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 The Forbidden CityAt the heart of the ancient city of Beijing lies the Forbidden City, the vast palace complex that was occupied by Chinese emperors from 1421 to 1911, during the mid-Ming and Qing dynasties. Once closed to outsiders—hence its name—the Forbidden City now serves as a museum and is one of the world's most popular tourist attractions. In 1987, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. The opulent complex consists of nearly 1,000 buildings with some 9,000 rooms. How long did it take to build? More...
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14 years
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It seems that the Forbidden City is about the only structure in old Peking or Peiping that has not been torn down.
Unlike many European cities, few features from the past remain.
A pity!
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"Construction lasted 14 years and required more than a million workers." (1406-1420)
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One thing the article skipped lightly over was that during the Cultural Revolution the entire site was vandalised and fell into disrepair. It was re-built starting in the Sixties (some of the interior wall paintings) Seventies and Eighties. So very little of what tourists see to-day is original. Just like the Great Wall. The two places in Beijing where tourists access the Wall is not original and was re-built precisely for the tourist trade.
And Parsar - wherever did you get the idea that in 'many' European cities, few features of the past remain?
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Daemon wrote:The Forbidden CityAt the heart of the ancient city of Beijing lies the Forbidden City, the vast palace complex that was occupied by Chinese emperors from 1421 to 1911, during the mid-Ming and Qing dynasties. Once closed to outsiders—hence its name—the Forbidden City now serves as a museum and is one of the world's most popular tourist attractions. In 1987, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. The opulent complex consists of nearly 1,000 buildings with some 9,000 rooms. How long did it take to build? More... While reading this great article I was in awe of the immensity of The Forbidden City. I was brought back in time thinking about what it must have been like to watch the construction, and how over a million workers toiled endlessly to create this wonder of the world. The thought of the wealth found within The Forbidden City boggled my mind as well. Thanks for the enlightenment this morning!
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Certain urban areas of Detroit USA are also forbidden, though probably in a different way.
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Romany wrote:
And Parsar - wherever did you get the idea that in 'many' European cities, few features of the past remain? I wrote that unlike many European cities, few features [of old Peiping] remain.
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Absurdicuss wrote:
Certain urban areas of Detroit USA are also forbidden, though probably in a different way.
Whoa!
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A Secret to the Building of the Forbidden City RevealedBased on historical research and experiments in mechanical engineering, an international study group has confirmed that Chinese workers in the 16th century CE used artificially created ice paths lubricated with liquid water to transport massive stones to the Forbidden City in Beijing. The method was used, despite the fact that the Chinese civilization had already developed wheeled vehicles capable of moving very heavy objects for 2,000 years. Read more: http://popular-archaeology.com/issue/09012013/article/a-secret-to-the-building-of-the-forbidden-city-revealed
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Wow Monamaqda -
That was so interesting.
At that time China had also a system of huge canals that traversed the land so I guess acquiring materials from all over the country would also have been relatively easy.
But would they have been able to use the canals in winter, one wonders? I mean in the same way, but sliding cargo over iced-up waterways? Did any country ever do that?
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Wow Monamaqda -
That was so interesting.
At that time China had also a system of huge canals that traversed the land so I guess acquiring materials from all over the country would also have been relatively easy.
But would they have been able to use the canals in winter, one wonders? I mean in the same way, but sliding cargo over iced-up waterways? Did any country ever do that?
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Yeap! I thought it was really amazing!! Thanks for your comment and interest.  Romany wrote:Wow Monamaqda -
That was so interesting.
At that time China had also a system of huge canals that traversed the land so I guess acquiring materials from all over the country would also have been relatively easy.
But would they have been able to use the canals in winter, one wonders? I mean in the same way, but sliding cargo over iced-up waterways? Did any country ever do that?
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Once closed to the public, now big money maker.
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Mao's reign seems to fade away with time
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Parsar -
My apologies for mis-reading your post.
What can I say? It was late? I was tired?
No wonder I had thought it strange!
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