英文导游词长城
2020-03-02 09:17:09 来源：范文大全收藏下载本文
The Great Wall
The Great Wall, like the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal(1) in India and the Hanging Garden of Babylon(2), is one of the great wonders of the world.Starting out in the east on the banks of the Yalu River in Liaoning Province, the Wall stretches westwards for 12,700 kilometers to Jiayuguan in the Gobi desert, thus known as the Ten Thousand Li Wall in China.The Wall climbs up and down, twists and turns along the ridges of the Yanshan and Yinshan Mountain Chains through five provinces--Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Gansu--and two autonomous regions--Ningxia and Inner Mongolia, binding the northern China together.
Historical records trace the construction of the origin of the Wall to defensive fortification back to the year 656 B.C.during the reign of King Cheng of the States of Chu.Its construction continued throughout the Warring States period in the fifth Century B.C.when ducal states Yan, Zhao, Wei, and Qin were frequently plundered by the nomadic peoples living north of the Yinshan and Yanshan mountain ranges.Walls, then, were built separately by these ducal states to ward off such haraments.Later in 221 B.C., when Qin conquered the other states and unified China, Emperor Qinshihuang ordered the connection of these individual walls and further extensions to form the basis of the present great wall.As a matter of fact, a separate outer wall was constructed north of the Yinshan range in the Han Dynasty(206 BC--1644 BC.), which went to ruin through years of neglect.In the many intervening centuries, succeeding dynasties rebuilt parts of the Wall.The most extensive reinforcements and renovations were carried out in the Ming Dynasty (1368--1644) when altogether 18 lengthy stretches were reinforced with bricks and rocks.it is mostly the Ming Dynasty Wall that visitors see today.The Great Wall is divided into two sections, the east and west, with Shanxi Province as the dividing line.The west part is a rammed earth construction, about 5.3 meters high on average.In the eastern part, the core of the Wall is rammed earth as well, but the outer shell is reinforced with bricks and rocks.The most imposing and best preserved sections of the Great Wall are at Badaling and Mutianyu, not far from Beijing and both are open to visitors.The Wall of those sections is 7.8 meters high and 6.5 meters wide at its base, narrowing to 5.8 meters on the ramparts, wide enough for five horses to gallop abreast.There are ramparts, embrasures, peep-holes and apertures for archers on the top, besides gutters with gargoyles to drain rain-water off the parapet walk.Two-storied watch-towers are built at approximately 400-meters internals.The top stories of the watch-tower were designed for observing enemy movements, while the first was used for storing grain, fodder, military equipment and gunpowder as well as for quartering garrison soldiers.The highest watch-tower at Badaling standing on a hill-top, is reached only after a steep climb, like \"climbing a ladder to heaven\".The view from the top is rewarding, hoverer.The Wall follows the contour of mountains that rise one behind the other until they finally fade and merge with distant haze.A signal system formerly existed that served to communicate military information to the dynastic capital.This consisted of beacon towers on the Wall itself and on mountain tops within sight of the Wall.At the approach of enemy troops, smoke signals gave the alarm from the beacon towers in the daytime and bonfire did this at night.Emergency signals could be relayed to the capital from distant places within a few hour long before the invention of anything like modern communications.There stand 14 major paes (Guan, in Chinese) at places of strategic importance along the Great Wall, the most important being Shanghaiguan and Jiayuguan.Yet the most impreive one is Juyongguan, about 50 kilometers northwest of Beijing.Known as \"Tian Xia Di YI Guan\" (The First Pa Under Heaven), Shanghaiguan Pa is situated between two sheer cliffs forming a neck connecting north China with the northeast.It had been, therefore, a key junction contested by all strategists and many famous battles were fought here.It was the gate of Shanghaiguan that the Ming general Wu Sangui opened to the Manchu army to suppre the peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng and so surrendered the whole Ming empire to the Manchus, leading to the foundation of the Qing Dynasty.(1644-1911) Jiayuguan Pa was not so much as the \"Strategic pa Under the Heaven\" as an important communication center in Chinese history.Cleft between the snow-capped Qilian Mountains and the rolling Mazong Mountains, it was on the ancient Silk Road.Zhang Qian, the first envoy of Emperor Wu Di of the Western Han dynasty (206 B.C-24 A.D), croed it on his journey to the western regions.Later, silk flowed to the west through this pa too.The gate-tower of Jiayuguan is an attractive building of excellent workmanship.It has an inner city and an outer city, the former square in shape and surrounded by a wall 11.7 meters high and 730 meters in circumference.It has two gates, an eastern one and a western one.On each gate sits a tower facing each other.the four corners of the wall are occupied by four watch towers, one for each.Juyongguan, a gateway to ancient Beijing from Inner Mongolia, was built in a 15-kilometer long ravine flanked by mountains.The cavalrymen of Genghis Khan swept through it in the 13th century.At the center of the pa is a white marble platform named the Cloud terrace, which was called the Croing-Street Dagoba, since its narrow arch spanned the main street of the pa and on the top of the terrace there used to be three stone dagobas, built in the Yuan Daynasty(1206-1368).At the bottom of the terrace is a half-octagonal arch gateway, interesting for its wealth of detail: it is decorated with splendid images of Buddha and four celestial guardians carved on the walls.The vividne of their expreions is matched by the exquisite workmanship.such grandiose relics works, with several stones pieced together, are rarely seen in ancient Chinese carving.The gate jambs bear a multi-lingual Buddhist sutra, carved some 600 years ago in Sanskrit(3), Tibetan, Mongolian, Uigur(4), Han Chinese and the language of Western Xia.Undoubtedly, they are valuable to the study of Buddhism and ancient languages.As a cultural heritage, the Wall belongs not only to China but to the world.The Venice charter says: \"Historical and cultural architecture not only includes the individual architectural works, but also the urban or rural environment that witneed certain civilizations, significant social developments or historical events.\" The Great Wall is the largest of such historical and cultural architecture, and that is why it continues to be so attractive to people all over the world.In 1987, the Wall was listed by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site.Notes:1.the Taj Mahal in India 印度的泰姬陵2.the Hanging Garden of Babylon 巴比伦的空中花园3.Sanskrit 梵语4.Uigur 维吾尔语
There stand 14 major paes (Guan, in Chinese) at places of strategic importance along the Great Wall, the most important being Shanghaiguan and Jiayuguan.Yet the most impreive one is Juyongguan, about 50 kilometers northwest of Beijing.Known as \"Tian Xia Di YI Guan\" (The First Pa Under Heaven), Shanghaiguan Pa is situated between two sheer cliffs forming a neck connecting north China with the northeast.It had been, therefore, a key junction contested by all strategists and many famous battles were fought here.It was the gate of Shanghaiguan that the Ming general Wu Sangui opened to the Manchu army to suppre the peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng and so surrendered the whole Ming empire to the Manchus, leading to the foundation of the Qing Dynasty.(1644-1911) Jiayuguan Pa was not so much as the \"Strategic pa Under the Heaven\" as an important communication center in Chinese history.Cleft between the snow-capped Qilian Mountains and the rolling Mazong Mountains, it was on the ancient Silk Road.Zhang Qian, the first envoy of Emperor Wu Di of the Western Han dynasty (206 B.C-24 A.D), croed it on his journey to the western regions.Later, silk flowed to the west through this pa too.The gate-tower of Jiayuguan is an attractive building of excellent workmanship.It has an inner city and an outer city, the former square in shape and surrounded by a wall 11.7 meters high and 730 meters in circumference.It has two gates, an eastern one and a western one.On each gate sits a tower facing each other.the four corners of the wall are occupied by four watch towers, one for each.
