The Forbidden City of China Episode 1 Zhu Di, founder of the Ming Dynasty

The Forbidden City is located in the center of Beijing It was once the residence of the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties to date It is still the largest palace complex in China and the world. Construction of the Forbidden City From one man's vision for the future This man's name is Lord Emperor Zhu Di seized the throne in 1402 After ascending the throne, he changed the reign name to Yongle After seizing the throne, he bloodyly suppressed all Anyone who dares to question the legitimacy of his throne The Forbidden City is a symbol of his supreme power There are also countless major historical events secret stage Eunuch Ruan An was the main architect his design Inherited thousands of years of Chinese rules and regulations And it’s made almost watertight Every detail reflects the feudal ethics and ethics How did he achieve this in just three years? Who built this majestic palace? Zhu Di Finally, my wish to own a majestic palace came true But at the same time in this palace Also planted the seeds of self-destruction Late 14th century AD A powerful force Winning consecutive battles in the northern part of China's vast territory Sweep the enemy forces The Ming army defeated the Yuan Dynasty army And brought this man who had ruled the Central Plains for more than a hundred years rape regime Driven out of the Central Plains Liberate the country from the Yuan Dynasty among the heroes There is the fourth prince Zhu Di Zhu Di made great contributions to the establishment of the Ming Dynasty And thus won honor and power He was canonized as King of Yan Guard Peiping Peiping was named after Zhu Di It means pacifying the Northern Expedition No one would have thought at that time There will be a majestic palace in the future rise up here A talented prince like Zhu Di He pursues more than just fame and honor His vassal territory, Peiping, is an important military town in northern China. During the Yuan Dynasty's rule in Zhongyuan This is the capital of the Yuan Dynasty But Zhu Yuanzhang believed that Yuan Dadu There is no magnificent scenery in the capital city Therefore, the capital was set as Nanjing, 2,000 kilometers away. Nanjing is the capital of the south This place is far away from the northern border where wars are frequent. After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty in Nanjing To educate the prince Consolidate the future of the Ming Dynasty Then the young fourth prince was sent to the army Let him live a military life When Zhu Di was 9 years old He was sent alone to the forest Exercise outdoor survival skills Without food and shelter Zhu Di learned to track animals Lay a trap and be able to attack at the right time This training shaped his character Let him benefit for life In the deserted mountains He learned to only trust and rely on himself Desperately expanding one's own advantages he already understands You must take your destiny into your own hands Not yet 40 years old Zhu Di is already done All the goals set by his father Zhu Yuanzhang Yuan Hong wants to see you for something Please, please But Zhu Di wanted more At this time he met a warlock named Yuan Gong Yuan Gong saw Zhu Di's handsome appearance extraordinary behavior Then he introduced himself to him and said that he had something important to tell him. open the door Zhu Di heard this Then he pushed the people around him flatly Then listen to the sorcerer tell today's prophecy You will retreat for now Yuan Gong has a hexagram Incompetence Guan Ni Yintang At the height of the sun Move like a rabbit Shaped like a tiger He is the true emperor What Mr. Yuan just performed was the courtesy of an emperor. These words are certainly fascinating But it may also lead to death There is no vacancy in the throne at this time Sitting on the dragon throne is Zhu Yuanzhang's eldest grandson Zhu Di's nephew Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunwen After Zhu Yunwen inherited the throne, Received the loyal support of hundreds of officials And that's not all The imperial court also detained Zhu Di's sons in Nanjing. as hostages But at this time Emperor Jianwen made a fatal mistake He allowed Zhu Di's sons to return to Peking their father's side He said the palace door was open to them They can choose to leave at any time This is regarded as the emperor Confidence in one's abilities At the same time, it can also be understood as his weakness. And this is the opportunity Zhu Di has been waiting for In 1402, Zhu Di led an army to attack outside Nanjing. in the past three years His army is on the battlefield Repeatedly defeated Emperor Jianwen's army But the walls of Nanjing City But it became a barrier that hindered his progress Zhu Di did not launch a critical battle against Nanjing City But try two different strategies He bribed corrupt officials in the city The officials opened the city gate for him The prosperity and wealth will be collected by you in the future. He led the army and swarmed in He captured the fortified city of Nanjing