Chapter 18 Lecture 05 The Gate of Supreme Harmony

The "Changchao Yumen" in the Ming Dynasty, that is, the meeting room where the emperor held daily office meetings, was located at Fengtianmen (Huangjimen, Taihemen).Not long after Emperor Yongle activated the three main halls, they encountered thunder and fire, and the three main halls were burned down, but Fengtianmen survived, so Emperor Yongle ruled in Fengtianmen.According to Wanli's "Da Ming Hui Dian" records: In the early dynasty, the drums were played first, and the civil and military officials waited in line at the left and right Yemen of the Meridian Gate; afterward, the gate was opened, and the officials of Honglu Temple (in charge of the protocol) were introduced to the Meridian Gate and passed the inner Jinshui Bridge. , In front of Danchi of Fengtianmen, there are six ministries and five mansions and other officials, facing east and west, standing in order, waiting for the emperor to come.The emperor sits on the throne, the whip is sounded, and all the officials enter the class, facing north, kneeling once and kowtowing three times.After the pilgrimage, the officials of the Honglu Temple announced the chanting, and then each yamen took turns to play.After the performance was over, the whip was sounded at the end, the emperor returned to the palace, and all the officials retreated.

A story happened here: Mao Dafang, the deputy imperial envoy of Emperor Jianwen, was abandoned after Emperor Yongle seized the throne because he refused to be an official in the new dynasty.His wife, Zhang Shi, was 56 years old. She was implicated by her husband and was sent to Jiaofangsi (Official Academy) where she was raped. After she died of illness, officials played at Fengtianmen.According to the imperial decree: "Take it out of the door, let the dog eat it, this is it!" ("Guo Chao Allusions") People are dead, and they will not let them go, and they will take the corpses to feed the dogs.Whether this story happened in Fengtianmen in Beijing or Nanjing, it shows the cruelty of imperial power.

In the early Qing Dynasty, Emperor Shunzhi moved his capital to Beijing and held a grand ceremony to announce to the world, also at Huangji Gate (Fengtian Gate, Taihe Gate).Why not in Huangji Hall (Fengtian Hall, Taihe Hall)?Some scholars believe that when Li Zicheng was about to withdraw from the palace, he set fire to the palace and the Huangji Hall was destroyed by fire, so the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Shunzhi was not in the Huangji Hall, but in the Huangji Gate. The story of Taihe's fake door is also very interesting.On December 15th in the 14th year of Guangxu (1888), the Taihe Gate was on fire, and the black smoke filled the sky, turning it into ashes.The twenty-seventh day of the first month of the next year is the auspicious day for Emperor Guangxu's wedding.The Gate of Supreme Harmony was destroyed by fire, the inner court was disturbed, and the ruling and opposition parties were shocked.The Qing system stipulates that the empress must enter the palace through the Taihe Gate.There are only 42 days, and it is too late to rebuild the Taihe Gate, what should we do?The Qing court ordered Beijing shed craftsmen to tie up the color and work day and night to speed up the construction. They actually built a lifelike color shed for the Taihe Gate, which was used at the wedding.Zhenjun's "Tian Zhi Ou Wen" records: "...the big wedding is not as good as the construction, but it is done with Zha Cai. There is no difference between high and low, wide and narrow. The pattern of the cuijue (cuijue, referring to the rafters on the house) is kissed. Carving and carving, the width and narrowness of the tile ditch, are all invincible. Although they have been in charge of the inner court for a long time, they cannot distinguish the authenticity. Moreover, it is more than ten feet high, and the chestnut wind shakes it a lot. The skill is so amazing!" We read "Guangxu The Gate of Supreme Harmony on the "Emperor's Great Wedding Picture" was originally made of color.This craft has been included in Beijing's intangible cultural heritage.The Gate of Supreme Harmony, which stands in the Forbidden City today, was built in the second year after Guangxu's wedding.

In the courtyard in front of Huangji Gate (Fengtian Gate, Taihe Gate), many stories have happened, including historical dramas and historical farces.Let me talk about the historical drama first, which is the story of Yu Qian who settled the chaos in front of Fengtianmen (Taihemen).