Juyongguan, a gateway to ancient Beijing from Inner Mongolia, was built in a 15-kilometer long ravine flanked by mountains.The cavalrymen of Genghis Khan swept through it in the 13th century.At the center of the pa is a white marble platform named the Cloud terrace, which was called the Croing-Street Dagoba, since its narrow arch spanned the main street of the pa and on the top of the terrace there used to be three stone dagobas, built in the Yuan Daynasty(1206-1368).At the bottom of the terrace is a half-octagonal arch gateway, interesting for its wealth of detail: it is decorated with splendid images of Buddha and four celestial guardians carved on the walls.The vividne of their expreions is matched by the exquisite workmanship.such grandiose relics works, with several stones pieced together, are rarely seen in ancient Chinese carving.The gate jambs bear a multi-lingual Buddhist sutra, carved some 600 years ago in Sanskrit(3), Tibetan, Mongolian, Uigur(4), Han Chinese and the language of Western Xia.Undoubtedly, they are valuable to the study of Buddhism and ancient languages.
As a cultural heritage, the Wall belongs not only to China but to the world.The Venice charter says: \"Historical and cultural architecture not only includes the individual architectural works, but also the urban or rural environment that witneed certain civilizations, significant social developments or historical events.\" The Great Wall is the largest of such historical and cultural architecture, and that is why it continues to be so attractive to people all over the world.In 1987, the Wall was listed by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site.故宫 hello, everyone，we are now going to pay a visit to a place of special interest.this scenic spot is located at the center of beijing and is characterized by thousands of palatial architectures and purple walls as well as yellow glazed tile roofs- it is simply a sea of palaces.this is the world – famous wonder – the palace museum.
the palace museum has served as the royal residence during the ming and qing dynasties.it was here that a total of 24 monarchs ascended the throne and wielded power for some 500 years.the palace museum, as the most beautiful spot of interest throughout beijing, is unique for its location: to the northwest is beihai(north sea) park, famous for its white pagoda and rippling lake; to the west is the zhongnahai (central and south sea); to the east lies the the wangfujing shopping street; and to the north id jinshan park.standing in the wanchun (everlasting spring) pavilion at the top of jingshan(charcoal hill) park, you overlook the skyline of the palace museum.at the southern end of the palace is tian` anmen (gate of heavenly peace) and the famous square named after it .this is the symbol of the people` s republic of china.a world-famous historical site, the palace museum is on the world heritage list of unesco and is an embodiment of oriental civilization.
the palace museum is rectangular in shape, 960 meters long from north to south and 750 meters wide from east to west, covering a space of 720,000 square meters of which 150,000 is building area .it has 9000-strong rooms in it .according to legend there are 9999.5 room-units in all .the whole compound is enclosed by a 10-meter-hign wall and is acceed through four entrances, namely, the meridian gate in the south ,the gate of military prowe in the north, donghua(eastern flowery ) gate in the north, donghua ( eastern flowery) gate in the east and xihua(western flowery ) gate in the west.on each corner there is a turret consisted of 9 roof beams, 18 pillars and 72 ridge .encircling the compound there is a 3,800-meter-long and 52 meter-wide moat, making the palace museum a self-defensive city-within-a city.
the palace museum was made a center of rule during the ming dynasty by zhun di, the fourth son of the founding emperor zhuyuanzhang.the whole complex straddles on an 8-kilometers-long central axis that stretches from yongding (forever stable) gate in the south to gulou (drum tower) in the north.prominence was given to the royal power by putting the ―three main front halls‖ and ―three back halls ‖on the axis while arrange other subsidiary structure around them .the construction of the palace museum involved manpower and resources acro china.for example, the bricks laid in the halls ,known as ―gold brick, ‖ underwent complex, two –dozen procees.as the final touch ,the fired bricks were dipped in chinese wood oil.involving complicated procees and high cost, these brick are called ―golden bricks.‖ the palace museum serves as a living embodiment of good tradition and styles unique to china` s ancient architecture.it reflects to the full the ingenuity and creativity of the chinese working people.a carefully preserved and complete group of royal residences, the palace museum is a prominent historical and tourist site.
what we are now approaching is the main entrance to the palace museum-the meridian gate, which is characterized by red walls, yellow glazed –tile roofs and upturned eaves.on top of this walls, yellow glazed-tile roofs and upturned eaves.on top of this magnificent building ,there stand five lofty halls with a main hall in the center.the main hall is roofed by multiple eaves and covers a space of 9 room-units.it is flanked by two wings on each side .the wings are square in shape ,complete with multiple and four edged eaves and pinnacles.all of these structures are connected by a colonnade.because these halls resemble a soaring bird, it was also know as wufenglou (five-phoenix tower) .inside the main hall there is a throne.drums and bells were stored in the wings.whenever the emperor presided over grand ceremonies or observed rites in the hall of upreme harmony, drums, bells and gongs would be struck to mark the occasion.
as the legend goes, the meridian gate used to be a place where condemned ranking officials would be executed.this not true.however, flogging was carried out here by the ming emperors ,if a courtier falls afoul of the emperor, he would be stripped of his court dre and flogging with a stick .at one point the punishment became so harsh that a total of 11 people died from fatal wound on a single occasion .on the other hand, this building was also used to observe important occasions like the traditional chinese lantern festival (15th day of the first lunar month).on these occasions, chinese lanterns would be hanged and sumptuous banquets would be given in honour of the whole court of ministers and other ranking officials.