effortlessly ah ah Zhu Di's army looted the city of Nanjing for several days. They broke into palaces and sacred temples Countless houses were razed to the ground The people in the city faced the invading soldiers no resistance But Zhu Di did not feel the joy of victory Because Emperor Jianwen was missing No one knows Has he been buried in the ruins of the palace? Rumors spread all of a sudden someone said Emperor Jianwen has escaped through a secret passage The fear of Emperor Jianwen followed Zhu Di throughout his life Because if Emperor Jianwen is still alive He will come back for revenge one day The emperor arrives All ministers will welcome July 14, 1402 Zhu Di announced to the world Ascended to the throne and became the emperor of Ming Dynasty And the old ministers of Emperor Jianwen Most refused to submit to the new emperor Some even refused to perform traditional obeisances to him Great Emperor They claimed that Zhu Di would definitely bear the burden of the usurper The infamy will last forever After becoming emperor, Zhu Di changed the reign name to Yongle It means always happy At this time, he met the most direct person in the court. most public opposition The official responsible for Cao's drafting of the edict Openly opposed him in court Your Highness He refused to accept the new emperor He only loyally served Emperor Jianwen, who legitimately inherited the throne. There is only one emperor in his heart It was Emperor Jianwen who was elected based on the ancestral system. He could not tolerate Zhu Di violating his ancestral precepts and usurping the throne. Of course the new emperor Zhu Di knew His ascension to the throne does not conform to the ancestral precepts But Zhu Di said The official opposed the new emperor He also committed a serious crime of treason. The official believed he had committed only one crime Failure to advise Emperor Jianwen early Eliminate the usurper in advance The old minister has neglected his duty. You dare to rebel Zhu Di became angry from shame Order the official to be punished with the harshest possible penalties Lingchi execution this official Not the only one who defends his principles with his life Zhu Yuanzhang and the veterans of Emperor Jianwen I don't get along well with the new emperor. This tortured Zhu Di So Zhu Di increased the punishment Not only killing officials Reunite their families Tens of thousands of victims Such a cruel practice consolidated his throne But officials rebuked him for his words Follows him like a curse Although Zhu Di received a military education, But he and the officials have traditional values His heart is tortured No peace because he uses force Stealing the throne that did not belong to him He was afraid that Emperor Jianwen would be overthrown What if Emperor Jianwen is still alive? What if Emperor Jianwen comes back for revenge? Does Emperor Jianwen still have any remaining best friends? Zhu Di decided to withdraw to Peiping He returned to his old domain and renamed it Beijing the northern capital He wants to build the most magnificent new palace in the world as a sign of one's power The new palace was to be the incarnation of heaven on earth. To become the center of the human world The new palace will be unique between the past and the present magnificent will completely eliminate people's dominance over themselves Questions about legality Zhu Di immediately started handling the matter large numbers of workers Demolition of the old Yuan Dynasty palace in Beijing begins Design and construction tasks for the new palace Finally it fell on Ruan An Ruan An is an outstanding architect Also a eunuch Zhu Di appointed a eunuch to take on such an important task This once again violates the teachings of our ancestors just a few years ago Zhu Yuanzhang also strictly prohibited eunuchs from holding official positions in the DPRK. All official positions can only be filled by knowledgeable officials But Zhu Di no longer trusted these officials. He needs these eunuchs to serve him loyally There were a large number of eunuchs around him They are always waiting to carry out his orders Things about eunuchs in power happened many times in history Many emperors were happy to use eunuchs It's because eunuchs are the emperor's retainers Will completely obey the emperor's orders and personally supervise Originally they served mainly as servants and guards in the harem But Zhu Di gave them A position of great power To compete with the officials in the court Zhu Di also encouraged the eunuchs to be suspicious of each other Monitoring each other and competing for favors Because the eunuchs served the emperor and queen separately heir to the throne prince and many concubines This directly led to the birth of various political factions This gave rise to a large number of palace intrigues may even happen The eunuch group colluded with military officials outside the palace conspiracy to rebel in Chinese history Tragedies like this keep happening Most of the endings are national turmoil caused by the eunuchs' dictatorship. What ensues is killing and