine Lajan Menta Rangwa and Tibetan concubine Kangdrol Yeshe Tsogyal. On the right side of it are the bronze gilt statues of the eight masters of ancient India (the orthodox inheritors and propagators of Tantra), and on the left side are the eight names of Guru (Guru means Sanskrit guru), that is, the eight incarnations of Padmasambhava.
In addition, the Potala Palace also has a unique landscape of golden domes, located at the top of the Red Palace, the main building of the Potala Palace at an altitude of more than 3,750 meters, with a total of 7 golden domes, all made of copper gilt. The seven golden domes from east to west are the golden dome of the ninth and eighth Dalai Lama Ling Pagoda Hall, the golden dome of the main Buddha Hall of the Potala Palace and the golden dome of the seventh, tenth, fifth and thirteenth Dalai Lama Ling Pagoda Hall. Among them, the fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth and thirteenth Dalai Lama Lingtu Hall golden dome is a mountain type golden dome, and the golden dome is decorated with treasure bottles, common life birds, turtle heads and other ornaments; The main offering Buddha hall (Holy Guanyin Hall) and the golden dome of the Guru Hall are hexagonal golden domes, and the golden domes are decorated with ornaments such as vases, flame treasures, and mani. The top part of each golden dome is also installed with a three-eyed flame-like sharp iron fork, which is a lightning protection device for high-rise buildings in ancient Tibet, reflecting the wisdom of ancient science and technology.
The Potala Palace not only has a grand scale and unique architectural style, but also collects all kinds of Buddha statues, pagodas, thangkas, Buddhist scriptures and other precious cultural relics, which have extremely high cultural and artistic value, and are the supreme holy place in the hearts of Tibetan people and Tibetan Buddhist believers all over the world. In December 1994, the Potala Palace, Norbulingka and Jokhang Temple were listed as world cultural heritage with the "Potala Palace Historical Buildings Group". In January 2013, the Potala Palace was selected as a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction.
When you step into the Potala Palace, you will be shocked by its solemn atmosphere, and feel the profound historical and cultural heritage and religious atmosphere. The murals, Buddha statues, and spiritual pagodas in the palace all make people sigh at the exquisite Tibetan art and the long history of culture. However, there are also some rules and things to be aware of when visiting the Potala Palace, such as following the guide's guidelines, not touching the artifacts at will, and keeping quiet, etc., to respect and protect this precious cultural heritage.
In short, the Potala Palace is a building full of charm and mystery, and its beautiful scenery and rich connotation attract countless tourists to come to watch and explore, and it is an important attraction that cannot be missed in Tibetan tourism.
After seeing these scenery, where do you want to go the most? You can share some of the places and beautiful scenery you have been to with Lao Kong, and see if there are any places that Lao Kong has not visited.