upon entering the meridian gate we began our tour of the palace museum.the river foowing in front of us is known as jin shui he (golden water river) and the five marbles bridges spanning it are known as the inner golden water bridges.the on in the middle was used exclusive by the emperor and its banisters were carved with dragon and phoenix designs.the bridges flanking the imperial one were reserved for princes and other royal members.the rest were used by palatines.aside from decoration, the golden water river was also dug as precaution against fire.most of the structures within the palace museum are made of wood.what is more ,according to ancient chinese cosmology, the south is the abode of fire, so this brook was dug on the southern tip of the palace.in this way, the palace museum reflects traditional chinese culture.
this building is called the gate of supreme harmony .in the foreground stand two bronze lions.can anybody tell which is male and which is female? the one on the east playing with a ball is male, symbolizing power and universal unity.the other on the west with a cub cuddling underneath its claw is female? the one on the east playing with a ball is male, symbolizing power and universal unity.the other on the west with a cub cuddling underneath its claw is female, representing prosperity the endle succeion.a layout of the palace museum is posted by the entrance .from it ,you can see that the palace museum has two main parts: the forecourt and the inner court.the three main halls constitute the mainstay of the forecourt, and it was here that the emperor announced decisions and observed rites.behind the forecourt there is the inner court, consisting of major halls and the imperial garden .it was where the emperor attended state affairs, lived and enjoyed his luxurious life.the exhibition system of the palace museum involves historical court relics and articles of ancient art and culture.the palace museum houses nearly one million articles of rare treasure, or one sixth of the total number in all of china `s museums.there are the three main halls of the palace museum, built on a triple marble terrace .since most of china `s architecture is made of wood, the buildings cannot be too tall.to gain the height of the architecture, ingenious ancient artisans built the hall on a gigantic stone terrace .it is also to this end that not a single plant was grown in the square.on stairways of triple marble terrace there are 18 bronze tripods .the verandah is flanked by bronze tortoises and cranes, which served as symbols of longevity .on the east is a sundial, an ancient timepiece.on the west there is a grain measure suggesting that the emperor was just and equitable.
in the front and on each flank ,there is a pair of gilt bronze vats (caldrons ) molded during the reign of emperor qianlong of the qing dynasty .each of these weights 2 tons and is filled with water as a precaution in the event of a fire .the structure in the very middle is the hall of supreme harmony ,also known as the throne hall.it is 64 meters in width and is 38 meters from entrance to rear.with terrace exclusive ,the hall is 26.92 meters in height and is 35.03 meters in all .covering and areaof 2,377 square meters, the hall of supreme harmony is china` s largest exiting wooden structure.the hall is supported by 6 thick ,round pillars carved in a design of coiling dragons.as the holiest place in the hall, the ceiling and colored patterns were made of the finest material available at that time.the throne was placed on a terrace and is flanked by statues of elephants, luduan (a unicorn which could travel 18,000 kilometers a day and understand all languages), cranes and incense barrels .over the throne there is the caion ,or covered ceiling ,which consists of a coiling dragon playing with a ball in its mouth .this ball is known as xuanyuan mirror ,and was supposedly made by a chinese emperor of remote times to serve as a reminder that thee rulers to follow were his hereditary heirs.the throne is made of nanmu and painted in gold .magnificently built and luxuriously decorated ,this hall did not serve as a place in which the emperor attended to daily affairs.he used his hall for major events such as his birthday, conferral of title of empre or dispatch of generals to war.
behind the hall of supreme harmony ,there sits the hall of complete harmony.this structure is square in shape .each side is 24.15 meters.this was the place where the emperor relaxed and greeted his courtiers before proceeding to the hall of supreme harmony to observe rites.this was also the place where the emperor prepared prayers or examined seeds and sowers before he attended ancestral sacrifices or participated in snowing ceremonies.a grand ceremony was also held here once every 10 years for the emperor to genealogize the royal blood.there are two sedan chairs on display in the hall.behind the hall of complete harmony ,you will see the hall of preserving harmony, which was used as a place where imperial examinations were held.the imperial examination was the hignest level of competing for meritorious appointment under the feudal system dating back to the sui dynasty.china` s last imperial examination was held in 1904 during the reign of emperor guangxu of the qing dynasty.to the rear of hall there is a marble ramp carved with cloud and dragon designs, the largest of its kind in the whole country .it is 16.57 meters in length, 3.07 meters in width, 1.7 meters thick and weighs 250 tons.it was quarried in fangshan county in suburban beijing.to bring this giant piece of stone to beijing people poured water onto the road and applied rolling blocks during the proce.
we are now standing before the square of the hall of heaven purity.it served as a divide separating the forecourt from the inner court .this building is known as the gate of heavenly purity.emperor qianlong held court here.proceeding further north ,you can find three main rear halls ,i.e.the hall of heavenly purity.the hall of union and peace and palace of earthly tranquility.the hall of heavenly purity if flanked on either side by two gates named after the sun and moon .inside the enclosure there are 12 palaces and halls symbolizing constellations.all of the other buildings are centered around the palace of heavenly purity , which was meant to suggest that the monarch` s power was endowed by heaven.the empre and concubines lived in the inner court.
the hall of heavenly purity was where the emperor lived and attended to daily affairs.later the emperor moved to live in the palace of mental cultivation.looking up you can see a plaque bearing the chinese inscription ―be open and above-board,‖ a manifesto to court struggle .behind the plaque a strongbox was stored containing a will bearing the name of the would –be royal succeor.this approach of secretly selecting the next emperor was adopted by emperor yongzheng of the qing dynasty.two copies of the will were prepared .one was stashed by the emperor in person ,the other was placed inside the strong box behind the plaque.after the death of the emperor, the two copies would be compared and succeor would be announced.it was in this way that emperor qianglong and others have ascended the throne.
behind the hall of heavenly purity you will see the hall of union and peace , which is indentical to the hall of complete harmony.it was there that the emperor received congratulations and tributes from imperial officials on major calender occasions , a total of 25 imperial seals are stored there.in the hall, you will see a plaque with the handwritten inscription of ―we wei,‖ exhorting taoist doctrines.
further northward is the palace of earthly tranquillity, which once served as the living room of the emprees` .the hall was later converted into a sacrificial place .through the windowpanes on the eastern wall you can see the royal bed decorated with dragon and phoenix designs.this hall has also served as the bridal chamber of monarchs.
