Chapter 27 Part III Celebrating Festivals and Watching Lanterns Section 27 Beijing is a large architectural museum

Beijing is famous for its ancient buildings in the world.The palaces in the Forbidden City and the temples and gardens on the outskirts of the city are distributed in each unit. Each unit includes a series of buildings, each with a different artistic style. From a comprehensive point of view, they are like a part of the whole. The center was established in the master plan for building the capital of Beijing 500 years ago, and has been completed successively through successive generations.The majesty, harmony, and clarity of the design scale, as well as the gorgeous and fine decoration of each building, all leave an unforgettable deep impression on people.

Some of these buildings have been converted into various museums or general cultural exhibition halls in recent years.In terms of scale, there are many types of regular exhibitions and special exhibitions, and the Palace Museum should be the one that educates the audience on patriotism in terms of the cultural and artistic heritage of the great motherland.The Beijing Museum of History should focus on scientific excavation of unearthed cultural relics, combined with historical figures and events, production development, inventions and creations of science, culture and art for popular display.In fact, the city of Beijing itself is a large museum of architectural history.

This historic city was already one of the capitals of the Yan State during the Warring States Period, a political and cultural center in the North China Plain (in recent years, a large number of ancient cultural relics have been discovered around Tangshan and Rehe on the outer edge of this area, which has proved this There may be more important relics unearthed in the area).During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was still an important town in the north. Fanyang Jiedushi was established and heavy troops were stationed. At that time, it was mainly to defend against the invasion of Xi and Khitan.After Fanyang in Anlushan town was used as a base, he used the Hu people to commit internal crimes and shake the Tang regime in Chang'an.That is to say, it has been more than 800 years since Yanjing was officially established as the capital by the Jin people.The world-famous oriental long stone bridge across the Yongding River, the Lugou Bridge, was built by masonry during this period.

In the Yuan Dynasty, it was the capital here, and during the century-old rule, the temples, altars and gardens in the suburbs of the city continued to be supplemented.Baiyun Temple, Huguo Temple, Dongyue Temple and Baita Temple were all built during this period.At that time, the great Nepalese artist Annigo, and the great Chinese artist Liu Yuan, the two masters and apprentices once participated in the architectural design and sculpture projects of these temple gardens.The cross-street building at Juyongguan at the entrance of the Great Wall was also built during this period.The construction of cities in the Jin Dynasty mostly followed the example of Bianliang in the Northern Song Dynasty, and indirectly retained the scale of Luoyang and Chang'an, the imperial capitals of the Han and Tang Dynasties. It was mentioned in the "History of Jin Zhang Rulin Biography" that at that time, a thousand and two silk embroidery workers from the Han nationality and the Uighur brocade were used to decorate a palace, and it took two years to complete it.Although the buildings on Qiongdao in Beihai today were founded in the Liao Dynasty, as for the stone rockery of Taihu Lake on Qiongdao, after the Jin people captured Kaifeng, they demolished the "Shoushan Genyue" and carried the stones to Beijing to build them.In the Yuan Dynasty, the "Guanghan Palace" was built on this hill to escape the summer heat. The flowers and trees of the houses are arranged just like the imaginary fairyland of the Moon Palace.At that time, artificially stimulated water was used to rise to the top of the mountain, and the water was sprayed from a faucet, turning into a small waterfall and slowly flowing into the bath.Because the palace was too extravagant, Ming Taizu sent Xiao Xun to supervise the construction and demolish it.Only then did Xiao Xun record the original buildings in Qiongdao one by one for future generations to know.The stones on Qiongdao Island are transparent and clear. In the Ming Dynasty, they were moved to Zhongnanhai and became the present "Yingtai".Although the Yuan Dynasty had used sea transportation to transport grain from the south, the north-south canal was still running through, and the canal grain ships could go directly to the Houhai area of ​​Beicheng.At that time, when looking from a distance on Qiongdao, you could still see the moving scene of thousands of large grain ships, the connection of boats and boats, and the masts like forests.

The old capital of the Jin and Yuan dynasties was slightly to the south-west, north-south, and after a long period of time, coupled with several major historical events, only a few ruins of the city walls and steles and trees in the temples remain.Yongle re-established its capital in Beijing in the Ming Dynasty. The inner and outer imperial cities built successively, and the Forbidden City complex with the three main halls in the Forbidden City as the main body.In addition, there are several major architectural complexes around Miyagi, such as the Temple of Heaven and Xiannongtan in the south city, the Baita Temple and Baiyun Temple outside the city and Wuta Temple in the west city, the bell tower and drum tower in the north city, and the Guozijian, Confucius Temple and Yonghe in the northeast corner. Dongyue Temple outside the city, as well as Zhongnanhai, Beihai, Tuancheng, Taimiao and Shejitan, Jingshan and Dagao Temple near Miyagi, Biyun Temple, Badachu, Reclining Buddha Temple, Yuquan Mountain, and Dajue Temple in the Xishan area on the outskirts ... are the crystallization of nearly five hundred years of ancient architectural art.These ancient buildings have either been in disrepair for a long time, or have been destroyed by human beings before and after the founding of the People's Republic of China. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, they have been restored year by year and their inherent brilliance has been restored.