fighting between factions Some eunuchs began as castrated prisoners of war Later the attack became a slave castration It has existed for a long time in human history In the Qing Dynasty of China Castration surgery has a low mortality rate Eunuchs don't get sympathy from people You're just like a eunuch The worst insult ever Castration makes it difficult for eunuchs to go to the toilet In the society at that time The eunuch's only chance to gain people's respect It is to obtain an official position in the palace This is why Ruan An as a eunuch the path chosen Appointed as a carpenter in the Forbidden City This is a rare opportunity in Ruoan's life But this position is difficult to fill because Although he was the top architectural expert in ancient China But this time he doesn't just want to build a majestic palace We were also asked to create the aura of a paradise on earth. Now Want to understand the philosophy behind the master plan at that time It's already very difficult Every detail in the master plan all reflect Planners’ firm belief in traditional culture the city of beijing is composed of a series of square structures they echo each other interlocking The center of Beijing is the Forbidden City The Forbidden City is surrounded by the Imperial City Outside them are the inner and outer cities of Beijing. This square courtyard Represents the Chinese worldview The ancient Chinese believed Our world is a round place The Forbidden City is regarded as the center of the world Because of its position with Polaris That is, Zi Weiyuan in traditional Chinese astrology Correspondingly, it is called the Forbidden City. All palaces in the Forbidden City Divided into two parts: the outer court and the inner court The outer court is used for ceremonial activities and offices The inner court is the emperor where the emperor and his family lived inner court There are three palaces that are basically the same shape as the outer dynasty. Just slightly smaller in scale Ruan An needs to put complex Chinese philosophy into perspective Integrate into architectural power In addition, he also has to satisfy Zhu Di's whims A folk legend tells us What kind of pressure has he faced? Zhu Di requested that a tower be built at each of the four corners of the city. Several plans were rejected by him Ruan An's situation is very dangerous life hanging by a thread before tomorrow The emperor has lost patience with him tell him If the next day He still can't come up with a satisfactory design then he will be executed Luan An'an invested in a new round of design But there is no good solution these days Ruan An is like others There is a grasshopper in the cage The chirping of the grasshopper is like beautiful music But even so It can't make him feel better either. Everything can only be left to fate time is limited Seeing death approaching Ruan An decided to design a large cage for the grasshopper Let him live more comfortably Ruan An concentrated on observing the grasshopper in the cage Learn all your life A new cage with a complex structure was designed according to legend on the morning of the next day Zhu Di visited Ruan An's study in person Long live Long live Long live Ruan An's life is at stake in this long night He only designs lychee and grasshopper cages Situ But the emperor greatly appreciated Ruan An's design He won’t take Ruan An’s life for the time being. This designer seems to be of some use if this story is true These four corner towers of the Forbidden City It was designed out of some kind of coincidence Every brick that makes up this palace complex Each tile and its pattern all have symbolic meaning Each palace and courtyard contains several The word 9 or a multiple of 9 The largest number in this single digit Symbolizing the emperor's supreme status There are sculptures of 9 mysterious animals on the roof Used to ward off evil spirits Even the decorative trees on the palace gate Also a multiple of 9 On this magnificent glazed screen wall Decorated with 9 flying dragons The main hall where Emperor Long Yi is located is called the Hall of Supreme Harmony There are 72 huge columns in the temple Support the main hall The Dragon Throne is the throne of the Son of Heaven It is located in the very center of the Forbidden City Protected by nine dragons The Forbidden City consists of 9,999 houses that is because It is said that only heaven can have 10,000 houses at the beginning of this century Forbidden City restorers Inherited the craftsmanship passed down by our predecessors The Forbidden City was restored Make this city famous all over the world Glorious again Decorations and glazed tiles used on the roofs of the Forbidden City All are yellow In China yellow is a symbol of royalty Ordinary people cannot use this color Otherwise, it will lead to a fatal disaster Today there are only two manufacturers Won License to manufacture these ornaments and glazed tiles Watch workers making ancient ornaments It feels like time is still stuck in the past Decoration of palace exterior surfaces Artists still need to carve it by hand