Page 11 - The Shores of Jupiter - October '21

The Shores, Page 11

The Forbidden City from page 10 three tiered terraces further
elevate the Hall of Supreme
was thwarted during the Cultural Revolution when Premier Harmony, which dominates
Zhou Enlai stationed a battalion of army troops in the city to the Outer Court. Odd numbers,
stabilize the situation. particularly the number nine,
The “Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties” was dominate many of the city’s
the official name given to the Forbidden City in 1987, when architectural elements.
it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. T h e Go l d e n Wa t e r
The Outer or Front Court is found on the south end of River meanders around the Northwest corner of the Forbidden City. Photo by Charlie Fong
the complex. The great open space was used for ceremonial Meridian Gate, which is
purposes. The Inner Court, or Black Palace as it is often called, the main south gate to the
lies to the north; this was the residence of the emperor and Forbidden City and the Hall
where the day-to-day affairs of the state were carried out. The of Supreme Harmony. Five
bridges cross the river; each
were designated to allow
passage of a certain class of
people. The smaller building
to the north of the Hall of
Supreme Harmony is the Hall
of Central Harmony, where
the emperor rested between
ceremonies where he would
be out of view of the people.
The next building in line
is the Hall of Preserving
Harmony, where ceremonial
rehearsals were held. All Hall of Preserving Harmony
Located in the Imperial Gardens, the rock was formed by three halls have thrones.
the ocean waves to provoke meditation. The Inner Court likewise has three halls. From south to The Palace Museum still contains a record number of
north, they are the Hall of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Celestial artistic works. They count 340,000 pieces of ceramic and
and Terrestrial Union, and Palace of Earthly Tranquility. These porcelain; 50,000 paintings, with more than 400 before the
halls were the official residence of the emperor and empress. Yuan Dynasty; 10,000 bronze pieces, with more than 1,000
The emperor, representing yang and the heavens, occupied the pieces dated before 220 B.C.; 1,000 18 and 19 century
th
th
Hall of Heavenly Purity, while the empress, representing yin timepieces; 30,000 pieces of carved jade; and numerous
and the earth, occupied the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. It is artifacts of the imperial families and court.
said that the Hall of Celestial and Terrestrial Union, located Needless to say, a visit to the Forbidden City is one of those
between them, is where yin and yang produced harmony. “once in a lifetime” experiences.
The Imperial Gardens are located to the north of these Don Kiselewski writes from his personal experiences,
three halls, with the Gate of Divine Might along the north having traveled in 122 countries and cruised the oceans, seas
wall being the exit to the outside world. The north gate of and rivers of the world. Palm Beach Gardens Travel Leaders,
the Forbidden City is purposely smaller than the southern his family owned and operated agency, is located at Mirasol
entrance as dictated by feng shui. Likewise, the main axis Town Square, 11360 North Jog Road, Building A, Suite 102-6,
is north and south – although in actuality, the Forbidden Palm Beach Gardens. The agency has been serving the travel
City’s axis is a little more than 2 degrees off of north to needs of the South Florida area for over a quarter of a century.
match Xanadu, the other capital of the empire that was Contact him at (561) 694-9696 or Aussie@PBGTravel.com.
The Dragon Throne designed in the Yang Dynasty. Photos by Don Kiselewski

Pet Matters

by Pat Deshong, President of Furry Friends Featured Adoptables
Adoption Clinic & Ranch, October 2021
Colbert
Colbert was rescued as a
stray kitten with his brothers
and sisters. He is a 6 mo.
old domestic shorthair and
is very sweet. He has been
thoroughly enjoying the
foster home he has been
staying in, but now it is time
he finds a permanent home
of his own. Colbert is well
socialized and will make a
great addition to your heart
and home.
Denver
Denver is a sweet 1 yr. old
young dog who already has
mastered basic tricks! Denver
can sit and lay down on cue
and also walks very nicely
on the leash. Denver recently
went to a baseball game and
met people of all ages, size,
and sex and loved every
single one of them. Denver
can’t wait to meet his new
fur-ever family!

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