The Great Forbidden City

Name: The Great Forbidden City
ISBN: 9787535455161

Yan ChongnianYangtze River Literature and Art Publishing House2012

3.8

Word count: 800K words
Chapters: 22
Series: The Great Forbidden City is a work on the Forbidden City by the Qing historian Yan Chongnian, drawing on more than thirty years of research and accompanying his lecture series of the same name on Lecture Room. In three volumes, it takes the Forbidden City in Beijing as its core and expands outward layer by layer. Volume One follows the central axis and the outer court: from Zhu Di's decision in the Yongle reign of the Ming to move the capital and build the Beijing palace, it passes in turn through Chengtian Gate, Daming Gate, Zhengyang Gate, the Meridian Gate, Taihe Gate, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, then turns to the Hall of Literary Brilliance, the Pavilion of Literary Profundity, the Hall of Martial Valor and the Grand Secretariat hall, down to the Gate of Heavenly Purity and the Palace of Heavenly Purity. The author proceeds by architectural space: he first establishes the orientation and form of each hall and gate, then lets the time, people, events and objects that occurred there "take root"—the floggings and prisoner presentations at the Meridian Gate, the four fires and four rebuildings of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the palace examinations and roll of honor at the Hall of Preserving Harmony, the gathering and dispersal of the Yongle Encyclopedia and the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries at the Pavilion of Literary Profundity, and the palace cases, great banquets and the sorrows of emperors' final years at the Palace of Heavenly Purity. The book cites a wealth of documentary material, treats folk legends with caution, and spans architecture, artifacts, archives and gardens; it has been called a highly readable "encyclopedia of the Forbidden City."
ISBN: 9787535455161

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Summary

The Great Forbidden City is a Forbidden City-themed work by Qing history expert Yan Chongnian, written on the basis of more than thirty years of accumulated research and in conjunction with his lecture series of the same name on Lecture Room. The book is divided into three volumes and takes the Forbidden City in Beijing as its core, unfolding outward layer by layer. The first volume follows the central axis of the Forbidden City and the front court area as its main thread. It begins with Zhu Di's decision during the Yongle reign of the Ming dynasty to move the capital and build the Beijing imperial palace, then proceeds in sequence through Chengtian Gate, Daming Gate, Zhengyang Gate, Meridian Gate, Taihe Gate, Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central Harmony, and Hall of Preserving Harmony, before turning to the Hall of Literary Glory, Wen Yuan Pavilion, Hall of Martial Valor, and the Grand Secretariat hall, and finally reaching the Qianqing Gate and the Qianqing Palace area. The author follows the order of architectural space, first establishing the orientation and form of each hall and gate, then allowing the time, people, events, and objects associated with them to take root: the floggings and prisoner presentations at the Meridian Gate, the four fires and four reconstructions of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the palace examinations and announcements of successful candidates at the Hall of Preserving Harmony, the gathering and dispersal of the Yongle Encyclopedia and the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries around Wen Yuan Pavilion, and the palace cases, grand banquets, and the sorrows of emperors in their twilight years at the Qianqing Palace—all unfold within specific halls and buildings. The book cites a wealth of documentary sources, takes a cautious attitude toward folk legends, and touches on architecture, cultural relics, archives, gardens, and other fields, and has been called a highly readable "Forbidden City encyclopedia."

Editor's review

逛故宫的人常常走马观花：看過了太和殿的金瓦，却不知道这座殿在明清两代被烧过四次、重建过四次；站在午门前拍照，却想不起“推出午门斩首”其实只是民间讹传。阎崇年这部《大故宫》第一部的好处，正是把“看建筑”变成“读历史”——他以空间为纲，一殿一门地讲，先交代形制与方位，再讲这里发生过什么、为什么发生。书中材料多取自文献档案，对传说保持距离，读来既有《百家讲坛》式的顺畅口语，又不失学者的分寸。更难得的是视野：作者并不把故宫当成一座孤立的院子，而是把沈阳故宫、台北故宫、三山五园、避暑山庄都纳入“故宫姻系”，为后续两册留足伏笔。想在看展、旅行之前先把底子打好，这本是稳妥的起点。

Who it's for

A good fit for

计划去北京故宫参观、希望先补历史背景的旅行者
对明清宫廷政治与制度运转感兴趣的一般读者
《百家讲坛》观众，偏好口语化讲述而非艰深考据的人
中小学历史、语文教师，可作课堂拓展素材

Not a good fit for

期待严谨断代考据与大量注释索引的专业研究者
想找故宫文物图录、建筑测绘图册的读者
偏好小说式宫斗叙事、追求情节刺激的读者

Reading tips

按讲次顺序读，同时对照故宫平面图或导览图，把殿名与方位对应起来
每读完一讲，记下一条“建筑—人物—事件”的关联，读完可自成一份参观路线
配合《大故宫》第二、三册连续阅读，才能看到作者“由核心向外延展”的整体架构
临行前挑前三殿与午门、文渊阁相关讲次精读，现场再看实物，印象会深得多

About the publisher

Yangtze River Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1955

Founded in Wuhan in 1955, Yangtze River Literature and Art Publishing House is a literary publisher under Hubei Changjiang Publishing and Media Group. Public information is limited, so the following focuses on the publishing directions reflected in the books in our database. The press publishes modern and contemporary Chinese literature, classical literary studies, translated foreign literature and educational works. Its catalog includes Chen Yinke's Studies on the Origins of Sui and Tang Institutions and On Tang Political History and The Unofficial Biography of Liu Rushi, Lao She's Camel Xiangzi and Four Generations Under One Roof, and Selected Essays of Lu Xun, as well as translations such as Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country and educational writings by Sukhomlinsky. Its publishing character lies in balancing literary classics with scholarly works, with attention to textual editing and the accumulation of major authors' works; its author resources span leading modern writers, historians and foreign authors.