They have to go through years of basic practice Only then are you qualified to make relief sculptures of various dragons Before firing glazed tiles The tiles need to be glazed first Only the kiln owner knows the glaze formula. This recipe is kept strictly confidential It will only be passed on to the next generation of kiln owners. Of course let these royal glazed products Firing temperature for brilliant surface color It's also a secret There are a total of 150,000 tiles covering the roof of the Forbidden City. However, according to historical records The entire building complex only took 3 years The construction was completed in The time is from 1417 to 1420 Putting aside other factors As far as the construction of these buildings is concerned At that time, such efficiency was probably unmatched by anyone. The reason why the Forbidden City could be completed in three years Because of the builders used a simple approach This method has been widely used in ancient China That is, on a stone foundation Erect the wooden pillars used to support the roof The roof and columns are connected by wooden brackets This connection is called a dougong All these bracket structures without using a single nail are firmly connected together All these parts are made in advance It's done before assembly At the construction site Just put these parts Just assemble it piece by piece. all load-bearing parts of the palace All are made from high-quality tree species These woods are easy to transport and process And the load-bearing capacity is also very strong It's even more load-bearing than steel. The columns have survived the seasons over the centuries. Still no deformation This method of constructing jade buildings Ruan An did not invent it This method was used in 1,000 B.C. It has already been adopted by the Chinese It is clearly recorded in ancient books Simple and flexible construction techniques That's not the only reason it was completed so quickly Ruan An’s excellent organizational skills also played a certain role before starting work All building materials have been constructed according to precise standards Pre-processed From the time Zhu Di issued the edict to the completion of the project, it took 13 years Ruan An has been organizing people non-stop Shipping materials from all over China to Beijing marble for foundation From a quarry about 100 kilometers away from Beijing fir and other hardwoods Mountain tombs from the southern provinces The material was put into the river go down the river Drifting into the Yangtze River Then enter the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal connected to the capital. Parts of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal Has existed for over 2,400 years in the 12th century The canal was expanded to Beijing The Grand Canal is 1,800 kilometers long It is the longest artificial river in the world Initially the canal's main role was It is to transport rice from the south to the capital. But now according to the emperor's order Every ship sailing to the capital had to transport extra bricks to build the Forbidden City historians believe More than 2 million tons of bricks transported to Beijing through the canal The square in the Forbidden City alone is paved with five layers of bricks Nearly 100,000 people are on site at this huge construction site Work from sunrise to sunset Closing hours every day They were locked in the wooden frame heavy wooden cuffs Completely prevent them from escaping The wooden clamps are only removed when they are working The progress of the project is very fast Carpenter Ruan An is very satisfied with the progress of the project thousands of masons and masons Start decorating marble steps Decoration craftsmen use thin gold foil The beams that wrap the roof of the palace But Ruan An still has to face another challenge one day in the future The emperor had to climb the stone steps when opening a new palace And the center of the stone steps There is still a hole waiting to be filled What we saw here today It's a huge stone sculpture of Yunlong How to transport 300 tons of marble From the quarry to the Forbidden City? The quarry is located in today's Dashiwo Town, Fangshan District 80 kilometers from Beijing When the cold winds of the northern wilderness sweep over in winter, Temperatures can drop to minus 20 degrees Celsius The biting cold wind tortures the husband at the quarry But Ruan An was given a God-given opportunity He ordered people to dig thousands of holes along the transportation route. well and ordered workers to pour water on the ground Giant marble blocks follow the 80-kilometer ice path Sliding all the way from the hillside to the Forbidden City Report to the Emperor Li Shimian asks to see An official requested an audience with the emperor The emperor has a decree to declare Li Shimian Li Shimin It has been 20 years since Zhu Di issued the edict to build the Forbidden City. Minister Li Shimian witnessed all this In his opinion these 20 years thousands of people Sacrifices were made for this idea of ​​building a new capital