Chapter 9 Chapter Eight: The Rise and Fall of the Royal Palaces in the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Yuan Meng ruled China not long before it was overthrown in 1368 AD.Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty with Nanjing as its capital.Later his fourth son Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing.In the late Ming Dynasty, Jianzhou Jurchen in Northeast China rose up and established the Houjin regime in 1616 AD. In 1636 AD, the name of the country was changed to Qing Dynasty. Afterwards, it entered the customs and occupied Beijing in 1644 AD, making Beijing the capital of the Qing Dynasty.Then they unified Xinjiang, Tibet, Southwest Miao and Mongolia, established an unprecedentedly grand dynasty, and formed a unified country with a vast territory, powerful national power, and multi-ethnic groups.
As the political center of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, Beijing is the place where the most royal buildings are preserved.Beijing was designated as the central capital in the Jin Dynasty, and a well-scaled imperial city and palace city had been built, which were later burned down by the Mongolian army.Kublai Khan abandoned the old site of Zhongdu City and built a new metropolitan city centered on Qionghua Island (now Beihai Baita Mountain).The imperial city surrounds Qionghua Island and the surrounding lakes, and the palace city is called Ouchi, which is the predecessor of the present Forbidden City.The buildings in the whole city are neat and uniform, and the streets are as regular as a chessboard.After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming army demolished all the inner palaces of the Yuan Dynasty in order to eliminate the "royal spirit" of the Yuan Dynasty. Now we can only know the shape and structure of the palaces at that time from relevant materials.After Zhu Di (that is, Emperor Yongle) moved his capital to Beijing in the Ming Dynasty, he rebuilt the imperial city and the Forbidden City, basically following the old site of Da Nei in the Yuan Dynasty and moving it slightly southward, and a moat was built outside the city.Just north of the Beigong Gate, a mountain of earth was piled up, called Longevity Mountain, or Meishan Mountain (changed to Jingshan Mountain in the early Qing Dynasty), with the purpose of suppressing the royal spirit of the Yuan Dynasty.At the same time, imitating the regulations of Nanjing City, two symmetrical architectural complexes, Taimiao and Sheji Altar, were built on both sides of the South Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City.The Taimiao is the ancestral temple of the royal family, and the Sheji Altar is the place where the emperor worships the gods of land and grain.In addition, the South China Sea was excavated to the south of Taiye Pool, and a complete T-shaped square was opened outside the Chengtian Gate, the main gate of the imperial city, called Tianjie (today's Anmen Square), and a palace wall was built outside.In this way, the scale of the imperial city was roughly formed.From the early Ming Dynasty to the Jiajing period, with the imperial city as the core, the big city of Beijing was rebuilt.The Temple of Heaven and the Altar of Mountains and Rivers (Xiannong Altar) were built in the south of the city, the Temple of Earth was built in the north of the city, and the Temple of Sun and Moon were built in the east and west of the city. This symmetrical layout highlights the central position of the imperial city.After the Qing Dynasty established its capital in Beijing, it preserved all the palaces and cities built by the Ming Dynasty, and successively added and expanded them on this basis, but did not make large-scale changes.The construction of the Qing royal family in Beijing mainly consisted of adding many palaces and building large gardens in the western suburbs, forming a royal garden area of more than 20 miles northwest of Haidian.The famous "Three Mountains and Five Gardens" refer to Yuanmingyuan, Changchun Garden, Xiangshan Jingyi Garden, Yuquan Mountain Jingming Garden and Wanshou Mountain Qingyi Garden.These gardens bring together the essence of northern and southern garden art, especially the Old Summer Palace, which is known as the "Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens".During the Opium War, the Old Summer Palace was burned by the British and French allied forces, three mountains and five gardens were destroyed, and the Empress Dowager Cixi built the Summer Palace on the basis of Qingyi Garden.Therefore, as a world-famous ancient capital, Beijing's existing scenic spots and historical sites are mainly relics of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The most important buildings in the imperial city are Tiananmen, the Forbidden City and the Three Seas.
The main gate of the imperial city of Ming and Qing Dynasties was built in the fifteenth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1417). It was originally named Chengtianmen.It was rebuilt in the eighth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1651 A.D.) and renamed Tiananmen, which formed the appearance we see today.Tiananmen Square had many uses in the Ming and Qing dynasties.When each new emperor ascends the throne or appoints a queen, he must read the imperial edict to the people on the tower.Whenever the emperor goes out for an expedition, he will sacrifice his way here, and if he sends a general to an expedition, he will see him off and sacrifice his flag here.When the emperor went out to hold ceremonies such as offering sacrifices to the heaven and the earth, plowing and clearing the fields, they all entered and exited through Tiananmen Square.The emperor's parents entered the palace, and the emperor married the queen, and they also entered through Tiananmen Square, but no one (including the emperor) was allowed to enter or exit through Tiananmen Square, and even empty coffins could not be carried in here.Every August, the emperor ordered relevant officials to make the final judgment on the death-criminal prisoners in all provinces of the country, which is called "autumn trial". Both the "Autumn Trial" and the "Court Trial" were also held in Tiananmen Square.In addition, the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties personally presided over the examination for juren, which is called the "palace examination".Two days after the imperial examination, the emperor summoned the top three candidates in Tiananmen Square, namely the No. 1 scholar, No. 2 candidate, and Tanhua, and called their names in turn. This is called "Jindian Chuanlu (lu Lu)".There are five beautifully carved white marble stone bridges under the Tiananmen Gate, and together with the two in front of the Taimiao and Sheji Altar, there are seven in total, called Waijinshui Bridge.The bridge in the middle is wider. In the past, only emperors could walk on it. It is called "Yulu Bridge".There are also two pairs of Chinese watches beside the Jinshui Bridge, each weighing 40,000 jin. On the top is a dew-bearing plate. The monster on the plate is called Houhou. It is said that it is one of the nine sons of the dragon and has the habit of keeping watch.Squatting on the Huabiao is to watch the behavior of the emperor when they go out, and remind them to come back soon to take care of state affairs.Therefore, Huabiao is also called Wangzhu.
The imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties was first built in the fourth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1406), with a construction area of 150,000 square meters and more than 9,000 houses.The layout of the Forbidden City can be divided into two parts: the outer dynasty and the inner court.The Outer Dynasty centered on the three halls, where the emperor held grand ceremonies and summoned his ministers.The inner court is centered on Qianqing Palace, Jiaotai Palace and Kunning Palace. It is the place where the emperor lives and handles daily government affairs, and the concubines and princes live and worship gods.There is a square between the inner court and the outer court.In addition, there is a group of palaces to the east of the inner court, commonly known as "Outer East Road", which is the Supreme Palace built by Qianlong.To the west are the residences of the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager.There are also three gardens in the inner court for the emperor and empress to play.