Lecture 01 Moving the Capital in the Yongle Reign (The Prince of Yan Feigns Madness / The Blood-Red Edict / A Daytime Nightmare)
Lecture 02 The Center of All Under Heaven (The Nezha Legend / The Heart of Beijing / The Spine of Beijing)
Lecture 03 The Scene Before the Palace (Chengtian Gate / The Great Ming Gate / Zhengyang Gate)
Lecture 04 Phoenixes at the Meridian Gate (The Meridian Gate's Grandeur / Floggings at the Meridian Gate / Prisoner Presentations at the Meridian Gate)
Lecture 05 The Gate of Supreme Harmony (Holding Court at the Gate / Yu Qian Quells the Disturbance / Liu Jin's Farce)
Lecture 06 The Hall of Supreme Harmony (Four Great Features / Four Fires / Four Rebuildings)
Lecture 07 Great Ceremonies at the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Imperial Grand Ceremonies / Recommending the Worthy / Palace Examination and Banquet)
Lecture 08 The Square Hall of Central Harmony (A Curiosity Among Halls / Multiple Functions / The Idea of Central Harmony)
Lecture 09 The Hall of Preserving Harmony (Its Regulations / Both Palace and Hall / Summons on the Terrace)
Lecture 10 The Palace Examination at the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Examinees / The Roll of Honor / Imperial Selection of Hanlin Scholars)
Lecture 11 The Classics Colloquium at the Hall of Literary Brilliance (Layout of the Hall Precinct / Colloquia in Ming and Qing / Disputes over the Colloquium)
Lecture 12 The Pavilion of Literary Profundity (The Yongle Encyclopedia / The Compendium of Books and Illustrations / The Complete Library of the Four Treasuries)
Lecture 13 Compiling Books at the Hall of Martial Valor (Sojourners at Wuying / The Hall's Vicissitudes / Refuge at Wuying)
Lecture 14 The Grand Secretariat Hall (Changes in the Grand Secretariat / The Chen Father and Son / The Son of a Chancellor)
Lecture 15 Father-and-Son Chancellors (The Zhangs / The Lius / The Wengs)
Lecture 16 The Gate of Heavenly Purity (Important Decisions / Important Talents / Important Signals)
Lecture 17 The Kangxi Study (Founding the Study / Hanlin Scholars of the Study / Beyond the Study)
Lecture 18 Three Palace Cases at the Palace of Heavenly Purity (The Yongle Palace Case / The Jiajing Palace Case / The Tianqi Palace Case)
Lecture 19 Three Great Banquets at the Palace of Heavenly Purity (Kangxi's Banquet / Qianlong's Banquet / Jiaqing's Banquet)
Lecture 20 Three Sorrows at the Palace of Heavenly Purity (The Sorrow of Childhood / The Sorrow of Obstinacy / The Sorrow of the End)
Appendix: Brief Table of Ming and Qing Emperors
Appendix: Brief Table of Palaces and Gates of the Forbidden City

FAQ

《大故宫》一共有几册？这本是第一册吗？

全书共三部。长江文艺出版社2012年3月先出第一部（ISBN 9787535455161），同年7月出第二部，第三部于2013年1月面世。本条目对应的即第一部，主讲紫禁城中轴线与前朝区域。

这本书和《百家讲坛》节目内容一样吗？

同源但不完全相同。作者在讲座基础上重新撰写、补充考订，书中保留了讲稿的条理与口语感，同时引用了较多文献材料，并对部分民间传说作了辨析与取舍。

没有历史基础能读得懂吗？

可以。全书以建筑空间为线索，不预设专业知识，生僻的文言引文多附解释；若配合一张故宫平面图阅读，理解会更快。

书里有故宫的图片吗？

长江文艺出版社的平装本插图有限，以文字讲述为主。若更看重高清图版，可关注故宫出版社2021年推出的全彩精装纪念版《大故宫》。

“大故宫”的“大”指什么？

指视野的扩大：除北京紫禁城外，还把沈阳故宫、台北故宫博物院、南京明故宫、三山五园、避暑山庄、皇家陵寝等纳入“故宫姻系”，构成一个跨地域的文化网络。

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About the author

Yan Chongnian Author · Chinese · 1934

Yan Chongnian, born in 1934 in Penglai, Shandong, of Han ethnicity, is a well-known scholar in Qing history, Manchu studies, and Beijing history. He has long worked at the Institute of Manchu Studies of the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences and serves as president of the Beijing Manchu Society. His works include Biography of Nurhaci, The Founding History of the Qing Dynasty, The Great Biography of the Kangxi Emperor, and The Forest Empire, showing extensive writing in Qing history and Manchu studies. Since 2004, he has lectured on Qing history on CCTV's Lecture Room, presenting Qing history to the general public in an accessible way and promoting the popularization of historical knowledge. His writing is aimed at ordinary readers and emphasizes factual narration and readability. The multiple editions of The Forbidden City at 600 and The Twelve Qing Emperors in Plain Language included in the library are all history books for general readers, reflecting his consistent style of turning scholarly accumulation into accessible reading.