The country's resources are greatly consumed as a result Many officials jointly issued a remonstrance Enjoyed the huge pressure on the national finances Li Shimian is the main drafter as a veteran My relatives should understand me Zhu Di understands these officials' concerns about the country He knew that Li Shimian was a loyal minister So I found him Go all out Let him speak freely without reservation Tell us your views on building a new capital and forgive him in advance here Please come truthfully Li Shimian believed it to be true He confided his deepest worries to the emperor The construction of the Forbidden City not only cost a huge amount of money It also forced thousands of farmers to leave their fields. Thousands of farmers are unable to work their fields Can only work day and night at the construction site This leads to the desolation of the land Many provinces fell into famine Many poor people can only eat bark and grass roots Or sell your wife and children to survive The emperor is irritating God. Li Shimian begged the emperor Don't move the capital from Nanjing to Beijing And prayed for forgiveness in front of the tomb of Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang This is the only way to avoid disaster Otherwise, God will never favor the emperor again I don't know why Zhu Di did not kill Li Shimin But he just imprisoned Li Shimin in the dungeon. But Li Shimin predicted disaster the judgment of heaven Make Zhu Di shudder Except God The emperor does not need to report to anyone or any superior Every year the emperor would offer sacrifices at the Temple of Heaven To pray for a good harvest in the coming year Pray for protection from floods, droughts and storms Chinese people are convinced that natural disaster It is God’s warning to the king for disturbing the harmony of the world. Zhu Di was convinced that the Forbidden City was built able to finally legitimize their rule At the same time, you can also obtain God’s approval. In order to allow the Ming Dynasty to continue forever This is the ceremony held by Emperor Zhu Di at the Temple of Heaven. Only this time every year This king is on his knees Now Like the North Star hanging motionless in the sky The emperor is at the center of the world This is already reflected in the architectural design of the Forbidden City was reflected north-south central axis Connect the most important buildings with a line From this we can see The arrangement of these buildings does follow a strict order Buildings closer to the north-south central axis Symbolizes the closer to heaven Located at the southern end of the central axis is Chengtianmen That is today’s Tiananmen Square Centrally located Zhonghe Hall It is the place closest to heaven looking down from above it appears as a perfect square This is the center of the world It is also the place where heaven and earth meet Practicing eunuchs are doing their homework It's 3 o'clock in the morning two more hours The sun will rise The main civil and military officials of the imperial court Stand in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony Position is determined based on official rank Although there are many officials But the whole square is quiet Speech or any other inappropriate behavior They will all be punished according to the law. Courtiers often had to wait for hours Until the emperor comes to court The emperor's day begins before sunrise You have to follow the same ritual every day when you go to court Long live our emperor Long live long live long live officials said It is impossible to govern a country without rituals Just like plowing a field requires a plow Forbidden City through architecture Expressing the harmony between man and the universe And these rituals can maintain the order of the universe Zhu Di has been troubled by a question The Emperor Jianwen who was ousted by himself Are you still alive in the world? So only if you are loyal Inside the Forbidden City guarded by eunuchs Zhu Di has some sense of security The eunuchs had to taste breakfast for him every day to prevent smuggling The same goes for lunch and dinner All need eunuchs to taste it first There are 99 dishes for him to choose from every day Emperor Jianwen never appeared again Didn't come back and tore off Zhu Di's dragon robe No one knows the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen yet. The constellation representing Yongle Emperor Zhu Di in 1421 Shining brighter than ever 20 years after he ascended the throne His power reached its peak He has been working hard for many years Eliminate the fact that he used force to seize the throne in his early years the adverse effects brought about by He established and implemented a set of traditional etiquette and rules Trying to win the support of the former emperor's old ministers Even though he went on a killing spree when he first took the throne All the ministers knelt before the emperor Anyone in the Forbidden City now I don’t dare to be like back then Same as at the coronation ceremony in Nanjing Refusing to bow down to him Zhu Di ordered