The present Summer Palace, 20 km north-west from the center of Beijing, is also known as Garden of Harmonious Unity (Yihe Yuan). Close to the destroyed Old Summer Palace, called YuanMingYuan, it is the best example of an Imperial Chinese garden. It was built in 1153 by the Jins, who were the precursors of the Manchus. Succeeding dynasties enlarged the park and added more landscaping. In 1750 the Qian Long Emperor spent 5 million taels of gold to build the Garden of Clear Ripples, QingyiYuan. He renamed the hill (previously called WengShan, Jar Hill) as Longevity Hill, WanshouShan, in honor of his mother's birthday. In 1860, the Anglo-French troops burnt the park, but the Dowager Empress Cixi had it rebuilt in 1888. In 1900, the site was again burnt by the British and once again rebuilt by Cixi in 1903.
Most visitors taken to the Summer Palace enter by the main gate called East Gate (Donggongmen), though there is also a North Gate. Above the East Gate hangs a board with the three Chinese characters Yiheyuan by the Guangxu Emperor. Visitors in group tours to the Summer Palace will only be given fleeting moments and shown the famous Gallery, the Marble Boat and the Seventeen Arch Bridge, including a boat ride in Kunming Lake. For those who appreciate the beauty of Chinese art, architecture and landscaping, they should take a whole day exploring this 300 hectare park comprising of buildings and corridors topped by a hill (Longevity Hill) and cooled by an artificial lake (Kunming Lake). Three quarters of the area is covered with water. It was in 1998 that Yiheyuan finally became recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site.
The Summer Palace, as an imperial garden, is divided into three essential parts viz. the administrative, the residential and the scenic areas. The administrative area centered on the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, was where the Dowager Empress met the officials and state guests. The residential area comprises the Garden of Virtue and Harmony, the Hall of Jade Billows and the Hall of Joyful Longevity. The tiles of the buildings are black, conforming to the water element, hence protective against fire. However, the tiles of the imperial ceremonial hall, the Hall of Dispelling Clouds, are of yellow color. The scenic areas encompasses the Kunming Lake and surroundings including the Long Promenade or Corridor.
The highlights of the Summer Palace are:
The Long Promenade, Thousand Steps Corridor (ChangLang):
This 728 meter long gallery of archway paintings was built in 1750 and is unique in its length and finesse. It is the longest and best known gallery in China, located south of the Longevity Hill on the north bank of the Kunming Lake and stretching from the Moon Gate to the Shizang Pavilion. There are 273 compartments interspersed with four double-roofed octagonal pavilions signifying the four seasons.
To appreciate the paintings and their stories, one should stay away from the maddening crowd of marching tourists, especially in April and October. There are about 8000 paintings depicting historical stories, scenes from famous novels like Romance of the Three Kingdom, Water Margin, Journey to the West, Dream of the Red Chamber, Strange Tales of the Liaozhai. There are also paintings of birds, flowers, family scenes, Chinese landscapes, heroes and heroines, all contributing to this microcosm of Chinese culture. The paintings are retouched every twelve years but some have lost their luster prematurely.
The Marble Boat, Shifang (Boat of Purity & Ease, Qingyangfang):
Most people associate the Marble Boat with the infamous Dowager Empress, Cixi. However, there was already such a boat with a wooden superstructure built in 1750. Unfortunately in 1860, this boat was burnt by the Anglo-French forces under Lord Elgin, the son of the man who stole the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Athens.
The Dowager Empress Cixi squandered the naval funds and commissioned the boat to be built in semi-Western style with two Mississippi type of wheel paddles, to signify that the water can propel the boat instead of toppling it, thus indicating the stability of the Qing Dynasty. Nevertheless, history proved Cixi to be wrong, for the decadence of her rule provoked the demise of the Qing Dynasty.
The 36 meter long Marble Boat is located at the north-western part of the Kunming Lake. The base of the boat is of stone paved with colored bricks, and is not of marble as the name suggested. The top part of the boat is of two tiers, made of wood and painted white giving the impression of marble. There is a huge mirror on each tier, and the tinted designs on the top parts of the arches are beautiful. The drainage system allows rain water to spout out of four dragon heads located at the base.
Seventeen Arch Bridge:
The eight meter wide rainbow bridge was built by the Qianlong Emperor to connect the Dragon King Temple in the east to the Nanhu Island in Kunming Lake. The Emperor had the island built to symbolize Penglai, the mythical fairy island with the elixir of life. The bridge is 150 meters long with numerous individual marble lion heads (544) superceding the number (485) on the Marco Polo Bridge to the south of Beijing. There are seventeen arches under the bridge giving it that name.