the gate of earthly tranquilliity leads to the imperial garden (known to westerners as qianlong` s garden ),which was used by the emperor ,the empre, and the concubines.a magnificent structure stands in the middle.it is called the qin `s an (imperial peace) hall.it is the only building in the palace museum that was built in taoist style.it served as a shrine to the taoist deity.the garden covers a space of 12,000 square meters ,and is 130 meters from east to the west and some 90 meters from north to the south.there are a dozen halls, verandahs, pavilions and waterside houses in the garden .on each of the fur corner there is a pavilion dedicated to the four seasons which is different in construction style and shape.the garden also features an imperial landscape.with rare trees and exotic rockery, the imperial garden served as a model for china` s imperial parks .in all ,a total of 10-strong building styles were applied.
the tall building we are now paing is the gate of military prowe, the back door of the palace museum.our visit is now drawing to a conclusion but the architectures of the palace are not .on the other side of the road is the 43-meter-hign charcoal hill , providing natural protection for the forbidden city.this was also an embodiment of china` s construction style-putting a pool in the front and a hill in the rear.now let` s climb up to wanchun (everlasting springs ) pavillion where we` ll have a great view of the palace museum. 颐和园 the tour will take 4-6 hours.the route is as follows: out side the east gate-side the east gate –in front of the hall of benevolence and longevity- in front of garden of virtuous harmony-in front of the grand theater building- a lakeside walk from the garden of virtuous harmony to the hall o jade ripples- in front of the o jade ripples- in front of the yiyunguan (chamber of mortal being)-hall of happine and longevity- in front of the yaoyue (chamber of mortal beings)-hall of happine and longevity-in front of the yaoyue(inviting the moon ) gate of the long corridor- strolling along the long corridor- visiting an exhibition of cultural relics- in front of the hall of dispelling clouds- inside the hall of dispelling clouds- atop the tower of buddhist incense- on a hilltop leading from the back door of the tower of buddhist incense- on a hilltop leading from the back door of the tower of buddhist incense- inside the garden of harmonious interest –outside the south gate to suzhou shopping street- atop the stone bridge inside the suzhou shopping street –on the road from the south gate of suzhou shopping street- on the road form the south gate of suzhou shopping street to the marble boat- in front of the ruins of the garden of complete spring –along the lakeside by the marble boat-boating on the kunming lake-leaving out through the east gate.
(out side the east gate)
ladies and gentlemen: welcome to the summer palace.(after the self-introduction of the guide -interpreter) i hope this will be an interesting and enjoyable day for you .during our tour, you will be introduced to time honored historical and cultural traditions, as well as picturesque views and landscapes.the construction of the summer palace first started in 1750.at that time, the qing dynasty was in its heyday and china was a powerful asian country with vast territories.the monarch in power then was emperor qianlong.with supreme power and large sums of money, he summoned skillful and ingenious artisans from all over the country to carry out this construction work in honor of his mother `s birthday.after 15 years and one seventh of the nation` s annual revenue spent, the garden of clear ripples was completed and served as a testimony to china` s scientific and technological achievements.in 1860, this vast royal garden was burnt down along with the yuanming yuan (garden of perfection and brightne) by angol-french allied forces.in 1888, empre dowager cixi reconstructed the garden on the same site and renamed it the garden of nurtured harmony (summer palace).characterized by its vast scope and rich cultural embodiments, the summer palace has become one of the most famous tourist sites in the world.this is the main entrance to the summer palace-the east gate on top of the eaves of the door there is a plaque bearing a chinese inscription which means ―garden of nurtured harmony‖ , whose calligrapher was emperor guangxu.the gate that you are now entering was used exclusively by the emperor, the empre and the queer mother.all others used the side doors.(inside the east gate)
the summer palace can be divided into two parts: longevity hill and kunming lake .the whole garden covers an area of 290 hectares, of whih three- fourths consists of a lake and rivers .this imperial garden features 3,000 room-units and covers an expanse of 70,000 square meters with more than 100 picturesque spots of interest.the layout of the summer palace includes three groups of architectures: palaces where the emperor attended to state affairs, resting palaces of the emperor and empre, and sightseeing areas.entering the east gate we will come the the office quarters.entering the east gate we will come to the office quarters.the annex halls on both sides were used for officials on duty.this is the gate of benevolence and longevity.above the door there is a plaque bearing the same name in both chinese and manchurian characters.the gigantic rock in the foreground is known as taihu rock, or eroded limestone, quarried in jiangsu province and placed here to decorated the garden.on the marble terrace sits a bronze mythical beast, known as qilin or xuanni .it was said to the one of the nine sons of dragon king.a point of peculiar interest is that it has the head of a dragon, antlers of a deer, the tail of a lion and hooves of a ox, and is covered with a unique skin.it was considered an auspicious creature that brought peace and prosperity.this grand hall is the hall of benevolence and longevity.it was built in 1750 , and was known as the hall of industrious government.emperor qianlong ruled that the halls where monarchs attended to state affairs would be named after them .after the rebuilding of the summer palace, the hall was renamed, suggesting that benevolent rulers would enjoy long lives.
the arrangement of the hall has been left untouched.in the middle of the hall stands a throne made of sandalwood and carved with beautiful designs.in the background there is a screen carved with nine frolicking dragons.on either side of the throne there are two big fans made of peacock feathers, two column-shaped incense burners, crane-shaped lanterns and an incense burner auming the form of luduan, a mythological animal which was suppose to have the power to prevent fire.the small chambers on eight side were where the emperor qianlong and empre dowager cixi rested and met officials on formal occasions.on the verandah in the foreground of the hall there are bronze statues of dragon and phoenixes which served as incense burners on major occasions.they are hollow and smoke comes through holes on their backs.also on the veranda are tai ping (peace) bronze water vats made during the reign of emperor qianlong.as a precaution in case of fire, a fire was lit underneath the vats in the winter to keep the water in them from freezing.(at the entrance of garden of virtuous harmony)
we are now visiting the garden of virtuous harmony, where emperor qianlong and empre dowager cixi were entertained with beijing opera performances.it mainly consists of the dreing house, the grand theater building and the hall of pleasure smiles.the grand theater building known as the ―cradle of beijing opera‖ was uniquely laid out and magnificently decorated.on september 10, 1984, the garden of virtuous harmony opened its doors to visitors.there are also 7 exhibition halls with articles of daily use on display here.the staff here put up court drees of qing dynasty in order to give the visitor a more vivid impreion.(in front of the grand theater building)
this building is 21 meters in height and 17 meters in width and features three tiers of tilted eaves and stages.all of the stages are connected to a raise ,and a winch is installed at the top.a well and 5 ponds were sunk under the ground stage.there are trapdoors in the ceiling for fairies to descend, as well as on the floor for demons to surface.the underground paages also served as a means of improving resonance and making the performers` voices more audible .of the three main theater building of the qing dynasty, the grand theater building is the tallest and the largest.the other two are changyin (fluent voice ) pavilion in chengde, an imperial summer resort.the building played a major part in fostering the birth and development of beijing opera: since the completion of the grand theater building, many performances were held in it in honor of the empre dowager cixi.(a lakeside walk from the garden of virtuous harmony to the hall of jade ripples)
we are now standing in the middle of a rockery behind the hall of benevolent and longevity.it appears that there` s nothing special ahead.however, after we clear the rockery, we will reach kunming lake.this is a application of a specific style of chinese gardening.not far away in the lake there is a islet.it is filled with peach and weeping willow trees and serves as a ideal place to appreciate the scenery.the pavilion on the islet is called zhichun (understanding spring) pavilion and is chardcterized by four- edged, multiple eaved roofs.(in front of the hall of jade ripples)
this group of special and quiet courtyard dwelling is the hall of jade ripples.it was first used by emperor qianlong to attend to state affairs.it was also where emperor guangxu of the late qing dynasty was kept under house arrest.