The main entrance of the Forbidden City is the Meridian Gate.In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were strict regulations on entering and exiting the Meridian Gate. The main entrance was only for the emperor to enter and exit. In addition, only the empress could enter the palace once when she was married.The top three Jinshi can also go out of the Forbidden City once after the palace examination is released.Usually civil and military officials come in and out through the east gate, and princes, dukes and relatives come in and out through the west gate.Every year on the tenth day of the second month of winter, the emperor held a ceremony at the Meridian Gate to issue the almanac.Whenever the army returned triumphantly, the emperor would choose a day to hold a capture ceremony at the Meridian Gate.Every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, lanterns are hung at the Meridian Gate, and a banquet is given to all officials. The emperor comes to watch the lanterns in person and compose poems with his ministers.There is often a saying in folklore, novels and operas that "beheaded at the Meridian Gate". In fact, people are never beheaded inside the Forbidden City, and there is no execution ground outside the Meridian Gate.However, in the Ming Dynasty, if a minister offended the emperor, he would often receive a spanking (spanking).In the Qing Dynasty, the court rod was generally no longer used as punishment.
The most important of the three halls of the Outer Dynasty is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, commonly known as the Hall of Golden Luan, with an area of 2,377 square meters. It is the most spectacular building in the palace city and the largest existing wooden hall in the country.24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties ascended the throne here and announced their enthronement edicts.On New Year's Day, Winter Solstice, the emperor's birthday, the establishment of a queen, sending generals to expeditions, passing on the golden palace, giving banquets, etc., the emperor will hold ceremonies here to receive congratulations from civil and military officials.The Zhonghe Hall behind the Hall of Supreme Harmony is the place where the emperor rested before holding a grand ceremony.Every day before adding the empress dowager's emblem and offering sacrifices, the emperor read the memorials and sacrifices here.When Xiannongtan holds the emperor's plowing ceremony, you must first come here to see the seeds, farm tools and congratulations.The emperor of the Qing Dynasty repaired the family tree (that is, the jade) every 10 years. When the emperor read it, he also held a ceremony in the Hall of Zhonghe.Behind the Hall of Central Harmony is the Hall of Preserving Harmony.When the emperor appointed the empress and crown prince, he would wear a dress and a crown here before going to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to accept the congratulations of the officials.The emperors of the Qing Dynasty entertained the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty in the Palace of Preserving Harmony every New Year's Eve and Lantern Festival.
Qianqing Palace, the front hall of the inner court, was the sleeping palace and place for daily activities of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty.There are nine warm pavilions, each divided into upper and lower floors, and each room is connected by stairs. Each room has three beds, a total of 27 beds. The emperor can change the bed at will to prevent being murdered.Some court homicides in the Ming Dynasty took place in Qianqing Palace.Emperor Shunzhi and Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty still lived in Qianqing Palace.After Emperor Yongzheng moved to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Qianqing Palace became the place where the inner court held ceremonies and received officials.In the main room of the Qianqing Palace, there is a plaque of "Uprightness and Brightness". Behind the plaque is the place where the secret storage box is kept.The emperors of the Ming Dynasty were all publicly appointed princes.Because Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty had 35 sons, he abolished the crown prince twice, which caused great conflicts.After Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, he created a method of secretly establishing a reserve. In advance, he secretly wrote the name of the heir, in duplicate, one copy was brought with the emperor, and the other was placed behind the "fair and bright" plaque.After the emperor died, the ministers opened the storage box and announced the heir designated by the imperial book.The four emperors Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng were all secret reserves.
The Hall of Mental Cultivation was originally the study of Kangxi. After Yongzheng moved here, all the emperors of the Qing Dynasty used it as a bedroom and a place to handle daily government affairs.In the westernmost room, Emperor Qianlong collected three rare treasures here: "Quick Snow and Sunshine Calligraphy" by Wang Xizhi, a calligrapher of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, "Mid-Autumn Calligraphy" by Wang Xianzhi, and "Boyuan Calligraphy" by Wang Xun [xun Xun]. , so it was named Sanxitang.The East Nuan Pavilion in the Hall of Mental Cultivation is the emperor's bedroom.During the Tongzhi and Guangxu periods, Cixi listened to politics behind a curtain.After the Revolution of 1911, on February 12, 1912, Empress Dowager Longyu announced her abdication edict here, and the Qing Dynasty perished.
Chuxiu Palace, one of the West Six Palaces of the Inner Court, was once the residence of Cixi.It forms a courtyard with Yikun Palace and Tihe Palace.The furnishings are extremely luxurious and luxurious.Cixi ate in the Hall of Tihe, with two main meals and two snacks a day.There are more than 50 kinds of staple foods and more than 120 dishes for each meal.Every day, 500 catties of meat, more than 100 chickens and ducks are used, and more than 450 people wait for each meal.There were three large gold-painted square tables in front of her, and the food she usually liked was placed in front. Cixi only tasted a few, and the rest were for ostentation.
The Taishang Palace on Waidong Road is the place where Qianlong planned to retire after being the emperor for 60 years, so the names of the palaces all mean longevity and fulfillment of wishes, such as Le Shoutang, Suichu Hall, Fuwang Pavilion, Yihexuan, etc.There is also a garden covering an area of 5920 square meters next to Ningshou Palace.Cixi moved from Chuxiu Palace to Le Shoutang after the 20th year of Guangxu (1894 A.D.).Now the Leshou Hall has been turned into a treasure hall, among which Jinfa Pagoda, Dayu's water control Yushanzi, and ivory mats are all rare treasures.There is also a famous Zhenfei well on Waidong Road.Concubine Zhen was Guangxu's favorite concubine. She was elected to the palace with her elder sister when she was 13 years old. She was beautiful and intelligent, and she was favored by Guangxu, but she was rejected by Cixi.After the Reform Movement of 1898 failed, Cixi put her in the cold palace.In the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu (AD 1900), the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing, and Cixi fled to Xi'an with Guangxu. Before leaving, she ordered someone to push Concubine Zhen down the well.Concubine Zhen was only 25 years old this year.
There is a tall turret at each of the four corners of the Forbidden City. The multi-corner, multi-eave, and multi-ridge shape makes the outline of the turrets exquisite, beautiful, and uneven, and at the same time dignified and majestic.The turret is located at the corner of the city wall, and with the moat water under the city wall as the opposite view, it reflects the reflection on the water, adding to the poetic and picturesque feeling.
Located on the west side of the Forbidden City, it refers to Zhonghai, Nanhai and Beihai.The water is drawn from Yuhuang Mountain, flows in from Deshengmen Shuiguan, and merges into a large pool.In the Jin Dynasty, soil was accumulated in the lake to form an island, named Qionghua Island.In the Yuan Dynasty, Zhonghai and Beihai were called Taiye Pond. In the early Ming Dynasty, eunuchs excavated the South China Sea. It was not until the late Ming Dynasty that the three seas were distinguished, and they have been used to this day.Zhongnanhai was greatly expanded and built in the Qing Dynasty, and several grand and grand recreational activities are held every year.For example, on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the "Menglan Basin Meeting" (a Buddhist event done by Buddhists to remember their ancestors) was built, and thousands of lotus lanterns were floated into the water.Around the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, the royal family shoots at the school.In winter, the Eight Banners Forbidden Army played games on the ice, and there were ice skating performances during the Tongzhi and Guangxu years.The small island in Zhongnanhai is called Yingtai, which was originally a summer resort for emperors and concubines.After the failure of the Reform Movement of 1898, Cixi imprisoned Emperor Guangxu here for 10 years.