As for other bridges in the Summer Palace, the Jade Belt Bridge is the most attractive. It was carved of white marble and green stones resembling a jade belt. A boat ride to Jade Spring Hill must pass under this bridge.
Bronze Ox, Tongniu:
At the eastern end of the bridge is the Bronze Ox, overlooking the Kunming Lake and a symbol of flood control since ancient times, and now bearing on its back an inscription of a 80 character prose by the Qianlong Emperor.
The words can be translated as:
“King Xiayu harnessed the rivers, the iron ox spread its fame.
The import of calming the billows, posterity shall acclaim;
In style, it’s the way of heaven: immutable, upright,
Even flood dragons keep their distance, what of crocodiles, turtles and likes?
Ah, Kunming Lake, so mighty, that holds ten thousand qings,
The divine ox shall keep thy floods under rein;
All waters from Baqiu to Huaihe in one direction now flow,
Others may praise King Hanwu, but Tangyao I shall extol;
On the distant shore of the West Sea, auspicious signs appear,
Reverently, we pray for blessings, this Qianlong’s 19th year.”
In 1866, a poet, Wang Kaiyun, after seeing the barbaric destruction of the YiheYuan by the Anglo-French forces in 1860 wrote:
“Jade Fountain laments and Kunming mourns,
Alone guards the Bronze Ox, the thistles and thorns;
In the hills of blue iris, the fox calls in the night,
Neath the bridge of soft ripples, fish weep at the sight.”
The Bronze Ox was indeed an indestructible object.
Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, RenshouDian:
The interesting feature here is a sandalwood screen with the Chinese character for longevity “shou4” written in 226 styles. In the background are numerous bats signifying happiness with longevity, since the Chinese character for bats has the same sound as the character for happiness. The board above the throne means that benevolence in governance confers longevity. Foreign dignitaries were received here by Empress Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor.
Hall of Happiness in Longevity, LeshouTang:
This hall is the largest of residential quarters and is where Dowager Express Cixi lived for six months from the fourth to the tenth lunar month. There is an embroidered screen of a hundred birds fluttering around a phoenix as well as a red sandalwood table with a gold fish aquarium for Cixi to watch while having her meals. This is the first place in China to use electricity. Externally are the yulan magnolias of white and purple, as well as a weird giant rock of 8 meter length called Blue Iris Hill, Qingzhixiu.
Hall of Jade Billow, YulanTangs:
The Hall of Jade Billows was where Dowager Empress Cixi had the Guangxu Emperor under palace arrest. In 1898, the reform-minded Guangxu Emperor was overthrown by Cixi in a palace coup with his Reform Party leaders Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao fleeing. A patriot, Tan Sitong, preferred not to escape and died a martyr by being beheaded. The Emperor was not only unable to leave the hall, but was not allowed to see his wife or concubines. He subsequently died mysteriously a day before Cixi’s death.
This is where a vintage Benz, given to Cixi by Yuan Shikai as a present, is on display. It is the first imported car in China.
Hall of Dispelling Clouds, PaiyunDian:
This important hall was used for the birthday celebrations of Empress Cixi. It now holds a painting of Cixi by Dutch American, Hubert Vois, for her seventy-first birthday in 1905. Gifts from dignitaries for the ageing Empress are also housed here. The name came from a poem by Guo Fu of the Jin Dynasty who wrote
“When fairies dispel the clouds and emerge,
The gold and silver terraces appear.”
Chinese Zodiac animals can be found at the Gate to the Hall of Dispelling Clouds, PaiyunMen. They are in the form of rocks from Taihu Lake and are shaped like the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. There are also two guardian bronze lions, one male and one female, and a bronze dragon and phoenix.
The Great Theatrical Stage, Daxilou:
In the Garden of Virtue and Harmony, DeheYuan, is the largest of the three great theatrical stages of China, the other two in the Forbidden City (called ChangyinGe) and Chengde (called QingyinGe). It is of three storeys, 21 meters high and 17 meters wide at base. The stage was built in 1891 at the cost of 700,000 taels of silver, and gave many operatic performances to the delight of the Empress Cixi and her retinue. The Empress, a lover of opera, would on occasions dress as a member of the troupe.