this hall is a hallmark of the reform movement of 1898, emperor guanxu was empre dowager cixi` s nephew.after emperor tongzhi died, empre dowager cixi made her nephew, who was at that time four years old a succeor in order to continue her wielding of power behind the scenes.when emperor guanxu was 19 years old ,empre dowager cixi relinquished power to him but continued to exert considerable influence.in 1898, the reform movement took place with the aim of sustaining the corn principles of the qing dynasty while reforming outdated laws.the movement lasted for 103 days until it was suppreed by empre dowager cixi.the emperor` s six earnest reformists were beheaded and emperor guangxu was placed under house arrest which lasted for 10 years .all the back doors were sealed and a brick was was put up behind the wooden partition on each side of the two annexes of the courtyard.emperor guangxu was closely watched by eunuchs.the wall remains intact for tourists to see..dynasty while reforming outdated laws.the movement lasted for 103 days until it was suppreed by empre dowager cixi.the emperor` s six earnest reformists were beheaded and emperor guangxu was placed under house arrest which lasted for 10 years .all the back doors were sealed and a brick was was put up behind the wooden partition on each side of the two annexes of the courtyard.emperor guangxu was closely watched by eunuchs.the wall remains intact for tourists to see.(in front of yiyunguan (chamber of mortal beings)
this was where empre and empre dowager of china` s feudal system.however, emperor guanxu was not the last emperor of the qing dynasty.the last in the line was emperor puyi, who ascended the throne in 1908 at the age of three, too young to be married .in 1912, he was forced to abdicate.during the short reign of emperor puyi.empre longyu handled state affairs on his behalf in the name of empre dowager.in 1911, a revolution led by dr.sun yat-sun succeeded, and the year after, empre longyu announced the abdication of the last emperor of china.(in the hall of happine and longevity) the aged empre dowager cixi was so fond of the summer palace that she decided to live here from april through october of every year.this group of buildings served as her residence.
this group of courtyard dwellings consists of a forecourt and a backyard with annex courts on each side .the whole compound was basically made of wood, which is ideal for ventilation and lighting .with its quiet and tasteful layout, the hall of happine and longevity made life very easy and convenient.no wonder one of empre dowager cixi` s pleasure boat.on the pier there is a tall lantern post.flanking the staircase leading to the main entrance of the hall, there are bronze cranes, deer and vases, symbolizing universal peace.the interior layout is the same as the imperial court, with throne, a large table and incense burners placed in the middle.at mealtime, eunuchs-in –waiting would make a gigantic table out of this table and empre dowager cixi would dine on 128 courses.because of this more than 1,800 tales of silver would be spent each month on meals.on the east side of the living room is the cloak room.the bedroom in on its west.in front of the yaoyue (inviting the moon ) gate of the long corridor
the famed long corridor is ahead.facing kunming lake and in the foreground of longevity hill, the long corridor stretches from yaoyue (inviting the moon ) gate to shizhang (stony old man) pavilion.it is 728 meters in length and consist of 273 sections and connects four octagonal pavilions.in 1990 ,it was listed in guinne book of world records.(strolling along the long corridor)
the long corridor is one of the major structures of the summer palace .since the corridor was designed to follow the physical features of the southern slope of longevity hill , four multiple-eaved, octagonal pavilions (beauty-retaining pavilion, enjoy-the ripples pavilion, autumn water pavilion and clarity distance pavilion) were placed at bends and undulation.thus sightseers will hardly notice the rise and fall of the terrain.as a major part of the architectural style of the summer palace, the long corridor serves as an ingenious connector between the lake and the hill.scattered buildings on the southern slope were linked to creat a unified complex. this corridor can also be called a ―corridor of paintings ‖: there are more than 14,000 paintings on its beams.some of them are of birds, flowers and landscapes of the west lake in hangzhou, zhejian province.others present scenes from literary claics.the majority of the landscape painting were done under the order of emperor qianlong, who preperred the scenery of south china.(by the door leading to the exhibition of cultural relics) this group of temple-shaped structures are known as qinghua (clarified china) hall ,also known as arhat hall during the reign of emperor qianlong.the original hall burned down in 1860.after it was reconstructed, it was renamed.qinghua hall is now used as a exhibition hall displaying rare cultural relics collected in the summer palace.the hall consists of 6 exhibition rooms with tens of thousands of articles of treasure on display in turn.among the exhibits there are bronze ware, porcelain, jade aemblages from the ming and qing dynasties, and rare and paintings.there is also a gigantic stone slab, which is more than 3 meters in height and width.it bears the handwritten inscriptions of emperor qianlong is commemoration of the suppreion of a rebellion in the xinjiang region.only this slab survived when the angle-french allied forces set fire to the summer palace.(in front of the gate of dispelling clouds)
now we are approaching the central part of the structures on the lakeside slope, the tower of buddhist incense within the hall of dispelling clouds.the hall of dispelling clouds was where numerous palatines kowtowed to empre dowager cixi.it was surrounded by galleries and flanked by annex halls.in the forecourt there is a pool and marble bridges .starting from the lakeside, there lies in succeion a memorial archway, the gate of dispelling clouds, the hall of dispelling clouds and the tower of buddhist incense.all of these structures are built on a central axis and each is taller than its predeceor.this was designed to give prominence to the last structure, the tower of buddhist incense, which was a symbol of imperial power.the layout of this group of architectures was based on scenes described in buddhist sutras.this group of structure are among the most magnificently constructed here in the summer palace.(inside the hall of dispelling clouds) the original buildings on this site were burned down by the anglo-french allied forces in 1860.a new set of structures was built during the reign of emperor guanxu, and was called the hall of dispelling clouds, suggesting that it was a fairyland.the hall was built on a high terrace, and has 21 room.inside the hall are a throne, screens, tripods and mandarin fans.on a platform you will see bronze dragons, phoenixes and tripods.at the foot of the platform there are four bronze water vats, the ancient form of fire extinguishers.the 10th day of lunar october was ,empre dowager cixi` s birthday.on that day ,she sat on the throne here to receive congratulations and gifts.