The North Sea covers an area of 68 hectares, more than half of which is water.Most of the main buildings on the north bank and some buildings on the east bank of the garden were built during the Qianlong period.The layout of the whole garden is dominated by Qionghua Island. The temples on the southern slope of Baita Mountain are arranged along the mountain, until the archway on the bank of the foothills, and connected to Tuancheng by a stone bridge across the water.The combination of buildings and gardens on the east bank and north bank form various scenic spots with different interests.It not only has the flavor of Jiangnan gardens, but also maintains the characteristics of royal gardens.The Nine Dragon Wall to the west of the Brahma Realm on the north bank is the most famous glazed building in Beihai.The screen wall is 6.65 meters high, 1.42 meters thick and 25.52 meters long.It is all made of colored glazed bricks, with nine colored dragons on each side.In addition, there are also many dragons on the main ridge, vertical ridge, tube tile, and long hang of the wall, and under the colorful bucket arches, a total of 635 dragons, large and small.This Nine Dragon Wall was built by Concubine Li Yan, the birth mother of Emperor Wanli of Ming Dynasty.She believed in Lamaism and built Daxi Tianjing Factory in Beihai, specializing in translating and printing scriptures.In order to suppress the god of fire and prevent the Jingchang from catching fire, this screen wall with Panlong and sea water was built in front of the Jingchang gate.Similar to the most advanced five-color glazed Nine-Dragon Wall like the Beihai Nine-Dragon Wall, there are two other ones, one in the Forbidden City in Beijing and one in Datong, Shanxi.The Wulong Pavilion on the north bank is also a Ming Dynasty building. The five pavilions are connected by S-shaped stone bridges, which are graceful like swimming dragons. It was originally a place for emperors to fish and watch fireworks.Jingxinzhai on the north bank, Haopujian and Huafangzhai on the east bank are all gardens within a garden in Beihai. The layout is dominated by rocks and pools, accompanied by Zhaiting pavilions, surrounded by winding corridors, forming a world of its own, quiet and elegant. .
Tuancheng to the west of the South Gate of Beihai is a unique building.The surrounding walls are built with bricks to form a circular city wall, and the top of the wall is built as a battlement crenel. There are only two gates.The main hall, Chengguang Hall, was originally circular, but it was rebuilt into a square hall with a cross-shaped plane during the Qianlong period.When the Qing emperor went out for an outing, he came here to change clothes and have refreshments.A Chinese pine next to the hall was said to have been planted during the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, and was granted the title of Marquis of Shade by Qianlong.There are also white bark pine and Tanhai pine, which are also hundreds of years old trees, and they have been named generals in white robes and Marquis of Tanhai.There are two most famous precious cultural relics in Tuancheng. One is the White Jade Buddha in Chengguang Hall, which is about 1.5 meters high and inlaid with gemstones. According to legend, it was brought back from Myanmar by a monk named Ming Kuan.The other is the Great Jade Sea in Dushan, a black jade wine urn, which was used for Kublai Khan to drink and store wine. It weighs about 3,500 kilograms and is the largest handed down jade in my country.
In addition to the Forbidden City and the Three Seas of Beijing, the important buildings in the imperial city of Ming and Qing Dynasties include Jingshan, Taimiao and Sheji Altar.Jingshan piled coal in the Ming Dynasty.At dawn on March 19th in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen (AD 1644), Li Zicheng led the rebel army to attack Beijing.Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian escaped from Miyagi and hanged himself on a locust tree at the eastern foot of Jingdong.In the Qing Dynasty, Jingshan became the place where the emperors and empresses parked their coffins and worshiped the images of their ancestors.The five pavilions on the mountain were all built in the 16th year of Qianlong (1751 A.D.).The Taimiao is now the Cultural Palace of the Working People. Its shape, wood and stone parts basically maintain the structure of the Ming Dynasty. It is one of the most complete Ming Dynasty buildings in Beijing.The ancient cypresses in the temple have a history of hundreds of years.Sheji Altar is now Zhongshan Park.The worship hall in the garden is one of the oldest surviving early Ming buildings in Beijing.The Orchid Pavilion was originally one of the 40 sceneries of the Old Summer Palace. It was moved here in 1917. The eight stone pillars are engraved with Wang Xizhi's "Orchid Pavilion Preface" copied by seven calligraphers selected by Qianlong, named "Eight Columns of the Orchid Pavilion".
One of the most attractive places of interest outside the imperial city.It was built in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1420). It is outside the Zhengyang Gate in the inner city of Beijing. It is the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Meng Chun, prayed for the valley, prayed for rain in the summer solstice, and worshiped the sky in the winter solstice.There are two altar walls, which are divided into inner altar and outer altar.In the inner altar, there are the fasting palace and the altar. The fasting palace is the place where the emperor fasted and bathed before offering sacrifices.There are two altars.The Prayer Valley Altar is in the north, and the Circular Mound Altar is in the south. The two altars are on the same north-south axis, separated by a wall in the middle.The center of the Prayer Valley Altar is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, which is round, with three layers of eaves and pointed domes. It was originally blue, yellow and green in the Ming Dynasty.During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, they were all changed to blue glazed tiles.The number of pillars in the hall is said to be built according to astronomical phenomena.The four Longjing pillars in the center symbolize the four seasons, and the twelve gold pillars in the middle layer symbolize the 12 months.The 12 columns on the outer layer represent the 12 hours of the day.Adding up to 24, symbolizes 24 seasons, and adding up to 28 in three layers, symbolizes the twenty-eight constellations of the week.The Huangqiongyu to the north of the Circular Mound Altar is the place where the sacrifice tablets of the Circular Mound are stored.The main hall is circular, and there is a circular wall outside, which is the famous echo gallery.Because the inner wall is smooth and clean, sound waves can be reflected and transmitted along the inner arc.There is a stone corridor between the imperial vault and the glazed gate on the south side of the wall. The first, second, and third stone panels from north to south in front of the steps of the imperial vault are called Sanyin stones. They stand in the center of the first stone panel. Clap your hands facing the hall, and you can hear a loud echo.Stand on the second stone slab and clap your hands, you can hear two echoes, stand on the third stone slab and clap your hands, you can hear three echoes.This is because the three stone slabs are in the center of the circular wall, no matter which one you stand on, you can hear the echo, but because the distance of the sound wave refracted from the circular wall is different, you will hear the echo of different times.If two people stand at the bottom of the wall at both ends of the echo wall, and one person speaks against the wall, the sound waves will continue to refract along the wall and travel to the other end of one or two hundred meters, so that the other party can hear clearly.The Circular Mound Altar is a place for offering sacrifices to heaven. The altar is 16 feet high and is divided into three floors.All the stone slabs, railings, railings and steps on the altar are related to the character "Nine", because "Nine" was often used in ancient times to represent the highest and greatest celestial bodies.For example, from the center of the altar to the outside, there are three layers of countertops, and each layer is paved with nine circles of fan-shaped stone slabs. The first circle of the upper layer is nine pieces, the second circle is 18 pieces, and the third circle is 27 pieces.By analogy, it is 81 yuan to the ninth circle.The middle layer ranges from 90 yuan in the 10th circle to 162 yuan in the 18th circle.The lower level ranges from 171 blocks on the 19th lap to 243 blocks on the 27th lap.A total of three floors, 378 nines, a total of 3402 blocks.The Tai Chi stone in the center of the countertop also has the effect of sound wave reflection, but because the radius of the altar is relatively short, the echo is too fast. Those who stand on it feel that the sound is particularly loud, but those who stand outside the center of the circle do not feel this way.The emperor regarded this as the return and response of all the people in the world to the imperial court, so he called this central round stone "Yi Zhao Jing Cong Stone".The architecture of the Temple of Heaven has a unique artistic style, and cleverly uses scientific principles such as mechanics, acoustics and geometry, occupying an important position in the history of ancient architecture.
