2020 is the 600th year of the Forbidden City
The calendar
Has 600 years’ building, people and history of the Forbidden City as its theme
I started working in the Palace museum in 1986
And I’m the editor of the last four years’ calendar
In history Calendar of the Forbidden City was published between 1933 to 1937
For five years
And it was sensational back then
Significant political figures sent it as a gift
But the publication halted after July 7 Lugou Bridge Incident
In 2009, staff of the Forbidden City Publishing House
Introduced the publications of the Forbidden City Publishing House during the Republican era
And they decided to resume the publication of “Calendar of the Forbidden City”
So since 2010
The calendar had been themed around the 12 Chinese zodiac signs
But this time it is different, it’s about what happened in the past six centuries in the Forbidden City
There are 8702 rooms in the palace complex
Grouped by function
And covered separately in 11 months
The first month is about cultural relics concerning the year of Rat
The second month is about the construction of the palace
Construction of the palace complex began in 1406
Throughout ten years
And more than ten thousand people were involved in material purchasing
It represents the highest level of Chinese wood architecture
The third month is about
Taihe dian (Hall of Supreme Harmony), Zhonghe dian (Hall of Central Harmony) and Baohe dian (Hall of Preserving Harmony)
The emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation here
The Hall was used for grand ceremonies such as the emperor's enthronement ceremony,
The emperor's wedding and when he was going on an expedition
The inner court was
Where the emperor lived with his royal family
His resting place and home office
Kunning gong (Palace of Earthly Tranquility) was where the empress lived during the Ming Dynasty
And later in the Qing Dynasty, the east wing was turned into a bridal chamber for the emperor
Emperor’s wedding ceremony was very complicated
Such as the wedding schedule of Emperor Daoguang
It lasted two days and two nights
So we put in this painting of Emperor Guangxu’s wedding
To manifest the glorious vision of an emperor’s wedding
The six eastern palaces and six western palaces were the residences of imperial concubines
Wanrong after marrying Puyi
Lived in Chuxiu gong (Palace of Gathered Elegance)
Yikun gong (Palace of Earthly Honor) nearby was where she rested and played
There were swing set rings on the beam
They are tiny iron pieces
There was an interesting story
Yanxi gong (Palace of Prolonging Happiness) caught on fire multiple times
So late in Qing Dynasty it was decided to build a water tower like
Western style glass house
Where they could keep and watch fish
But with declining national strength, it wasn’t properly finished
Ningshou gong (Palace of Tranquil Longevity) also goes by the name second court
Emperor Qianlong swore at the beginning of his reign
That he would not rule longer than his grandfather
His grandfather Emperor Kangxi was on the throne for 61 years
But power is addictive
So at the 36th year of his reign
He started thinking about how to remain in power after stepping down
I chose several of his stamps, such as this one (relinquishing but attending)
Showing his determination to hold court from behind a screen
After stepping down from the throne
Juanqin zhai (Lodge for Retiring from Hard Work) is a beautiful place
It was built after southern-style elegant gardens
Emperor Qianlong only had three years as the emperor’s father
In fact he barely lived in this part of Ningshou gong
Empress Dowager Cixi lived here though
She celebrated her 60th birthday here
And met with Austrian and U.S. envoys
The Forbidden City was rigidly stratified
And the hierarchy is cold
But Shoukang gong (Palace of Longevity and Health) makes you feel warm
The area is called empress dowager’s district or widow’s district
Filial piety is the foundation of all virtues
Emperors did make a good example here
The horizontal inscribed board was a gift from Emperor Kangxi
To his grandmother Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang at her 60th birthday
Up till now the number of the calendar published has reached three million volumes
This year the first publishing was 800 thousand
As a staff of the Palace Museum
We are preserving the treasure for our nation and people