Tower of the Fragrance of Buddha, FoxiangGe:
The name in Chinese can also be interpreted as Tower of Buddha’s Incense. The 40 meter high octagonal tower gives an excellent view of the park. It was built in 1750 and burnt in 1860 by the Anglo-French forces. It was rebuilt in 1889 and again burnt in 1900 by the forces of Eight Nations. The present structure was built in 1903, with final restoration in 1987.
Pavilion of Precious Clouds, BaoyunGe (Bronze Pavilion, Tongting):
This is an interesting pavilion cast in bronze in 1750 and used by the lamas to pray for the Emperor on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month. It withstood the fire started by the Anglo-French forces in 1860, but the interior were destroyed except for a bronze incense table. This table and a bronze urn in the courtyard were taken by the Japanese to Tianjin in 1945, but were fortunately not in time to be shipped to Japan. They have been returned to their previous positions.
Hall of Sea of Wisdom, ZhihuiHai Hall:
The unique feature of this hall is that it has no beam or column in its construction. Its exterior has beautifully colored glazing, with rows of well carved Buddha statuettes, many of which were destroyed by foreign imperialist armies in 1860 and 1900.
Garden of Harmonious Pleasures, XiequYuan:
The central feature is a lotus pond pavilion where Empress Cixi enjoyed fishing, though unknown to her, the live fish were put onto her hook by diving eunuchs. One of the bridges is called “Know the Fish Bridge” in honor of the philosophical debate between Zhuangzi and his friend, Huizi, at the Hao River. The sound of flowing water from the Back Lake, Houhu, to the lotus pond is in imitation to that of the Jichangyuan Garden in Wuxi.
Suzhou Market Street:
The street is an imitation of the southern Zhejiang city of Suzhou, the Venice of China. The Imperial family and high officials would purchase items sold by eunuchs while dressed as tradesmen and customers. This was a pretension to make the royal members and dignitaries feel the “real” bargain and hustle and bustle of a Chinese street. There were tea-houses, restaurants and shops, some 60 odd shops with fourteenth archways and eight bridges. The buildings here were completely destroyed in 1860 by pillaging Anglo-French troops. However, the buildings and street have been restored and opened to the public.
Monday, April 23, 2007
YUANMINGYUAN, the Garden of all Chinese Gardens
YuanMingYuan, (圓明園) located at north-west Beijing, is called the Old Summer Palace by tourists to distinguish it from the nearby Summer Palace (頤和園YiheYuan). Actually YuanMingYuan was a large imperial park of three separate parks viz. the Garden of Perfection and Brightness (圓明園Yuanmingyuan) to the west, the Garden of Ten Thousand (Eternal) Springs (萬春園Wanchunyuan) to the south and the Garden of Everlasting Spring (長春園Changchunyuan) to the east, all centered around Fuhai, (福海 Lake/Sea of Fortune/Blessings). The latter two gardens were added during the Qianlong Reign. The Garden of Ten Thousand (Eternal) Springs Wanchunyuan was also known as Yichunyuan (怡和園 Garden of Exquisite Spring).
Anyone who appreciates beauty and human enterprise will be outraged when they visit the present YuanMingYuan. This was once a beautiful imperial park, with exquisite gardens, Chinese palaces and Western Baroque buildings, treasures of art and cultural relics and an imperial library of irreplaceable books. It was plundered and razed to the ground by the barbaric Anglo-French forces in 1860 under the order of Lord Elgin (James Bruce 1811-1863), son of the famous British lover of Greek art who stole the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Athens.
It was a tragedy that YuanMingYuan took so many years to raise to glory but only a few days of wanton destruction in 1860 to obliterate. Such was a painful waste for humanity, this fruit of man’s ingenuity, conceived as a Garden of all Chinese Gardens. Again, in 1900 the allied forces of the Eight Powers invaded Beijing and sacked the remaining buildings in the park. Many priceless artifacts that were plundered made their ways to the museums and private collections in Europe.
Under the order of Premier Zhou Enlai, Yuanmingyuan became a park to remind the Chinese and the world of the destruction wrought by European colonial powers to a harmless and priceless cultural entity that rightly belongs to mankind. The only surviving building was Zhengjuesi (正覺寺 Enlightenment Temple) at the southern part in Wanchunyuan. The other remains are the broken marble columns, some at the Peking University campus and the Beijing Library courtyard.