Haidian, the western suburb of Beijing, was originally an area with beautiful mountains and clear waters, and garden architecture has risen since the Ming Dynasty.The emperors of the Qing Dynasty built large-scale palaces here. After Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong for more than 130 years, a royal garden area stretching for 20 miles was formed.In addition to the three mountains and five gardens mentioned above, there are many gardens given by the emperor to the clan ministers, such as the Shuchun Garden, Jingchun Garden, Chengze Garden, and Weixiu Garden around the Weiming Lake of Peking University, and the garden of Tsinghua University. Jinchun Garden, Xichun Garden and so on.The grandest of these imperial gardens was the Old Summer Palace.
The Old Summer Palace and its adjacent Changchun Garden and Yichun Garden are commonly known as the Three Yuanming Gardens.After more than 150 years of construction since Yongzheng was founded, it has formed an astonishing scale.There are more than 100 bridges of various types and more than 140 scenic spots in the three gardens.The construction area of towers, pavilions, pavilions and pavilions is 160,000 square meters, which is 10,000 square meters more than the Forbidden City.It not only inherits and develops the traditional garden architectural art of our country, creatively absorbs and draws lessons from the famous gardens in the north and south, but also includes the characteristics of Western architecture.The buildings in the park are luxuriously furnished, and rare cultural relics, treasures and books from all over the country have been collected.Therefore, relevant documents in Europe at that time praised it as "a garden of ten thousand gardens", "paradise on earth", and "a model of all gardening arts".But what is sad is that it suffered two catastrophic catastrophes and is now in ruins.The first time was during the Second Opium War in 1860. The British and French allied forces occupied the Old Summer Palace on October 6. After looting wantonly, they sent cavalry to set fire to the whole garden on the 18th and 19th.The fire burned to nearby gardens, resulting in the destruction of the palace gardens within more than 20 miles from Haidian Town to Xiangshan.After the robbery, there are only 13 scenic spots left in the Old Summer Palace. Thirteen years later, Empress Dowager Cixi wanted to rebuild this famous garden on the ruins, but due to financial difficulties, the progress was slow and the quality of the project was poor. In 1900, the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing, and the Old Summer Palace was ransacked for the second time.After the foreign invaders retreated, the corrupt soldiers of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty colluded with bullies and ruffians, and demolished the remaining palaces and halls. Even the stones, bricks and tiles were auctioned off, and the wood and trees were sold by burning charcoal. barren garden.Only the remnants of the water-viewing pillars at the southern end of the Zhongyuan Temple in the Western Building and the remnants of a few ancient buildings are left standing on the ruins, which have become witnesses to the crimes of imperialist aggression against China.
It was originally a natural lake formed by many springs, and there is Weng Mountain next to it, so it is called Wengshan Lake.During the reign of Qianlong, in order to clean up the waterways in the western suburbs, wengshan moor was dredged and its water storage capacity was increased.The Dabaoen Yanshou Temple and the Wisdom Sea were built on Wengshan Mountain, pavilions and pavilions were built on the front mountain, Zhaomiao pagodas were arranged on the back mountain, and a Jiangnan-style Linshui market called Suzhou Street was opened along the back lake at the foot of the mountain.The name of the mountain was changed to Longevity Mountain, the name of the lake was changed to Kunming Lake, collectively known as Qingyi Garden.When the British and French allied forces burned the Old Summer Palace, Qingyi Garden was also severely damaged.In the fourteenth year of Guangxu (AD 1888), Empress Dowager Cixi embezzled naval military expenditures to restore the Qingyi Garden. After the reconstruction, it was renamed the Summer Palace as a resting place after she "returned to power". In 1900, the Summer Palace was ransacked by the Eight-Power Allied Forces again, and Cixi spent a huge amount of money to renovate it. From 1903, she spent most of her time here.
The Summer Palace not only has the scenery of lakes and mountains, but also the scenery of gardens. The buildings of various styles in the garden are not only self-contained, but also interconnected. At the same time, the West Mountain and Yuquan Mountain are skillfully borrowed as the background, and the artificial buildings are combined with the natural scenery. .The whole garden covers an area of about 290 hectares, with more than 3,000 various palaces, temples and garden buildings.It can be roughly divided into three parts: political activity area, residential area and tourist area.The political activity area is inside the East Palace Gate, with Renshou Hall as the center.Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu spend most of their time in this place every year when they are promoted to councilors and receive ministers and foreign envoys.The residential area is composed of Yulan Hall, Yiyun Hall and Leshou Hall. They are three large courtyards, connected by 50 or 60 winding corridors.Le Shoutang is the residence of Empress Dowager Cixi, and Yulan Hall is the place where Guangxu was under house arrest.Yiyun Pavilion is the residence of Longyu, the queen of Guangxu.In the living area, there is also a large theater building in Deheyuan, which is a place for Cixi to watch operas. Together with Changyin Pavilion in the Forbidden City and Qingyin Pavilion in Chengde Mountain Resort, they are called the three major theaters.There is a winch on the roof of the theater building, and there is a deep well and five pools under the stage, which can perform plots such as ascending to immortality, descending to the mortal world, and entering the earth, and spray water from under the stage.The scenic spot is mainly composed of the front and rear mountains of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake.Along the rising mountain, Qianshan built many majestic and resplendent palaces and pavilions layer by layer.On the central axis, buildings such as the Hall of Dispelling Clouds, the Pavilion of Foxiang, and the Sea of Wisdom are the most famous.The copper pavilion on the west side of the Foxiang Pavilion, named Baoyun Pavilion, is a bronze Buddha hall, weighing 414,000 jins, and is a rare treasure in my country's copper casting process.There are many Buddhist buildings in the back mountain.The artificial river at the foot of the northern slope is collectively called Houhu, and along the bank is Suzhou Street, which was built in imitation of a water town in the south of the Yangtze River. These buildings have been completely destroyed after the two catastrophes of the British and French Allied Forces and the Eight-Power Allied Forces.Now Suzhou Street has been rebuilt.The Garden of Harmony at the east foot of the Houshan Mountain is small and exquisite, with its own pattern.Looking down from the air, the whole Kunming Lake is divided into three parts by the long embankment, and there are islands in the middle of each part.The promenade built along the north bank of Kunming Lake is 728 meters long, like a brocade belt connecting the various buildings in the front mountain, and at the same time drawing a contrasting boundary between the mountains and rivers.There are 273 long corridors, which are the longest corridors among garden buildings in my country. There are more than 14,000 paintings on the roof beams of the corridors, such as West Lake scenery, historical figures, landscapes, flowers and birds, etc., which have high gardening artistic value.Beside the Wanzhang Pavilion at the west end of the corridor, there is a stone boat named Qingyan Boat, which is 36 meters long and has two floors, all carved out of huge stones.On the east embankment of Kunming Lake, weeping willows are fluttering, and there are Zhichun Pavilion, Kuoru Pavilion, Tongniu and other scenery along the embankment.The Seventeen-Arch Bridge connects Kuoruting and Nanhu Island.The Dragon King Temple on the island was originally the place where Empress Dowager Cixi inspected the graduates of the Beiyang Navy's "Navy Academy" to practice water exercises.The West Causeway runs through the northwestern part of Kunming Lake, imitating the West Lake Su Causeway in Hangzhou, with six bridges of different shapes, among which the Yudai Bridge is famous for its high and thin arch and its shape like a moon cave.Peach willows are planted all over the embankment, which has a quiet taste compared with the gorgeous north bank.
