Beijing, China.- It took Marco Polo years to get from Venice to the Forbidden City, this writer took seven to cover the same route; it feels like a lifetime because of the distance, the time, and the unexpectedness of the experience. One could stay whole days and could only “scratch” this splendor.
Today a main tour is taken by entering the Gate of Supreme Harmony from which one enters the Palace of Heavenly Purity, then the Hall of Union and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. On either side are the Palaces of the East and West until they reach the Hall of Spiritual Cultivation and end in the Imperial Garden. Although perhaps the most relevant are the details, because nothing, absolutely nothing, was done by accident here.
HAND USE, SAFETY AND BEAUTY
It is amazing to hear that these stone buildings with brick and wooden walls were built in just three and a half years in the 15th century. In fact, the preparation of the works took much longer, it lasted 10 years. During construction, craftsmen used the tongue and groove technique because they connected the beams without nails. They equipped them with a durable ventilation system that protects the wood from moisture and the bricks from extreme temperatures. That, along with the cube arches and flexible columns, has kept it almost intact despite more than 200 earthquakes.
It is impressive to know that the Forbidden City has a drainage system that takes into account the difference of about 1.7 meters between its north-west and south-east sides. Therefore, each palace is taller at its center, causing rainwater to flow into the surrounding sewers by gravity. The 1,142 “Chi-shous” or drainage holes in the three halls of the ancient dynasties were not just holes, they were carved in the shape of dragons that “spit” water on rainy days.
SPECIFIC COLORS AND NAMES
Each architectural or artistic element in the Forbidden City is a separate symbol expressing rank, status or hierarchy; and especially the yin and yang characteristic of the worldview of this ancient civilization. The scales, shapes, colors of the roofs, their height or the size of the buildings say something for themselves.
In the names of its six gates (Tiananmen, Di’anmen, Donganmen, Xi’an, Changan left, and Changan right), the sound “an” stands out, representing security, stability, eternal peace, and the quest for wellness for the Chinese. The buildings of Taihe, Zhonghe, Baohe and the entrances to Taihe Square (Taihe, Xiehe and Xihe) bear the character “he” in their respective names, another very important concept here: “harmony” which has a broad meaning there it includes peace and coexistence of people.
The shades of color describe the five elements. The red walls and the yellow roof tiles, fire and earth respectively; Yellow was also the exclusive color of the royal family since the Tang Dynasty and hence its use was associated with royalty. Water is evoked in the black of the roof of the Wenyuan Pavilion or in the markings on the Shenwu Gate. The forest “speaks” from the green of the eastern area; and the white of the west zone alludes to gold.
The shape of the Meridian Gate resembles a wild goose with wings spread and the path that crosses it has been marked with different stones than the others, marking the path reserved exclusively for the Emperor. The Taihe Archway represents the Confucian concepts of humanity, righteousness, decency, wisdom and trustworthiness.
The pair of bronze lions in front of the Taihe Gate are not only the largest pair in the Forbidden City, but in unison suggest wealth and strength. The one who steps on the hydrangea is the male, and the one who plays with the pups is the female, portending prosperity. His pricked ears speak of the emperors desire to listen directly to their subjects above the court bureaucracy. Incidentally, both of them have twisted the hair on their heads in exactly 45 loops, a number that results from the multiplication of five and nine, digits that, like the other odd numbers, represent yang for the Chinese; Nine is at the same time uniquely relevant because it is the greatest among all the odds, and five because it is the one in the middle of the others.
At present, similar sculptures rest at the entrance of official buildings or large shops across China, but in the days of the Qing Dynasty, they could only be placed in front of the homes of royal families, nobles, or high officials with strict hygiene regulations. the number of curls on the head indicates the area that was allowed to be worn.
However, two other bronze cats, located behind the Qianqingmen (Heavenly Purity) Gate, have their eyes half-closed and their ears lowered as they guarded the residence of the empress, concubines, and the emperor’s young children, according to the point of view at the time not bothering about the affairs of the dynasty, let alone meddling in politics.
The white marble steps of the three rooms of the first dynasties that inhabited the city herald the earth with a sign with dimensions in the ratio of nine and five… and we already know how significant this combination of numbers is to the Chinese; a supremacy that is expressed in the doors, which are decorated with exactly 81 iron nails, nine by nine.
The sundial in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony embodies the union of heaven and earth, the immortality of the land; as well as imperial power which they claimed stretched into the past. Before that, the tortoise and bronze crane symbolize longevity and the long history of the country; while the 18 incense burners, also cast in bronze, symbolize the number of provinces that made up the empire during the Qing Dynasty.
In the Qianqing Palace, its steps embody the unifying purpose of the emperor, and the sundial aims to draw the viewer’s mind to imperial power. The turtle and bronze crane placed there remain in the message of longevity of those who exist before the Hall of Supreme Harmony, but their smaller size compared to the former reminds us that they are in the Ying area of the city. designed to embody the small.
While the relatively small size of the Kunning Palace (the earthly rest) compared to other buildings in the city alludes to femininity; In the imperial garden, the paths of small stones in its corridors tell stories of love, humor or passages from the past life. The division of this area into four pavilions (Wanchun, Fubi, Qianqiu and Chengrui) is also not accidental; embodies the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. 
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In the distance the crows ring out in a perfectly clear sky in this autumnal Beijing as we walk out through the Gate of Divine Valor, the same where Chongzhen, the last ruler of the Ming Dynasty, was hanged and where Puyi went in 1924 to never die to return again .the last Chinese Emperor; and this chronicler is prostrated before the magnificence of walls, squares, and palaces.
The Forbidden City is the supreme expression of Chinese culture and, if you look closely, its actuality with the masks on the faces of all visitors; the audio guide service, the cell phones and the skyscrapers on the horizon.
