IntheMingandQingdynasties,theForbiddenCitywastheroyalpalaceofChinaandamajorplayerinChinesehistory.Withpoeticexpressionsandintimatefamiliaritywithhistoricaldata,seniorForbiddenCityresearcherZhuYongsolvesseveralmysteriesinvolvingtheForbiddenCityinhisbookHiddenCornersoftheForbiddenCity,whiletakingreadersonatouroftheancientcomplexwithafreshperspective.
InZhu’sopinion,theForbiddenCityitselfis“hidden”intheshadows.Inthepreface,ZhuYongnotes:“Theso-called‘hiddencorner’isarelativeconcept.Forinstance,sinceanemperorgovernsthewholecountry,hehastherighttoknoweverythingabouthisland,nottomentionthepalace.Forhispeople,however,thehiddenpartswereareasclosedtothepublicorplacesthatreceivedonlyscantattention.Astheyearsrolledon,theseareasremainsilentandmysteriousasever,andeventodaydrawustotheirsecretsandtaboos.”
Inthebook,ZhuleadsreadersthroughtheHallofMartialValor,theGardenofCompassionandTranquility,theHallofManifestingBenevolence,thePalaceofLongevityandPeace,theBelvedereofLiteraryProfundityandtheStudioofExhaustionfromDiligentService,carefullyrevealingthehistoricalsecretsmaskedbytheshadowsofthesehiddencorners.Forexample,ChinesepeasantuprisingleaderLiZichengoverthrewtheMingDynastyin1644.WhydidhechoosetoascendthethroneintheHallofMartialValorinthemorning,andthenburnittothegroundthatevening?QingDynastyEmperorKangxi,whoinhabitedtheGardenofCompassionandTranquility,wasaneffective,committedleader,sowhydidhefacemutiny?QingDynastyEmperorQianlongpersonallysupervisedconstructionofhisutopia:theStudioofExhaustionfromDiligentService.Sowhydidn’thestayinthestudioevenonenight?ThankstoZhu’sdescriptions,manyhistoricalfiguresincludingKangxi,Qianlong,LiZichengcomebacktolife,revealingtheirpersonalitiesashumanbeings.TheworkofLiShaobai,whodevoted10yearstophotographingtheForbiddenCity,isalsofeaturedheavily.
ForZhuYong,theForbiddenCityisasubjectaboutwhichhecouldspendhiswholelifewriting.TheForbiddenCityisascharmingasever,asdescribedbyhispen.However,inhisbooksTheOldPalace,TheBloodstainedImperialCourt,StoriesbehindtheForbiddenPalace,theForbiddenCityisnottheonlysubject–theycontaincomprehensiveobservationsofChinesehistoryfromhisownuniqueperspective.
Over120citationsareincludedwithZhuYong’swriting,coveringrealmsofphilosophy,history,finearts,literature,andmanyothersubjects.Asonecriticopined,“InZhu’swork,weseetheshowstagedinfrontofus,andevenfeelthetemperatureandheartbeatofthecharacters.”Whilerespectinghistoricalfacts,healwaysattemptstolookatthestoryfromanotherangle–fromthepointofcontemporaryvaluesandlanguage.Thesetwoaspectscomplementeachother,givinghimachancetoguideustohistoricalsiteswithanobjectiveviewyetsubjectiveinterpretation.”
ChinesewriterZhuYongisanassociateresearchlibrarianoftheNationalPalaceMuseumandmemberoftheBeijingWriters’Association.HeonceheldanartresidencyattheUniversityofCaliforniaBerkeleyandhaspublishedmanyliteraryworksincluding1911andStoriesBehindtheForbiddenPalace,andproducedhistoricaldocumentariessuchasThe1911Revolution.HewontheGuoMoruoAwardonPoemsandProse,theStarlightAwardandmanyotherhonorsinthefieldofChineseliteratureandfilm.
TheYuhuaPavilionisthelargestofmanyBuddhistprayerhallsintheForbiddenCity.Onitsroofisabronzedragonwithagold-platedcover.byLiShaobai,2004
ThePalaceofHeavenlyPurityissuperiortoeveryotherstructureintheInnerCourtofForbiddenCity.Itservedasthesleepingquartersfor14emperorsoftheMingDynastyandEmperorsKangxiandShuzhioftheQingDynasty.byLiShaobai,2008ThePalaceofCompassionandTranquilitywasusedtoholdceremoniesforwidowsoflateemperors.byZhuYong,2014
TheHallofMartialValor,historicallyusedforgovernmentalaffairsandceremonies,aswellasimperialculturalevents.ChineserebelleaderLiZichengascendedthethroneintheHallofMartialValorin1644.byLiShaobai,2008