To the west of the Summer Palace is the Xishan Scenic Area in Beijing, among which there are famous Jingming Garden in Yuquan Mountain, Jingyi Garden in Xiangshan Mountain, Biyun Temple, Temple of the Reclining Buddha and Badachu of Xishan Mountain, etc. There are many scenic spots and historic sites.
Yuquan Mountain is at the east foot of the West Mountain, west of the Summer Palace.There are dense springs here, and the water is as clean as jade, so it is called Yuquan Pool, and the mountain is also named after the spring.As early as the Liao and Jin Dynasties, the emperor's palace was built here.Temples were built here in Yuan and Ming Dynasties.During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, additional gardens were built here, and it was renamed Jingming Garden, which was one of the famous three mountains and five gardens at that time.There are 32 scenic spots in the park, among which "Jade Spring Chuihong" is particularly famous and is one of the eight scenic spots in Yanjing.Qianlong designated Yuquan water as "the best spring in the world" and used it as the imperial water for the Qing palace.Yuquan water is not only good in water quality, but also rich in water volume. The water in the moat, Kunming Lake and Yuyuantan all come from Yuquan Mountain, so it occupies a very important position in Beijing gardens.The Huazang Pagoda, Yufeng Pagoda, Liebo Lake, Huayan Cave, Yulong Cave, Xiangyan Temple, and Shengyuan Temple on Yuquan Mountain are all famous scenic spots. The stone carvings in the temple towers are very exquisite, most of which were made by the famous craftsman Yang Qiong in the early Yuan Dynasty. .Yufeng Pagoda can be seen from the Summer Palace and becomes a borrowed view of Kunming Lake.
Xiangshan is one of the mountains in Xishan, and together with Longevity Mountain and Yuquan Mountain, it is called the Three Mountains.The emperor's palace was built in the Jin, Yuan and Ming dynasties.In the tenth year of Qianlong's reign (AD 1745), large-scale construction was carried out, and palaces, terraces, pavilions, and pagodas were built all over the mountains and plains.Qianlong personally inscribed 28 scenes and named it Jingyi Garden.The last two times were burned by the British, French and Eight-Power Allied Forces, and not many monuments remained.It turns out that Xiangshan Temple, the largest among all the temples in Xiangshan, has a five-story hall with historical sites from the Liao, Jin and Yuan dynasties. Now there are only stone steps, stone square columns, dilapidated stone bridges, and square ponds.In addition, there is Zhao Temple, which was built in the 45th year of Qianlong (AD 1780) to receive the Tibetan Panchen Lama who came to Beijing to "Zhu Li [xi Xi]". "Zhuli" is a sacrificial blessing.This is a Tibetan Lama Temple, the gate faces east, and a majestic archway stands on the platform, which is made of glazed tiles and white marble.There is an octagonal glazed pagoda on the mountainside in the west of the temple, about 30 meters high, reflecting the Dongmen archway.In addition, there is Jianxinzhai on the mountain, which was built in the Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty.According to the layout of Jiangnan gardens, there is a semicircular pool in the center of the courtyard.There are semi-circular corridors built against the walls on the southeast, north and south sides, and there are three small water pavilions on the west side, backed by rockery, and there is a condescending Zhengning hall on the rockery.It is a well-preserved and distinctive historic site in Xiangshan.
Cotinus cotinus trees are planted all over Xiangshan, with round leaves. In autumn, the mountains are full of red, which is very spectacular.Therefore, the red leaves of Xiangshan Mountain have become a famous scenic spot in Beijing. There is a Tiyunshan Pavilion on the mountainside that specializes in viewing red leaves.Up from the mountain pavilion, there is the "Xishan Qingxue" stele made by Emperor Qianlong. This is an open area. It snows heavily in winter and clears up at the beginning.From Xishan Qingxue and then up, you can climb Yuru Peak, the main peak of Xiangshan Mountain.Because the mountain is steep and difficult to climb, it is commonly known as ghosts and sorrows.Climb to Guijianchou, you can enjoy the panoramic view of Xiangshan Mountain.
Biyun Temple at the eastern foot of Xiangshan Mountain has been the crown of all temples in the Western Mountains since ancient times.The whole temple covers an area of four hectares. It was built from the Yuan Dynasty to the twenty-sixth year of the Yuan Dynasty (1289 A.D.), and was originally named Biyun Nunnery.During the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, it was developed into a temple.The whole temple faces east from west, and there are six courtyards from the mountain gate to the top of the temple according to the mountain situation.Layers of halls are hidden among pines, cypresses, locust trees and willows, which is extremely spectacular.The exquisite carvings in the temple are treasures in the history of Chinese art.The Vajra Throne Pagoda in the backyard of Biyun Temple was added together with the Arhat Hall in the 13th year of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty.The tower is 34.7 meters high and is entirely made of white marble.The tower base is square, with a hole in the middle, and there are stone steps on the left and right to the top of the tower base.There are eight towers on the tower base: a house-shaped square tower at the exit of the stone steps, two circular Lama towers on the left and right in front, and five square towers with dense eaves in the back; one in the center and one in each of the four corners.The entire Vajra Throne Pagoda is covered with exquisite reliefs, including large and small Buddha statues, heavenly kings, warriors, dragons and phoenixes, lion elephants, cloud patterns, etc., all carved in the traditional Tibetan style.In 1925, the coffin of Dr. Sun Yat-sen was parked in this tower. In 1929, the coffin was moved to the south, and Mr. Sun Yat-sen's clothes were buried in the pagoda, so it became Sun Yat-sen's tomb.
The Hall of Five Hundred Arhats in Biyun Temple was built in imitation of Jingshan Temple in Hangzhou.The hall is in the shape of a field, with four small patios in the middle.There are five hundred arhats in the hall, seven Buddha statues and one Jigong.The emperors of the Qing Dynasty believed in Buddhism, so the images of Kangxi and Qianlong were also molded into the Arhat Hall.Legend has it that Kangxi was in the 295th place and was called "Dark Ye Duo Arhat"; Qianlong was in the 360th place and was called "Zhifu Luohan".The living Buddha Jigong on the beam in the north is a figure in folklore. It is said that Tathagata Buddha convened the Lingshan Dharma Assembly. Jigong was drunk in the countryside because of his greed for dog meat and liquor. After waking up, he rushed to Lingshan.Jigong was dissatisfied, so he sat on the beam of the house.The five hundred arhats are vivid in shape, with different images, and are well preserved.
