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Gate of Glorious Harmony

Buildings and structures in BeijingChina stubsForbidden City
Flickr archer10 (Dennis) China 6147
Flickr archer10 (Dennis) China 6147

The Gate of Glorious Harmony (simplified Chinese: 熙和门; traditional Chinese: 熙和門; Manchu: ᡳᠵᡳᠰᡥᡡᠨ ᡥᡡᠸᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠮᠪᡠᡵᡝ ᡩᡠᡴᠠ ijishūn hūwaliyambure duka), or the Gate of Xihe, Xihemen is a gate sits on the central road of the outer court of the Forbidden Palace. It is on the outer side of the Gate of Supreme Harmony, and eastern to the Gate of Blending Harmony It was first built on the 18th year of Yongle (1420) and was named Gate of Right Obedience. The current building is built on the 23rd year of Qianlong (1758).

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Gate of Glorious Harmony (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Gate of Glorious Harmony
Gugong Dongmen Wai, Dongcheng District Donghuamen (首都功能核心区)

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N 39.914592 ° E 116.395868 °
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故宫东门外

Gugong Dongmen Wai
100010 Dongcheng District, Donghuamen (首都功能核心区)
Beijing, China
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Flickr archer10 (Dennis) China 6147
Flickr archer10 (Dennis) China 6147
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Gate of Supreme Harmony
Gate of Supreme Harmony

The Gate of Supreme Harmony (simplified Chinese: 太和门; traditional Chinese: 太和門; pinyin: Tàihémén; Manchu: ᠠᠮᠪᠠᡥᡡᠸᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠮᠪᡠᡵᡝᡩᡠᡴᠠ; Möllendorff: amba hūwaliyambure duka) is the second major gate in the south of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. The gate was originally built during the Ming dynasty, when it was called Fengtianmen (奉天門). Following the Manchu conquest of China, the gate was given its present Chinese and Manchu names. The gate burned down in 1886 due to a fire started by a tipped lamp in the guard room. The present gate dates from the rebuilding after this fire, which was completed in 1894. In the Ming dynasty, the Emperor held morning court sessions at the Gate of Supreme Harmony to discuss state affairs with his ministers, although throughout most of the Ming dynasty the court sessions were purely ceremonial, a demonstration of the Emperor's diligence and the status of the titular first minister. In the Qing dynasty, when the Emperor attended court far more frequently, morning court sessions were held at the Gate of Heavenly Purity, which is much closer to the Emperor's living quarters. The Gate of Supreme Harmony was used occasionally for banquets and other ceremonies. The gate is three bays deep and seven bays wide, covering a total area of 1,371.4 square metres (14,762 sq ft). It is flanked by two minor gates, Zhendu Gate to the west and Zhaode Gate to the east. The gate and the Meridian Gate form the north and south boundaries of a great plaza that is divided by a serpentine waterway, the Inner River of the Golden Water, which is spanned by a set of five bridges. On the north (inner) side of the gate is Harmony Square, leading to the grand Hall of Supreme Harmony, the ceremonial centre of the Forbidden City. Many incense burners are arrayed around the stairs. The central stairway was reserved exclusively for the Emperor and his immediate attendants, as was the central entrance of Meridian Gate.

Imperial Ancestral Temple
Imperial Ancestral Temple

The Imperial Ancestral Temple, or Taimiao (simplified Chinese: 太庙; traditional Chinese: 太廟; pinyin: Tàimiào) of Beijing, is a historic site in the Imperial City, just outside the Forbidden City, where during both the Ming and Qing Dynasties, sacrificial ceremonies were held on the most important festival occasions in honor of the imperial family's ancestors.The temple, which resembles the Forbidden City's ground plan, is a cluster of buildings in three large courtyards separated by walls. The main hall inside the temple is the Hall for Worship of Ancestors, which is one of only four buildings in Beijing to stand on a three-tiered platform, a hint that it was the most sacred site in imperial Beijing. It contains seats and beds for the tablets of emperors and empresses, as well as incense burners and offerings. On the occasion of large-scale ceremonies for worship of ancestors, the emperors would come here to participate. Flanking the courtyard in front of this hall are two long, narrow buildings. These were worship halls for various princes and courtiers. The Western Wing housed the spirit tablets of meritorious courtiers, while the Eastern Wing enshrined various princes of the Ming or Qing dynasty. Behind the Hall for Worship of Ancestors are two other main halls. The first was built in 1420 and used to store imperial spirit tablets. By the 1920s, the Imperial Ancestral Temple and its surrounding spaces had become a public park, and that public park today has been expanded from its original size and is now also known as the Working People's Cultural Palace (劳动人民文化宫; pinyin: Láodòng Rénmín Wénhuà Gōng). This park was extended based on the Imperial Ancestral Hall site, and the park is located east of Tiananmen, while the Zhongshan Park lies to the west. These two parks along with Beihai Park and Jingshan and several other parks have a deep historic tie with the Forbidden City.