The
Forbidden City in Beijing covers an area of 720,000
square meters, the size of 80 football fields, and houses a total of 980
buildings, making it the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden
structures in the world, and the Hall of Supreme Harmony at the heart of the
palace is the world's largest single building. The top
photo shows the main north gate as seen from the hill Jing Shan (fig.),
an artificial hill directly north of the Forbidden City, constructed from the
soil excavated when digging the moats and nearby canals, while the picture
below shows the northeastern corner tower, one of several watch towers, that –according to legend– are designed after
the intricate
cricket
cage of one of the senior
court eunuchs. The location of the hill is
dictated by the rules of
feng shui,
which suggests a better flow of
Qi
for residences and tombs that are sited
south of a nearby hill, thus channeling
both harmful
yin
and cold northern winds away.
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