To the northeast of Biyun Temple is an ancient temple built in the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty. Because there is a big reclining Buddha in the temple, it is commonly known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha.The whole temple is composed of three courtyards.The Reclining Buddha Hall is the last one to enter the main hall, and there is a bronze Buddha lying horizontally in the hall, with a sad expression on his face.This is the scene of Sakyamuni exhorting his disciples for the funeral outside the city of Kushina, India, before Nirvana under the Sala tree.There are 12 clay statues of Buddha standing around the back.The bronze Buddha was cast during the reign of Emperor Yingzong of the Yuan Dynasty. It cost 300,000 jin of copper and is more than 5 meters long.
Cherry Valley in the northwest of the Reclining Buddha Temple is an elegant garden built along a mountain valley.There are many strange rocks in the ditch, and the stream is clear.There are four characters of "Luyan Jingshe" on the forehead of the gate of the gate. The stone steps inside the gate are exquisite and the bamboo forest is deep.There are Fangsheng Pond, Wansong Pavilion, Yaner Ridge, Tui Weng Pavilion, Jinzhangzong Kanhuatai, Golden Pigeon Terrace and other legendary monuments.On the top of the cliff at the source of the stream, there is a huge stone in the shape of an ingot, engraved with the words "Bailuyan".There is also a half-day cloud ridge in the depths of the garden, and you can overlook the whole garden from the top of the ridge.
The Eight Great Places of Xishan refer to the eight ancient temples Chang'an Temple, Lingguang Temple, Sanshan Nunnery, Dabei Temple, Longwangtang, Xiangjie Temple, Baozhu Cave and Zhengguo Temple in the three mountains of Lushi Mountain, Cuiwei Mountain and Pingpo Mountain at the east foot of the branch of Xishan Mountain. .Among them, Xiangjie Temple is located on Pingpo Mountain, which is the main temple of Bada Temple. It was first built in Tang Dynasty, rebuilt in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the name of the temple was changed repeatedly.The scale of the temple is magnificent, with five entrance halls, which rise layer by layer according to the mountains.In the east of the temple, there is a palace and garden in the Qianlong period, which is the palace where the Qing emperor visited.The remaining seven temples have their own characteristics.For example, there are two white-bark pine trees planted in the Yuan Dynasty in Chang'an Temple, and the bark has medicinal properties.The original Zhaoxian Pagoda in the Liao Dynasty in Lingguang Temple was burned down by the Allied Forces of Eight Nations, and the "Spiritual Tooth of Sakyamuni Buddha" hidden in the seventh year of Jintianhui (963 AD) was found in the base of the pagoda.It is recorded in Buddhist classics that Sakyamuni left four teeth when he was cremated after death, one of which was introduced to China and placed in the Zhaoxian Pagoda in Xishan, Beijing. In 1964, a 51-meter-high Buddha Tooth Pagoda was rebuilt to enshrine the Buddha Tooth Relic.
The Lama Temple in the east of Beijing was originally the official residence of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty when he was the prince.After he ascended the throne, he changed Yongwang Mansion into a palace, called Lama Temple.After his death, he stayed in Lama Temple.In the ninth year of Qianlong (AD 1744), it was changed to a Lama Temple and became the upper court of the Lama Yellow Sect.Its architecture is basically based on the Han style, while combining some characteristics of Tibetan temples.The whole temple is divided into three roads, the middle road has seven courtyards and five halls.The left and right roads are all kinds of side halls and buildings.Among