now we are going to pay a visit to the highlight of the summer palace- the tower of buddhist incense.what we are now standing on is a stone terrace which is 20 meters in height.it has a semi housed stairway of 100 steps, you will live for 100 years.so, let` s go ! (in the front of the tower of buddhist incense) an octagonal structure with three storeys and quadruple eaves, the tower of buddhist incense is the very center of the summer palace, and is one of the masterpieces of ancient chinese architecture.the tower is 41 meters in height, and is buttreed by 8 solid pillars made of lignumvitae logs.with its complex structure, ingenious layout, towering terrace and convincing grandeur, the tower of buddhist incense was artfully set out by the imperial gardens and beautiful scenery surrounding it .the tower overlooks kunming lake and other picturesque spots within an area of tens of kilometers .on the west side of the tower stands baoyunge (precious cloud pavilion).it is made of bronze and is7.5 meters in height and 270 tons in weight.it resembles its wooden counterparts in every detail.it is one of the largest and most exquisite bronze pavilions still on existence in china.lamas prayed here during the reign of emperor qianlong in honor of the monarchs and their families.at the turn of the century 10 bronze windows were spirited abroad.in 1992 an american company bought the windows and returned them intact to china.(on a hilltop leading from the back door of tower of buddhist incense)
now we can see the long and snaking western causeway and a shorter dike that divides kunming lake into three areas that contain south lake island, seaweed-viewing island and circle city island.the three island represent three mountain in ancient chinese mythology, i.e.penglai, fangzhang and yingzhou.this peculiar method of incorporating a lake a three mountains within a single garden was a brainchild of emperor wudi of the han dynasty more than 2,000 years ago, bearing testimony to feudal monarchs` s longing for longevity.as the legend goes many heavenly elixirs grew on the three mythical islands.using artificial building techniques, the ancient chinese built this masterpiece based on the myth to make the mythical on appear to be acceible to humans.(inside the garden of harmonious interest) setting a garden within a larger garden has been one of china traditional architectural styles.the garden of harmonious interest serves as a fine example of this.this garden was built under the order of emperor qianlong and modeled after the jichang garden (garden of ease of mind )at the foot of mount huishan, jiansu province.it was renamed by his son emperor jiaqing in 1811.the existing garden was rebuilt by emperor or guangxu.empre dowager cixi used to go fishing here.the garden features 10 waterfront platforms, pavilions and halls as well as hundreds of galleries with all of its structures facing the lake and pools, the garden of harmonious interest is basically a garden of waterscape.spanning the vast expanse of the lake and pools are five bridges, each quite different from the others.the most famous of them is the bridge known as ―knowing –the fishing-bridge.‖ it is said that more than 2,500 years ago during the warring states period, two philosophere named zhuang zi had an interesting argument by the side of a pond.
zhang said, ‖fish swim to and fro in the water.what happy fish!‖ hui asked , ‖you are not a fish.how do you know they are happy? ‖ zhuang replied, ―you are not me .how do you know i don’t know? ‖ hui signed, ―i am not you ,therefore, i don’t know you .and you are not a fish ,so how
do you know that fish are happy? ‖ zhang said, ―you ask me how i know fish are happy, why do you keeping me the same question?‖ although the garden of harmonious interest was designed after jichang garden, it not only absorbed the original designs, but exceeded it .(outside the south entrance to suzhou shopping street) now lets have a look at longevity hill.on the back slope of the hill stands a group of architectures.the centerpiece of structures there are known as the four continents and are dedicated to buddhism.this group was laid out and arranged in accordance with buddhist cosmology.aside from a main shrine and structures embodying the four continents, there are eight towers representing minor continents.the shrine is surrounded by four lamaist pagodas and between the major and minor continents, there two platforms representing the sun and the moon.the qing authority attached great importance to buddhism.to further strengthen ties with the ethnic minorities who practiced buddhism, the monarchs incorporated both han and tibetan styles of architecture into this group of temples.further north at the foot of the four major continent lies the suzhou shopping street.built along the back lake of the summer palace, this street stretches about 300 meters and features more than 60 stores.it includes restaurants, teahouses, pawnshops banks, drugstores dye houses and publishing houses.in order to recreate the atmosphere of ancient times, visitors will have the chance to exchange their money to ancient style chinese coins for use here.storefronts are trimmed with traditional signboards and ornaments.the commercial culture of the mid-18th century has thus been recreated.(atop the stone bridge inside the suzhou shopping street) visitors may be surprise to see that this shopping street is almost the same as that in south china.as a matter of fact, this street was designed after the shops along the canals in suhzhou.originally known as emperor` s shopping street, it was built during the reign of emperor qianlong.after making several inspection tours to south china and being duly impreed by its commercial prosperity, emperor qianlong ordered the construction of this street.the imperial shopping street was burnt down by anglo-french allied forces in 1860.the site remained desolated until 1987, when reconstruction began.it was opened to the public in september 1990.with commercial culture as its hallmark, the suzhou shopping street is a vivid representation of china` s traditional cultures.(on the road from the south fate of the suzhou shopping street to the marble boat) this is the hall of pines.from it to the west we can walk to the marble boat.the path we aree taking stretches between longevity hill and back lake.monarchs and their cohorts used to stroll along it .hence it was named central imperial path.along this path you will see lilacs all around.hence, this road is also known as the path of lilac.(in front of the ruins of the garden of complete spring) quite a few unique structures were burnt down during the reign of emperor qianlong, among which the garden of complete spring was one of the most famous.the ruined and desolate courtyard by the roadside was its original site, it remains to be restored.
this group of structures cover an area of 4,000 square meters and features a number of halls built on three different levels.all of the structures were connected with galleries and stone staircases.with its natural and ingenious combination of pavilions, a hall, galleries and rooms, the garden of complete spring serves as a fine model for other gardens.