people to compile a large-scale complete book Compilation of Yongle Dharma in A collection of knowledge accumulated over thousands of years in China Zhu Di personally wrote the preface to the book In the past, the sage kings ruled the world Take the path to enlightenment That's when the talent becomes a suitable assistant to the prime minister Cultivating rituals and music and enlightening education Zhu Di explains wisdom and etiquette and promotes humanism Working towards the goal of a generation of Ming army After Ruan An kneeled for several hours, I can finally move my painful knees perhaps At this time, he remembered Confucius's famous saying: The gentleman has the wind. The villain gets grass The wind on the grass must also However Can this huge project fulfill its mission? Although countless people are repeating the same ritual But does this really make it eternal? The world outside the Forbidden City at this time A lot has changed Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty and his successor Ming Chengzu Zhu Di Even the emperors of China for thousands of years All major political events will be carried out Treat it as your own family matter This is a weakness of Ming Dynasty politics The result is All major government affairs do not need to be discussed in court So naturally The royal power expanded without limit Regardless of his advantages and disadvantages for the moment objectively The fate of the Ming Dynasty Almost everything is kept together The emperor alone This requires more dependence on The emperor's personal political ability Yongle period The foundation of the regime begins to shake Hunger and poverty spread throughout the country If people want to get rid of poverty at the bottom You can enter an official career by obtaining fame. Or become a eunuch in the palace Poor farmers would castrate their sons Sent to the capital This will give you a chance to enter the palace A large number of poor people Suffering in the world outside the palace walls Although self-harm is an act that should be punished Moreover, eunuchs were strictly restricted from entering the palace. But the palace will always end up choosing eunuchs And open the palace door Yongle period There were once more than 3,000 eunuchs in the Forbidden City Initially only 100 is allowed per year People enter the palace Later, strict inspection procedures were designed To prevent individuals from being castrated privately and entering the palace By the late Ming Dynasty An astonishing number of eunuchs entered the Forbidden City Two hundred years later, in the early 17th century There are actually 70,000 eunuchs in the Forbidden City It's him These eunuchs were despised by the common people Became an important member of the power center Serving the Royal Family This background gave them influence and wealth Let's all follow along Some of them are like Ruan An Possess the skills to make contributions to the imperial court But there are also many people who are just good at conspiracy They strive to expand their power In the end, the Ming Dynasty was pushed to the edge of complete overthrow. after all Emperor Yongle could not live up to his wishes forever happy Minister Li Shimian in prison I still hope that I can be released as soon as possible He felt that perhaps he should not remonstrate After all, the Forbidden City was finally built. But his prophecy also came true When lightning struck the Forbidden City Just as Li Shimian predicted Heaven seems to be withdrawing the authorization given to Emperor Yongle on a stormy summer night The Forbidden City exposed his weaknesses The ornate wooden beams were set on fire The masterpieces of the world before the wrath of heaven Almost vulnerable The three main halls were all submerged in the sea of ​​fire. Zhu Di stood in front of the ruins of his life's masterpiece Very sad The Ming Dynasty will continue to exist There will be 13 emperors who will rule here for centuries in the future However, this fire seems to have become A very early sign of the fate of the Ming Dynasty By 1644 The former glory of the Ming Dynasty has long since faded away Severe drought for many years and help Korea resist Japanese aggression leaving the treasury extremely empty However, it is difficult for the people to survive under the exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes. When King Li Zicheng's uprising army During the siege of the Forbidden City The last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Ming Sizong Chongzhen Hanged himself on Jingshan Mountain overlooking the Forbidden City He hung himself on the soft belt While watching the Forbidden City burst into flames, Among 70,000 eunuchs Only one person accompanies the emperor Send him one last journey Although the Ming Dynasty fell But the Forbidden City remains A powerful tribe from the grassland Quickly took advantage of the situation Accepted the power of the Ming Dynasty There is a new monarch on the throne Accompanied by the majestic palace complex of the Forbidden City China's feudal society lasted until 1911