them, the most splendid buildings are Falun Hall and Wanfu Pavilion.Falun Hall is the most important building in Lama Temple.The plane is cross-shaped, the main hall is seven bays, the side halls on the east and west sides are five bays wide, and there is a stack on each side.The bronze statue of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Yellow Sect of Lamaism, is enshrined in the hall, which is more than 15 meters high.Behind the statue is the Mountain of Five Hundred Arhats, which is shaped like a mountain carved from sandalwood, and five hundred Arhats are made of gold, silver, copper, iron and tin.The east and west walls of the hall are painted with murals on the theme of Sakyamuni stories in bright colors, using traditional techniques of Tibetan painting.There are also Tripitaka and Sutra stored in the hall, which are two important Buddhist classics written in Tibetan.
Wanfu Pavilion was added during the Qianlong period.Dalai VII, in order to thank Qianlong for suppressing the rebellion of the king of Julmat Namzal, bought a huge white sandal tree from India from the king of Gurkha (now Nepal) and transported it from Tibet to Lama Temple. .The diameter of the white sandalwood is three meters, and Chinese and Tibetan craftsmen worked together to carve the whole white sandalwood into a big Buddha statue of Madara (Standing Maitreya) with a height of 18 meters above the ground and 8 meters below the ground.Then the original Avalokitesvara Hall was demolished, the foundation of the temple and the Buddhist altar were built first, the Buddha was installed, and then the construction of the pavilion began.That's why there is a legend in Beijing: "First there was the big Buddha statue, and then there was the Lama Temple." This is what it refers to.The body of the white sandalwood Buddha is covered with gold leaf and inlaid with jewels.He wears a golden crown decorated with gemstones on his head, and a huge one-meter-long bead hanging from his neck, all made of official gemstone materials.The patterns on the body of the Buddha are exquisite, jeweled wreaths are wrapped around the body, and a beaded flower basket is hung on the waist. The decoration is extremely luxurious.In order to make it easier for people to see the Buddha, the Wanfu Pavilion is lined with pillars around the Buddha statue, and the beams and beams are overlapped to build up three floors that are close to the four walls and look like a surrounding corridor.从地面到阁顶形成一个竖井般的大空间。人们可以沿着楼梯和环形走廊从各个角度来看大佛。第三层四壁装着槅扇花窗，自然光射进阁内，照亮了大佛的上身。万福阁两侧还建有两座较小的延绥阁和永康阁，三阁之间用木梁架起两座飞廊，使三阁连成造型新奇的整体。
清代帝王除了在北京大造园林以外，还在承德地区兴建了避暑的行宫。承德原名热河，地处长城古北口外。康熙在这里设置围场以训练满蒙八旗军，并在北京到围场途中修建多处行宫。热河行宫又称避暑山庄或承德离宫，园内原有宫殿庭园、寺庙等各种建筑物约120处，风景点72处。山庄内的建筑不用雕梁画栋、飞檐斗拱，而是以朴素淡雅的山村野趣为基调，取自然山水的本色，兼有江南塞北的园林之美。这座规模宏大的皇家园林占地面积564万平方米，周围绕以虎皮石墙，随山势起伏，长达10公里，有大小10个门出入。
山庄共分宫殿区和苑景区两大部分，苑景区又可分为湖区、平原区和山峦区三部分。宫殿区内的正宫大殿名澹泊敬诚殿，全用楠木，又叫楠木殿。每当夏季，殿内楠木散发出浓郁的香气。周围回廊曲折，使庭院显得分外清旷、幽深。正宫后面的烟波致爽殿，是清帝的寝宫，后有一座二层楼，可登临俯瞰群峰朝岚夕霭。宫殿区北部有一组建筑，主殿名“万壑松风”，是清帝读书、批阅奏章和接见官员的地方。东部的一组宫殿，有勤政殿，是清帝处理朝政的别殿。 另有一座清音阁，与紫禁城里的畅音阁和颐和园里的德和园大戏楼并列为清代宫廷三大戏台。
苑景区内湖区的主要风景点有如意洲。洲北的青莲岛上有一座烟雨楼，是仿照浙江嘉兴南湖中的烟雨楼建成的。洲东侧湖中有一座用石砌筑的假山，仿照镇江金山寺的意境而建，也名“金山”，上有殿阁，俗称“金山亭”，是湖区的制高点，与烟雨楼同为避暑山庄有代表性的风景点。平原区的主要风景点是万树园，园内没有建筑，只是按蒙古习俗设置蒙古包和活动房屋。清帝常在此举行马技、杂技、摔跤、放焰火等活动。北部的文津阁，是皇家七大藏书楼之一。与北京故宫的文渊阁、圆明园的文源阁、沈阳故宫的文溯阁合称“内廷四阁”，又称“北四阁”。山峦区最著名的风景点是梨树峪，因种有万树梨花而得名。每到春季，花香袭人，花色如雪。此外山庄东边的棒锤山上，有一巨大的石棒锤斜立，顶宽下窄，为承德一大奇观。芳园居的山岭上有“锤锋落照”亭，专为观此奇景而造。总之，避暑山庄将人工美和自然美融为一体。康熙和乾隆经常来此巡幸，接待漠北、漠南、青海、新疆的蒙古族、维吾尔族、哈萨克族和西藏、四川等地的苗族、藏族以及台湾高山族等少数民族上层人士。邻国的使节也来避暑山庄觐见皇帝。