emperor qianlong frequently visited this compound.(along the lakeside by the marble boat) now we have returned from the back of longevity hill to the front.there is the famous marble boat.this structure is 36 meters in length and its body was made of marble.on top of it is a two storeyed structure.the floor was paved with colored bricks.all of the windows are inlaid with multi-colored gla and the ceiling was decorated with carved bricks.the drainage system channels rain water down through four hollow concrete pillars and into the lake through the mouth of dragon heads. according to a book written by emperor qianlong, the boat was used for enjoying the scenery and was supposed to be symbolic of the stability of the qing dynasty.halfway up the slope there stands the hall for listening to orioles .the ancient chinese liken the warble of an oriole to beautiful songs and melodies, hence the name of the hall which used to be a theater.now the hall is one of the most famous restaurants in china, featuring imperial dishes and deerts.it is a must for many foreign visitors to have lunch here when then come to beijing.more than one hundred heads of state worldwide have dined here and the late premier zhou enlai has held banquets here in honor of state guests.(sightseers who want to try the restaurant can go boating after they eat.those who do not can go abroad right away.those who do not feel like taking the boat can stoll along the long corridor to the outside of the east gate).(boating on kunmin lake) we are now going to enjoy the lakeside scenery from a pleasure boat.
as a main part of the summer palace, kunming lake covers an area of 220 hectares, or three fourths of the combined space of this summer resort.this natural lake is more than 3500 years old.
this lake was originally called wengshan lake.in 1749 emperor qianlong ordered the construction of qingyi garden, the predeceor of the summer palace.involving nearly 10,000 laborers, the lake was expanded and turned into a peach-shaped reservoir, the first of its kind for beijing.
from 1990 to 1991, the beijing municipal government ordered the first dredging of the lake in 240 years .involving 200,000 men and hundreds of dredgers and other tools, a total of 625,600 cubic meters of sludge was dredged and 205 bombs dropped by the japanese during the anti-japanese war were removed.the summer palace set a precedent for sightseeing by boat.there used to be a large imperial flotilla, of which the ―kunming merry dragon‖ was the most famous.it was destroyed by the anglo-french allied forces in 1860.to make the tour of the summer palace a more pleasant one, a large pleasure boat ―tai he ‖ (supreme harmony )was built.this double –decked boat is 37.09 meters long,8,59 meters wide and 10.49 meters high.it can travel at a speed of 9 kilometer per hour.small pleasure boats are also available to tourist.another major spot of interest on the western causeway is jingming (bright view ) hall.both its front and rear face the lake.this structure also features three two- storeyed halls of varying heights.our tour is drawing to a close as we approach the shore.today we only visited the major scenic areas of the summer palace.i have left other spot of interest for your next visit.i will show you out through the east gate.i hope you enjoyed today` s tour.thank you .good-bye and good luck. **
Tian’anmen Rostrum
Tian’anmen( the Gate of Heavenly Peace), is located in the center of Beijing.It was first built in 1417 and named Chengtianmen( the Gate of Heavenly Succeion).At the end of the Ming Dynasty, it was seriously damaged by war.When it was rebuilt under the Qing in 1651, it was renamed Tian’anmen, and served as the main entrance to the Imperial City, the administrative and residential quarters for court officials and retainers.The southern sections of the Imperial City wall still stand on both sides of the Gate.The tower at the top of the gate is nine-room wide and five –room deep.According to the Book of Changes, the two numbers nine and five, when combined, symbolize the supreme status of a sovereign.During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Tian’anmen was the place where state ceremonies took place.The most important one of them was the iuing of imperial edicts, which followed these steps:
1) The Minister of Rites would receive the edict in Taihedian( Hall of Supreme Harmony), where the Emperor was holding his court.The minister would then carry the decree on a yunpan( tray of cloud), and withdraw from the hall via Taihemen( Gate of supreme Harmony) 2) The Minister would put the tray in a miniature longting( dragon pavilion).Beneath a yellow umbrella and carry it via Wumen( Meridian Gate), to Tian’anmen Gate tower.
3) A courtier would be invested to proclaim the edict.The civil and military officials lining both sides of the gateway beneath the tower would prostrate themselves in the direction of the emperor in waiting for the decree to the proclaimed. 4) The courtier would then put the edict in a phoenix-shaped wooden box and lower it from the tower by means of a silk cord.The document would finally be carried in a similar tray of cloud under a yellow umbrella to the Ministry of Rites. 5) The edict, copied on yellow paper, would be made known to the whole country.Such a proce was historically recorded as ― Imperial Edict Iued by Golden Phoenix‖.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties Tian’anmen was the most important paage.It was this gate that the Emperor and his retinue would go through on their way to the altars for ritual and religious activities.
On the Westside of Tian’anmen stands ZhongshanPark( Dr.Sun Yat-sen’s Park), and on the east side, the Working People’s Cultural Palave.The Park was formerly called Shejitan( Altar of Land and Grain), built in 1420 for offering sacrificial items to the God of Land.It was opened to the public as a park in 1914 and its name was changed in 1928 to the present one in memory of the great pioneer of the Chinese Democratic Revolution.The Working People’s Cultural Palace used to be Taimiao( the Supreme Ancestral Temple), where tablets of the deceased dynastic rulers were kept.The stream in front of Tian’anmen is called Waijinshuihe( Outer Golden River),with seven marble bridges spanning over it .Of these seven bridges,historical records say the middle one was for the exclusive use of the emperor and was accordingly called Yuluqiao( Imperial Bridge).The bridges flanking it on either side were meant for the members of the royal family and were therefore called Wanggongqiao( Royal’s Bridges).Farther away on each side of the two were bridges for officials ranking above the third order and were named Pinjiqiao( ministerial Bridges).The remaining two bridges were for the use by the retinue below the third order and wre called Gongshengqiao( common Bridges).They anr the one in front of the Supreme Ancestral Temple to the east and the one in front of the Altar of land and Grain to the west. The two stone lions by the Gate of Tian’anmen, one on each side were meant as sentries.They gaze toward the middle axis, guarding the emperor’s walkway.In front of the gate stands a pair of marble columns called Huabiao.They are elaborately cut in bas-relief following the pattern of a legendary dragon.Behind the gate stands another pair of similar columns.The story of Huabiao may be traced to a couple of sources.One of the versions accredits its invention to one of the Chinese sage kings named Yao, who was said to have set up a wooden pillar in order to allow the ordinary people to expose evil-doers, hence it was originally called a slander pillar.Later it ws reduced to a signpost, and now it serves as an ornament. The beast sitting on the top of the column is called‖ hou‖, a legendary animal, which is said to have been a watcher of an emperor’s behaviour.He was doing such duties as warning the emperor against staying too long outside the palace or indulging in pleasure and urging him to go to the people for their complaints or return in due time.Therefore, the two pairs of beasts were given the names‖ Wangjunhui‖( Expecting the emperor’s coming back) and ― wangjunchu‖( Expecting the emperor’s going out) respectinvely.
