北京故宫英文导游词完整版

1FORBIDDENCITY(紫禁城)(Infrontofthemeridiangate)LadiesandGentlemen:Iampleasedtoserveasyourguidetoday.Thisisthepalacemuseum;alsoknowasthePurpleForbiddenCity.ItisthelargestandmostwellreservedimperialresidenceinChinatoday.UnderMingEmperorYongle,constructionbeganin1406.Ittook14yearstobuildtheForbiddenCity.ThefirstrulerwhoactuallylivedherewasMingEmperorZhudi.Forfivecenturiesthereafter,itcontinuedtobetheresidenceof23successiveemperorsuntil1911whenQingEmperorPuyiwasforcedtoabdicatethethrone.In1987,theUnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganizationrecognizedtheForbiddenCitywasaworldculturallegacy.ItisbelievedthatthePalaceMuseum,orZiJinCheng(PurpleForbiddenCity),gotitsnamefromastronomyfolklore,TheancientastronomersdividedtheconstellationsintogroupsandcenteredthemaroundtheZiweiYuan(NorthStar).TheconstellationcontainingtheNorthStarwascalledtheConstellationofHeavenlyGodandstaritselfwascalledthepurplepalace.Becausetheemperorwassupposedlythesonoftheheavenlygods,hiscentralanddominantpositionwouldbefurtherhighlightedtheuseofthewordpurpleinthenameofhisresidence.Infolklore,theterm“aneasternpurplecloudisdrifting”becameametaphorforauspiciouseventsafterapurplecloudwasseendriftingeastwardimmediatelybeforethearrivalofanancientphilosopher,LaoZi,totheHanghuPass.Here,purpleisassociatedwithauspiciousdevelopments.Thewordjin(forbidden)isself-explanatoryastheimperialpalacewasheavilyguardedandoff-explanatoryastheimperialpalacewasheavilyguardedandoff-limitstoordinarypeople.2Theredandyellowusedonthepalacewallsandroofsarealsosymbolic.Redrepresentshappiness,goodfortuneandwealth.YellowisthecoloroftheearthontheLoessPlateau,theoriginalhomeoftheChinesepeople.YellowbecameanimperialcolorduringtheTangdynasty,whenonlymembersoftheroyalfamilywereallowedtowearitanduseitintheirarchitecture.TheForbiddenCityisrectangularinshape.Itis960meterslongfromnorthtosouthand750meterwidefromeastwest.Ithas9,900roomsunderatotalroofarea150,000squaremeters.A52-meter-wide-moatencirclesa9.9-meter—highwallwhichenclosesthecomplex.Octagon—shapedturretsrestonthefourcornersofthewall.Therearefourentrancesintothecity:theMeridianGatetothesouth,theShenwuGate(GateofMilitaryProwess)tothenorth,andtheXihuaGate(GateofmilitaryProwess)tothenorth,andtheXihuaGate(WesternFloweryGate)tothewest,theDonghua(EasternFloweryGate)totheeast.ManpowerandmaterialsthroughoutthecountrywereusedtobuildtheForbiddenCity.Atotalof230,000artisansandonemillionlaborerswereemployed.MarblewasquarriedfromfangshanCountryMountPaninJixianCountyinHebeiProvince.GranitewasquarriedinQuyangCountyinHebeiProvince.PavingblockswerefiredinkilnsinSuzhouinsouthernChina.BricksandscarletpigmentationusedonthepalatialwallscamefromlinqinginShandongProvince.Timberwascut,processedandhauledfromthenorthwesternandsouthernregions.ThestructureinfrontofusistheMeridianGate.ItisthemainentrancetotheforbiddenCity.ItisalsoknowsasWufenglou(Five-PhoenixTower).Mingemperorsheldlavishbanquetshereonthe15thdayofthefirstmonthoftheChineselunaryearinhonoroftheircounties.Theyalsousedthisplaceforpunishingofficialsbyfloggingthemwithsticks.3Qingemperorsusedthisbuildingtoannouncethebeginningofthenewyear.QingEmperorQianlongchangedtheoriginalnameofthisannouncementceremonyfrombanli(announcementofcalendar)tobanshou(announcementofnewmoon)toavoidcoincidentalassociationwithanotherEmperor'sname,Hongli,whichwasconsideredatabooatthattime.QingDynastyemperorsalsousedthisplacetoholdaudienceandforotherimportantceremonies.Forexample,whentheimperialarmyreturnedvictoriouslyfromthebattlefield,itwasherethattheEmperorpresidedovertheceremonytoacceptprisonersofwar.(AfterenteringtheMeridianGateandstandinginfrontoftheFiveMarbleBridgesonGoldenWaterRiver)NowweareinsidetheForbiddenCity.Beforewestartourtour,Iwouldliketobrieflyintroduceyoutothearchitecturalpatternsbeforeus.Tocompletethissolemn,magnificentandpalatialcomplex,avarietyofbuildingswerearrangedonanorth-southaxis,and8-kilometer-longinvisiblelinethathasbecomeaninseparablepartoftheCityofBeijing.TheForbiddenCitycoversroughlyone–thirdofthiscentralaxis.MostoftheimportantbuildingsintheForbiddenCitywerearrangedalongthisline.Thedesignandarrangementofthepalacesreflectthesolemndignityoftheroyalcourtandrigidly–stratifiedfeudalsystem.TheForbiddenCityisdividedintoanouterandaninnercount.Wearenowstandingonthesouthernmostpartoftheoutercount.InfrontofusliestheGateofsupremeHarmony.Thegateisguardedbyapairofbronzelions,symbolizingimperialpoweranddignity.Thelionswerethemostexquisiteandbiggestofitskind.Theoneontheeastplayingwithaballisamale,andballissaidtorepresentstateunity.Theotheroneisafemale.Underneathoneofitsforeclawsisacubthatisconsideredtobeasymbolofperpetualimperialsuccession.ThewindingbrookbeforeusistheGoldenWaterRiver.Itfunctionsbothasdecorationandfirecontrol.Thefivebridgesspanningtheriverre4presentthefivevirtuespreachedbyConfucius:benevolence,righteousness,rites,intelligenceandfidelity.Therivertakestheshapeofabowandthenorth-southaxisisitsarrow.ThiswasmeanttoshowthattheEmperorsruledthecountryonbehalfofGod.(InfrontoftheGateofSupremeHarmon