为尊重各民族的宗教信仰，避暑山庄周围还建起了外八庙(溥仁寺、普乐寺、安远庙、普宁寺、须弥福寿之庙、普陀宗乘之庙、殊象寺、溥善寺)，由朝廷派驻喇嘛，发放银饷。八庙的建筑融合了汉藏建筑的特点，是当时各民族文化交流的实证。其中规模较大而又较有特色的是普宁寺、普乐寺、须弥福寿之庙和普陀宗乘之庙。 普宁寺又名大佛寺，因乾隆二十年(公元1755年)五月清军平定蒙古准噶尔部达瓦齐汗的叛乱而建。前半部为一般佛寺的伽蓝式布局。后半部则是在九米多的高台上建筑的藏式庙宇，布局为曼荼罗式(佛教密宗术语，即坛或道场)。主殿大乘阁象征须弥山，四周有黑、白、红、绿四种颜色的塔，两侧有日殿月殿。阁的前后左右分别有梯形殿，假山上有方形殿、月形殿和日形殿，代表佛经中所说的四大部洲，另有八个不同形状的白色小台，代表八小部洲，构成了佛教所认识的宇宙形象。大乘阁气势雄伟，是我国寺庙建筑艺术的杰作，阁内大佛高21.85米，有42只手，为我国著名木雕大佛之一。普乐寺俗称圆亭子。建于乾隆三十一年(公元1766年)，内有一座巨大的阇〔du都〕城(即城台，是曼荼罗式的变体)，高35.5米。分三层，第一第二层为方形石台。一层有门殿三间，四周有72间围廊连接四个门。第二层台上四角和四面有八座喇嘛塔，形制相同而颜色各异。第三层为圆形石台，中间建木制圆形高阁，式样仿天坛祈年殿，名旭光阁。阁内正中又建一小型阇城，中间是木制曼荼罗，内供上乐王佛。阁顶藻井的雕刻极其细致。须弥福寿之庙建于乾隆四十五年(公元1780年)，是为西藏班禅六世进京朝贺乾隆70岁寿庆而建的，又称班禅行宫。平顶红台、鎏金瓦顶和藏式窗户都仿照班禅在日喀则的住所扎什伦布寺，但平面布局、结构形式和材料装修则结合了汉族传统的手法。普陀宗乘之庙又叫小布达拉宫，建于乾隆三十二年(公元1767年)，是外八庙中规模最大的。庙内有近40座大小建筑，以藏式为主，外形颇似布达拉宫。
清政府在避暑山庄和外八庙进行了一系列政治活动，缓和民族矛盾，调节外交关系。因此承德不仅是清帝与后妃们避暑的胜地，也成为北京以外的第二个政治中心。
明清两代帝王的陵墓集中在北京附近，唯有明代开国皇帝朱元璋葬在南京。孝陵是朱元璋和马皇后的合葬墓，整个陵墓的建设共用了30年，面积很大，周长达22.5公里，四周建围墙，内植松树10万株，养鹿千头。外面还专设孝陵卫，有5000到10000名军士守卫陵区。现地面建筑尚存碑亭、石像翁仲路、享殿石台基、方城等。孝陵旁的灵谷寺，在明代规模宏伟，是为修孝陵而将五六座寺庵迁到这里合并而成的。其中建于明洪武十四年(公元1381年)的无梁殿，不用梁柱，不用寸木，自殿基到殿顶，全用巨砖砌成券洞穹窿顶，是我国现存最古最大的砖建无梁殿。
在北京昌平县，从永乐七年(公元1409年)开始修建，历经230多年，先后建立了13座皇帝陵墓，所以统称明十三陵。陵园建筑规模宏伟，共占地40平方公里，陵区周围建有陵墙，设10个关口。有一条南北向的总神路通向各陵。沿神路建有石牌坊、下马碑、大红门、神功圣德碑、神道柱、石像生、棂星门等。各陵布局大致相同，前有石碑、陵墙、稜恩门和稜恩殿、棂星门、石五供、明楼等。明楼上立石碑，刻皇帝的庙号和谥号。十三陵各陵大小规模不一，一般来说，皇帝在位时间长，世道也较太平的年头，修陵用的时间长，规模就大，地面建筑也较豪华。明成祖的长陵、世宗的永陵、神宗的定陵是比较讲究的大陵。其中定陵已经发掘，于公元1959年建成博物馆。这座地下宫殿的发现在20世纪50年代曾轰动全国，宫内共有七座整块汉白玉雕的大门，每扇重达四吨。五个殿堂全部用石质拱券结构，没有梁柱，中殿陈设祭器。两皇后的棺椁与神宗的棺椁都放在后殿的棺床上。地宫中还出土了许多殉葬物品，有皇帝的谥宝、谥册、金冠玉带等各种金银玉器和丝织品，工艺水平极高，这些珍贵文物目前都在定陵博物馆的陈列室内展出。
分为东西两处。东陵在河北遵化县马兰峪，外围至少有500多里。埋葬着五个皇帝，15个皇后，136个妃子。各陵以顺治的孝陵为中心，分布在东西两侧。皇帝与后妃分陵而葬，不像明代那样合葬一穴。西陵在河北易县梁各庄附近，周围大约一百七八十里。葬着四个皇帝，九个皇后，27个妃子。以雍正的泰陵为中心。东陵和西陵周围都有面积广大的绿化区，陵区内布局整齐划一，讲究对称和均衡。陵丘形制都像高桩馒头，外面绕有一圈围墙，前有琉璃影壁一座，通往地宫的隧道就在这下面，不像明帝陵的入口那么隐秘。清帝陵不但地面和地宫建筑富丽豪华，而且还有大量珍贵的殉葬品，乾隆和慈禧的陵寝最为奢侈。所以从本世纪初开始，这里就不断遭到抢劫。八国联军抢走了东陵所有的金银祭器以及西陵地面上一切值钱的东西。清王朝覆灭后，封建军阀又盘踞在这里大肆盗窃文物，甚至连绿化区内的松柏都全部砍光。1928年，东陵发生了由军阀孙殿英指挥的盗陵大案，乾隆帝的裕陵和慈禧陵被炸开，地下殉葬的财宝被抢劫一空。1952年，东陵又发生一次盗陵事件，同治的惠陵受到严重破坏。现在陵园经过多次修缮和清理，已开放了裕陵和慈禧陵的地宫，供游人参观。
明朝初建时，定都南京，所以南京城作过53年的首都，也留下了许多皇家建筑的遗迹。现存建筑最著名的是城墙。朱元璋在即将打下江山的时候，采纳了一个名叫朱升的人的建议，“高筑墙，广积粮，缓称王”，对修筑各地城墙很下功夫。明南京城周长33.65公里，超过了北京城，是全世界最长的京城城墙。墙身用条石砌基，巨砖铺面，城砖都用优质粘土和白瓷土烧成，每块重20斤到40斤，砖上还印有制砖府县和烧砖人的姓名及年月日。全城共13个城门，13600多个垛口，200多个堡垒。最大的聚宝门(今中华门)有四重城，四道拱门和千斤闸，27个藏兵洞，头道瓮城东西两侧设马道。城门结构之复杂，在其他地方还很少见，现中华门瓮城保存完好。南京城墙也有20公里完整地存留至今。
清军入关前，定都沈阳。因此沈阳也有一座故宫，是我国现存仅次于北京故宫的最完整的皇宫建筑，始建于努尔哈赤天命十年(公元1625年)。乾隆、嘉庆时又有增建。共占地六万多平方米，房屋300多间，组成十几个院落，分东路、西路、中路三大部分。规模虽比北京故宫小得多，但初建时因有模仿明朝宫殿的意思，所以中路布局也接近北京故宫。东路则是清初宫阙的特色所在，它以居于北端的大政殿为中心，南面东西两侧各列五座方亭。大政殿是皇帝举行大典的地方，形制为八角重檐亭。10座方亭是左右翼王和八旗大臣办公的地方，通称为“十王亭”，这种布局是与八旗制度相应的。西路以文溯阁为中心，是乾隆时增建的，专门收藏《四库全书》，阁中藏书至今幸存。沈阳故宫的建筑风格具有浓厚的地方色彩，反映了明中叶以来满汉两族文化逐渐融合的过程。
除了都城建设以外，明清两代政府还大力修缮全国各地的名胜古迹，兴建的寺观、园林之多，超过了以前任何一个朝代。
明代帝王尊崇道教，我国道教第一名山武当山上的庞大建筑群主要是在明代兴造的，现在湖北丹江口市境内。永乐皇帝朱棣派军夫30万在武当山建起八宫、二观、36庵堂、72岩庙、39桥、72亭，嘉靖皇帝再加扩建，形成了五里一庵、十里一宫的宏伟规模。山上有不少古建筑上的杰作，如太子坡复真观前的一座五层高楼，用一根大柱支撑12条梁枋。是建筑学上所谓“一柱十二梁”的实证。
南岩上的天乙真庆宫，是一座仿木结构的石雕大殿，建在悬崖峭壁上。为元代延祐元年(公元1314年)雕造，全用石材拼砌而成。站在殿前廊道上，上面陡崖摩天，下面万丈深渊。殿外崖前，有一根浮雕云龙石梁，悬空横出栏外2.9米，宽仅30多厘米。所雕盘龙头上放一个小香炉，俗称龙头香。石殿内雕有“天子卧龙床”组雕和三清像，四面环绕五百铁铸灵官像，极其生动逼真。天柱峰上的金殿，极其精美壮丽，从建筑构件到大殿内外的装饰，乃至供奉的神像及各种物件，均用精铜铸成，赤金涂饰。全殿高5.54米，宽5.8米，进深4.2米，共三间。屋瓦、斗拱、檐柱、门窗等均以铜铸构件卯榫拼焊而成，连接精密，看不出分件铸造的痕迹。殿内主供真武大帝像，散发赤足，正襟危坐，衣纹飘逸，重达10吨。左右金童玉女捧宝册侍立，水火二将擎旗仗剑，魁伟勇猛。宝座、香案、蜡台、磬、钵等，都是铜铸鎏金。整个金殿从里到外金碧辉煌，虽经500多年风雪雷电的侵袭，依然灿烂夺目。
广西容县人民公园内有一座经略台，据说是唐代著名文人元结任容管经略使时所建。明洪武十年(公元1377年)，在台上增建道观，改称真武阁。明万历元年(公元1573年)，又创建三层楼阁，一直保存到现在。这座阁共高13.2米，面宽13.8米，进深11米。三层檐之间距离很近。四周没有墙垣和墙基，全部构件都暴露在外。全阁一共用了大小近3000根铁黎木构件，而没有用一样铁质材料。三层阁全靠八根巨柱支撑，而八根支柱又不埋在地下，只是置于八个石墩上。第二、第三层楼阁内又另添四根粗大的金柱。这四根金柱承担着好几层梁枋，加上屋顶、瓦檐、脊饰等，负担十分沉重，而这四根金柱的柱脚却是悬空的，离地有二三厘米。据建筑学家分析，造成这种惊人奇观的原因是四根金柱并不起顶梁柱作用，它们只是和其他构件接在一起，相互制约，并被抬着而已。此外，由于这座楼阁的外檐特别宽大，承托外檐的斗拱和金柱身上的挑梁相接，靠金柱的重量进行平衡，才抬起了外檐，保证了结构的稳定。这四根悬空金柱的设计，说明我国古代工匠已掌握了丰富的力学知识，才敢于进行如此大胆的创造。真武阁建成400多年来，经历过多次地震和暴风的袭击，原有的垣墙和旗杆都已被摧垮，而阁身却巍然屹立。其结构的奇特和设计的合理，在古建筑史上也是罕见的。
清代帝王爱好园林，他们不但将江南园林特色吸取到皇家园林中，而且大规模开发南方的风景区，著名的扬州瘦西湖，就是在清代形成的一处风景名胜区。它与杭州西湖一样，也是山水自然美与园林艺术相结合的湖山胜景，只是另有一种清瘦秀丽的特色。在清中叶全盛时期，园林达八公里长，有二十四景，一百几十处风景点，曾有“园林之盛，甲于天下”之说。现仍有46公顷的游览面积和4.3公里的路程，沿湖筑有若干小园，园中小院相套