The garden was already in use in the 12th century AD during the Liao (Khitan) dynasty, but major construction was only started in 1709 during the Kangxi Reign, and completed 150 years later. The compound covered an area of some 350 hectares (about 150,000 square meters) equal to that of the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City). Artisans were recruited from all over China to enact the exquisite Chinese garden settings, the mountain scenes and the a hundred odd palaces, pavilions and halls with bridges, pagoda and temples. A third of the ground was given to nature in the form of streams, ponds, rockeries, hillocks, cliffs, ravines and caves.
At the southern sector in Wanchunyuan was once three rows of beautifully designed palaces centralized by the Hall of Uprightness and Brilliance 正明殿, the site of official imperial business. The sole remaining building of Zhengjuesi west of the front gate of Wanchunyuan is now under restoration. It was part of a temple complex of 2.5 acres built by the Qianlong Emperor for the imperial family, and it comprises of Sanshengdian (三聖殿Hall of Three Sages), Wenshuting (文殊停 Manjusri or Wenshushiyi Bodhisattva Pavilion), Zuishanglou (最上樓 Top Tower). The European buildings and Fountains were at the north-east in Changchunyuan, and the ruins here are the best preserved relics in the garden.
The future of Yuanmingyuan was one of contending arguments as to rebuild it to its former glory or to let it stay as a lesson of destructive Western imperialism for the Chinese people. It has been formally decided that the Western relics should remain, and the remaining areas restored to their previous state. The present park has trees replanted and paths and bridges renovated, but nothing similar to the splendor before its destruction. In 1984, half a million cubic meters of water was diverted from the Minyun Reservoir into a 28 hectare lake, a renewed Fuhai (the Lake of Fortune). The restoration will affect one fifth of Yuanmingyuan and includes the enactment of the impressive Dagongmen 大宮門Palace Gate.
For the historically minded, one must not miss the museum elaborating the history of YuanMingYuan and its future restoration. In this museum is a copy of a letter written in 1861 by Victor Hugo condemning the destruction by the invading Anglo-French troops as barbaric. My visit to Yuanmingyuan in 1999 was rather painful when I saw a lake with Western boats, a Western-style fun park for children and a section with South Pacific buildings. Surely, the park administrator has no lingering knowledge of Chinese history and culture.
A smaller Yangmigyuan has been constructed in Shenyang in the northern Liaoning Province. The area is only 2000 square meters with numerous buildings, scenic sites and bridges. However, the largest building was reduced to a tenth of the original size. If Shenyang is too far, one can always visit Shezhen to see a replica of the European baroque palaces and fountains. Shenzhen is just two hours from Hong Kong or Guangzhou. The buildings in Renaissance style have Chinese glazed tiled roofs, reflecting of enhanced Sino-Western beauty. Here, one can admire the exact replicas and
understand the beauty and glory of a former Yuanmingyuan in daylight or under night lighting, as in the Shenzhen photos below.
Lastly, what happened to those Yaunmingyuan artifacts stolen from China? The Yuanmingyuan fountain had twelve animal heads sprouting water from their mouths. In April and May 2000, three heads, the ox, monkey and tiger, were auctioned by Sotheby and Christie in the face of widespread protests from Chinese worldwide. However, they were bought for US $3.8 million by a Beijing company called Poly Group, which out of patriotism, had them housed in a museum. The animal heads were also sent on exhibition tours to various cities in China. Beside these three returned animal heads, the remaining ones are in France, Japan and Taiwan, plus some unaccounted for.
Anyone who appreciates beauty and human enterprise will be outraged when they visit the present YuanMingYuan. This was once a beautiful imperial park, with exquisite gardens, Chinese palaces and Western Baroque buildings, treasures of art and cultural relics and an imperial library of irreplaceable books. It was plundered and razed to the ground by the barbaric Anglo-French forces in 1860 under the order of Lord Elgin (James Bruce 1811-1863), son of the famous British lover of Greek art who stole the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Athens.
It was a tragedy that YuanMingYuan took so many years to raise to glory but only a few days of wanton destruction in 1860 to obliterate. Such was a painful waste for humanity, this fruit of man’s ingenuity, conceived as a Garden of all Chinese Gardens. Again, in 1900 the allied forces of the Eight Powers invaded Beijing and sacked the remaining buildings in the park. Many priceless artifacts that were plundered made their ways to the museums and private collections in Europe.