When foreign tourists arrive in Beijing, the first thing that attracts their attention is Tiananmen Square.On a brown-red platform with a height of three feet, there stands a magnificent gate tower with nine couplets and double eaves. The red walls on both wings extend east and west, giving people the impression of majesty, luxury, but also very quiet and stable.It looks spectacular anytime.In fact, as far as the Forbidden City is concerned, Tiananmen is only a part of the frontier of the palace system.There is Zhengyang Gate in front, and Duan Gate in the back.Entering through the Duanmen Gate is the Meridian Gate, which is the real gate of the Forbidden City.Tiananmen Square is famous for its gorgeousness and magnificence, but the Meridian Gate gives people a solemn and solemn feeling.When a visitor who is familiar with Chinese history in the past five centuries comes to the bottom of this gate tower, this sense of seriousness will be especially deepened.

Meridian Gate has the meaning of "triumphal arch" in history.During the Ming and Qing dynasties, when state affairs were important and troops were dispatched for expeditions, the generals were ordered to make the trip, and the military dispatch ceremony was often held in front of the Meridian Gate.When the war ended and returned victorious, the emperor sat on the Meridian Gate Tower to parade the troops, comfort the soldiers, inspect the captives and the victories.The politics of the late Ming Dynasty was particularly dark. The eunuchs and powerful ministers were to please the emperor, consolidate his favor, use Jinyiwei as minions, break into people's homes from time to time, arrest honest and upright ministers who dare to speak out, use severe torture to punish Luo Zhi into prison, and impose "court rods" on celebrities and ministers. At that time, it was executed in the square downstairs of the Meridian Gate.Many people died on the spot under this tyranny.

There are two corridors on the east and west downstairs of the Meridian Gate. There are a total of 84 wing rooms connected to the end gate. In the past, it was the place where hundreds of officials waited.Before dawn, there were crowds of people wearing crowns, belts and robes. At that time, the bells and drums from the turrets on both sides of the Meridian Gate sounded together, and then they filed into the Meridian Gate and the Gate of Supreme Harmony, and waited in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony for His Majesty Bai Shidan to be summoned.The Meridian Gate was built in the 15th century, and it was refurbished with gold and cloth at the end of the 17th century, 278 years ago.The Meridian Gate enables people to know the past of history.Let us understand that there have been emperors in any part of the world, who had supreme authority for a time, and this authority will disappear after a long time.Under certain historical circumstances, autocratic emperors can more or less do something beneficial to the people of the country.However, those who want to take advantage of brutal rule, fish the people, and satisfy their own selfish desires will be overthrown by the people more quickly.As for the people's inventions and creations in the fields of production, science, literature and art, and their beneficial contributions to the country due to the combination of labor and wisdom, they will inevitably remain in the memory of future generations for a long time, and will become a part of future generations' pursuit of social progress and building a common and beautiful life. inspiration and inspiration.The Meridian Gate can be regarded as a history museum of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The history of the Meridian Gate itself and the systematic and popular historical display can teach the audience a clearer understanding of the laws of historical development.

Standing on the top of the Meridian Gate Tower and looking around, the Forbidden City's three main halls as the center, the inner and outer six palace buildings, and the Wenhua Wuying two hall buildings are all in front of you.A large roof with bright yellow glazed tiles, and the two corner buildings standing tall and tall in the east and west of the city wall, are shining together in the bright autumn sun, with a large blue sky set off against them.Surrounding Miyagi, millions of households are half-caged in a sea of ​​lush green trees.All this is really solemn, deep, quiet and indescribably beautiful!In particular, if we realize the thousands of different kinds of work and activities that are going on under this green sea in this famous metropolis in history, they will play a good role in the happy life of the Chinese people and the long-term peace of the world in the future. Feeling everything in Beijing under the blue sky, even if the poet wants to use words to describe and praise, he will inevitably find it difficult to find words.That is, paintings with rich colors can only draw part of the impression.Perhaps only a certain kind of great music, which integrates the bold and delicate, magnificent and gentle sounds of hundreds of different instrumental music, melts and organizes various melodies and rhythms formed in different time and space, and writes it into a grand movement, can it be possible to make a proper reflection.

In this sea of ​​green, here and there, far and near, brand new buildings can be found standing tall.Ten or twenty years from now, in the city of Beijing, these one million old houses will undoubtedly completely change the old appearance and create a brand new scene.At that time, whether it is near schools, hospitals, factories or theaters, as well as sidewalks on the streets, they can generally be cleaned up according to a certain plan, just like the current parks. There are flower beds full of various beautiful flowers and flat grass everywhere. For people to rest and walk.There will also be thousands of special museums and cultural centers in new buildings, scattered all over the suburbs, with perfect equipment, clean and comfortable, to educate the audience with all kinds of new knowledge.But these ancient buildings in Beijing will never lose their inherent brilliance, they will only make people feel more lovely, so they are also more thoughtfully protected, because everyone knows that these buildings are not only the important cultural and artistic heritage of the motherland At the same time, it is also a part of the world's important cultural and artistic heritage. Doubly cherishing and caring for them can not only increase people's understanding of the great achievements of history in the past, but also inspire people's new creative enthusiasm, and make greater contributions to the struggle for lasting world peace!

Written September 1956 (Originally published in Shanghai Wen Wei Po, October 15, 1956)