In the old days, Tian’anmen, as a part of the Imperial City, was meant for important occasions.The two rows of chaofang( antechamber), on the sides behind the main gate, wre reserved for civil and military members of the government waiting for imperial audience and in front of the gate, were offices of imperial administration.On October 1, 1949, chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed on Tian’anmen Rostrum the founding of the People’s Republic of China.Since then Tian’anmen has been the symbol of New Chine\\a.Chairman Mao’s portrait is hung above the central entrance, flanked by two slogans:‖ Long Live the Great Unity of the Peoples of the World‖.Today , the splendour of Tian’anmen attracts million of visitors from all over the world.The Rostrum on its top was opened in 1988 to the public for the first time in its history.It offers a panoramic view of the Square and the city proper. Tian’anmen Square Situated due south of Tian’anmen, the Square has an area of 44 hectares( 109 acres) that can accommodate as many as one million people for public gatherings.It has witneed may historical events in China’s modern history and is a place for celebrations on such festive days as international Labour Day on May 1st and national Day on October 1st.Around the Square are several famous buildings: 1 The Great Hall of the People This is one of the largest congreional buildings in the world.Built in 1959, the hall consists of three parts: a 10,000-seat auditorium in the center, a banquet hall in the north wing facing Chang’an Street, with a seating capacity of 5,000, and offices for the Standing Committee of the National Peoples’ Congre of China in the south.In addition, thirty-four reception chambers are named after various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly unde the Central Government, plus Hong Kong and Macao.Each is different from the other in decoration and furnishings to stre their local features.2 The Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution These two museums were also built in 1959.the museum of Chinese History houses a permanent exhibition in four parts, covering the entire proce of Chinese history spanning from 1.7 million years ago to 1919: 1) The Primitive Society( 1.7 million years ago to the 21st century BC); 2) The Slave Society(21st century BC to 476 BC.); 3) The Feudal Society(475 BC.To 1840 AD.); 4) The Semi-Colonial and Semi- Fedual Society(1840 to 1919.) The Museum of the Chinese Revolution covers the period from 1919 to 1949.3 The Monument to the People’s Heroes the monument was built in memory of thousands of martyrs who died for the revolutionary cause of the Chinese people.Its construction began on August 1, 1952 and was not completed until 1958.in the form of an obelisk, the Monument as made of more than 17,000 pieces of tranite and white marble.The purple piece inlaid in the front of the Monument was brought from Qingdao, Shandong Province.It is 38 meters(124ft 8 in) high, the loftiest of its kind ever seen in the country.Not only is it an historic memorial for immortal heroes, but also it is an artistic work of excellent architectural value.
On the front side of the Monument is an engraved inscription in Chinese characters written by Chairman Mao Zedong, which reads‖ Eternal Glory to the People’s Heroes!‖.On the back of the Monument is an article written by Chairman Mao, but in Chinese calligraphy by the late Premier Zhou Enlai.
At the top of the Monument are eight gigantic carved wreathes of such flowers as peony, lotus and chrysanthemum, symbolizing nobility, purity, and fortitude.At the base of the monument are eight marble reliefs depicting the Chinese historic events since 1840.They are:
1) The Burning of Opium in 1840: 2) The uprising of 1851 in Jintian, Guangxi; 3) The Revolution of 1911; 4) The May Fourth Movement of 1919; 5) The May 30th Movement of 1925; 6) The Uprising of 1927 in Nanchang, Jiangxi; 7) The War of Resistance against Japanese Aggreion from 1937 to 1945; 8) The Victorious Croing over the Yangtze River by the Peoples’s Liberation Army in 1949.This relief is flanked by two smaller ones—― Supplying the Front‖ and ― Greeting the P.L.A.‖.
4 Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum Chairman Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Pepublic of China, paed away on Sepember 9, 197 6.In commemoration of this great man, a mausoleum began to be constructed in November 1976, and was completes in August the following year.The Mausoleum was officially opened on September 9, 1977.
The mausoleum is surrounded by four groups of sculpture.East of the northern entrance is the sculpture depicting the period of the New Democratic Revolution( 1919-1949), and west of it is the one signifying the great achievements of the Chinese people during the period of slcialist revolution and construction since 1949.The sculptures in front of the southern gate are figures of workers, peasants soldiers, intellectuals, technicians and children.
Inside the Mausoleum are three main sections: A white marble statue of Chairman Mao is mounted on a platform in the front lobby.On the wall behind the statue is a 24-metre-long( 79-foot-long) tapestry, a fine needlepoint work with beautiful landscapes of the country. In the main hall there is a crystal coffin, in which Chairman Mao’s body lies stately with the Communist Party’s flag covering over him.
On the wall of the southern lobby, a poem by Chairman Mao and in his own calligraphy is inscribed in gold inlay.It exprees his full great expectations for the country.
Tian’ anmen Square has now completed its renovation after eight months’ hard work to welcome the 50th anniversary of the People’s Republic in 1999.天坛
Ladies and Gentlemen: Welcome to the temple of Heaven.(After self-introduction) preserved cultural heritages of China.There are basically two kinds of visitors who come here: local pensioners who do exercises here in the morning and evening and sightseers both from home and abroad.All in all ,there are 12 million visitors very year.Now we are going to go along the route that leads to the alter.It will take roughly one hour.Mind you ,the emperor also walked along this route to pay tribute to the God of Heaven. (Along the Southern Sacred Road leading to the Circular Mound Altar) The largest group of architectures ever to be dedicated to Heaven ,the Temple of Heaven served as an exclusive altar for Chinese monarchs during the Ming and Qing dynasties.It was decreed that rulers of succeive dynasties would place altars in their own capitals to worship Heaven and pray for good harvest.But why ? The ancient Chinese believed that Heaven was the supreme ruler of the universe and the fate of mankind ,and thus worshiping rites dedicated to Heaven came into being.The Heaven the ancient Chinese referred to was actually the Universe, or nature.In those days, there were specfic rites of worship.This was especially true during the Ming and Qing dynasties when elaborate ceremonies were held.The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420 during the reign of Emperor Youngle of the Ming Dynasty.Situated in the southern part of the city ,this grand set of structures covers an area of 273 hectares.To better symbolize heaven and earth ,the northern part of the Temple is circular while the southern part is square .The whole compound is enclosed by two walls, a square wall outside a round one.The outer area is characterized by suburban scenery, while the inner part is used for sacrifices.The
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