Under the order of Premier Zhou Enlai, Yuanmingyuan became a park to remind the Chinese and the world of the destruction wrought by European colonial powers to a harmless and priceless cultural entity that rightly belongs to mankind. The only surviving building was Zhengjuesi (正覺寺 Enlightenment Temple) at the southern part in Wanchunyuan. The other remains are the broken marble columns, some at the Peking University campus and the Beijing Library courtyard.
The garden was already in use in the 12th century AD during the Liao (Khitan) dynasty, but major construction was only started in 1709 during the Kangxi Reign, and completed 150 years later. The compound covered an area of some 350 hectares (about 150,000 square meters) equal to that of the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City). Artisans were recruited from all over China to enact the exquisite Chinese garden settings, the mountain scenes and the a hundred odd palaces, pavilions and halls with bridges, pagoda and temples. A third of the ground was given to nature in the form of streams, ponds, rockeries, hillocks, cliffs, ravines and caves.
At the southern sector in Wanchunyuan was once three rows of beautifully designed palaces centralized by the Hall of Uprightness and Brilliance 正明殿, the site of official imperial business. The sole remaining building of Zhengjuesi west of the front gate of Wanchunyuan is now under restoration. It was part of a temple complex of 2.5 acres built by the Qianlong Emperor for the imperial family, and it comprises of Sanshengdian (三聖殿Hall of Three Sages), Wenshuting (文殊停 Manjusri or Wenshushiyi Bodhisattva Pavilion), Zuishanglou (最上樓 Top Tower). The European buildings and Fountains were at the north-east in Changchunyuan, and the ruins here are the best preserved relics in the garden.
The future of Yuanmingyuan was one of contending arguments as to rebuild it to its former glory or to let it stay as a lesson of destructive Western imperialism for the Chinese people. It has been formally decided that the Western relics should remain, and the remaining areas restored to their previous state. The present park has trees replanted and paths and bridges renovated, but nothing similar to the splendor before its destruction. In 1984, half a million cubic meters of water was diverted from the Minyun Reservoir into a 28 hectare lake, a renewed Fuhai (the Lake of Fortune). The restoration will affect one fifth of Yuanmingyuan and includes the enactment of the impressive Dagongmen 大宮門Palace Gate.
For the historically minded, one must not miss the museum elaborating the history of YuanMingYuan and its future restoration. In this museum is a copy of a letter written in 1861 by Victor Hugo condemning the destruction by the invading Anglo-French troops as barbaric. My visit to Yuanmingyuan in 1999 was rather painful when I saw a lake with Western boats, a Western-style fun park for children and a section with South Pacific buildings. Surely, the park administrator has no lingering knowledge of Chinese history and culture.
A smaller Yangmigyuan has been constructed in Shenyang in the northern Liaoning Province. The area is only 2000 square meters with numerous buildings, scenic sites and bridges. However, the largest building was reduced to a tenth of the original size. If Shenyang is too far, one can always visit Shezhen to see a replica of the European baroque palaces and fountains. Shenzhen is just two hours from Hong Kong or Guangzhou. The buildings in Renaissance style have Chinese glazed tiled roofs, reflecting of enhanced Sino-Western beauty. Here, one can admire the exact replicas and
understand the beauty and glory of a former Yuanmingyuan in daylight or under night lighting, as in the Shenzhen photos below.
Lastly, what happened to those Yaunmingyuan artifacts stolen from China? The Yuanmingyuan fountain had twelve animal heads sprouting water from their mouths. In April and May 2000, three heads, the ox, monkey and tiger, were auctioned by Sotheby and Christie in the face of widespread protests from Chinese worldwide. However, they were bought for US $3.8 million by a Beijing company called Poly Group, which out of patriotism, had them housed in a museum. The animal heads were also sent on exhibition tours to various cities in China. Beside these three returned animal heads, the remaining ones are in France, Japan and Taiwan, plus some unaccounted for.
Imperial Palace, GuGong (Forbidden City, Zijincheng)
No visit to Beijing can be complete without seeing this preserved Chinese classical architecture of imperial splendor, a site which is considered not only an imperial city but also an imperial museum, hence also called the Palace Museum. Another name, The Forbidden City, is so-called because it was forbidden for the commoner to enter the compound on pain of death. It was also forbidden for any building in Beijing to be constructed higher then the buildings in the Forbidden City. The yellow color of the tiled roofs could not be used by commoners.
The Forbidden City was started in the Mongol Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and was built anew by the Ming Dynasty Yongle Emperor in 1406, and completed in 1420. In 1644, it was sacked by the Manchu troops under Doergun, who overthrew the Ming Dynasty. The succeeding Qing Dynasty Shunzi, Kangxi and Yongzhen Emperors restored the buildings, and it was further renovated to its unique beauty by the Qianlong Emperor. The Forbidden City was the residence for 24 Ming and Qing emperors. A full description will take a whole book, so I will only feature the important points.
The walled area of the Forbidden City serves as the residence and office of the Imperial family and their household staffs, as well as the offices of the ministers and favored officials. The whole compound has some nine thousand rooms capable of housing the imperial family, administrators, eunuchs, maids and soldiers. The population numbered some 9000 women and 100,000 eunuchs at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and 300 plus women and 2000 odd eunuchs in the Qing Dynasty.
Most structures are of wood, and hence prone to fire. The foundation is of stone and the roofs of yellow glazed tiles. The city is surrounded at its boundary by a ten meter high red wall and a fifty meter wide moat. An exemption to imperial yellow tiling was for the library where the tiles were black to symbolize water and capable of suppressing fire. Each imperial door has nine rows of nine knobs, a total of 81, as an imperial designation that the number nine is an imperial number. The dragons all have five claws to as an imperial symbol. Commoners using the nine knobs and the five dragon claws faced execution.
The layout of the Forbidden City with its six main axial buildings is very simple. The front is the southern entrance and one enters the main attractions facing northwards. On a north-south axis, the compound is divided into two complexes, the southern outer courtyard with three principal halls (Taihedian, Zhonghedian and Baohedian), and northern inner courtyard of another three main buildings made up of two palaces and one hall (Qiangonggong, Jiaotaidian, Kunnunggong). The administrative area is the larger southern outer sector and the private quarters are to the smaller northern inner sector. Secondary halls and palaces are to both sides of this central axis.
The Forbidden Palace starts at Tiananmen passing northwards to Wumen or Meridian Gate, a giant gate with five pavillions guarding the main entrance to the compound. Wumen, also known as the Gate of Five Phoenixes, has played an important site in Ming and Qing history. It was the site of official imperial announcements of the Chinese calendar, the inspections of troops by the Emperor and the execution or pardon of prisoners at his behest. The Wumen has three doors, the central one only for the Emperor, the Empress (if in a sedan) as well as once in a lifetime for the top three scholars of the imperial exam.
Immediately past the Wumen, are five marble bridges over a small stream called the Gold Water Steam (Jinshuihe) leading to a large outer courtyard guarded by a smaller gateway, the Taihemen, at the entrance of its corresponding Taihedian. The Tiahedian and following two halls are each guarded at the entrance by a gate of the same name. These gates (Taihemen, Zhonghemen and Baohemen) are thus followed by their corresponding halls, viz. Taihedian, Zhonghedian and Baohedian.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihedian) is the tallest and largest of the buildings for the most important imperial banquets and ceremonies, such as the ascendance to the throne, the First day of the New Year, the Winter Solstice and the Emperor's Birthday. Prior to the Qianlong period, it was also where the imperial exams were held and the results announced. The hall has a raised golden lacquered throne between two dragon decorated pillars and under a sphere hanging form a colorful carved ceiling. A nine dragon screen behind the throne symbolizes longevity and the unity of heaven and earth. Standing at the base are two elephants of peace. One can see gargoyles of dragon and tortoise parts, said to show immortality and longevity. A grain measure and a sundial reflect on imperial justice and righteousness while a large gold plated copper cauldron was filled with water to be used for any fire. Bronze tripods were for incense and cranes again indicate longevity.
Further north is the smallest hall called Hall of Central Harmony (Zhonghedian) where the Emperor made his private preparations in donning his regalia before proceeding to Taihedian. This was also where the Emperor inspected the grain for annual planting, communicate with his entire family, (sometimes including his numerous concubines) and receiving foreign dignitaries.
Beyond Zhonghedian is the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohedian) for smaller banquets and ceremony, and for imperial exams during and after the Qianlong Emperor. The successful candidates were awarded the Jinshi or scholar title. The rooms have been converted as a museum to display the Imperial treasures and gifts from foreign rulers. The famous Flying Horse of Gansu (Wuwei) discovered in 1969 was displayed here, but is now in the Gansu Provincial Museum in Lanzhou. At the back of the hall is a block of Ming marble carved into steps with dragon design and given the name "Dragon Pavement".
Still proceeding northwards one then enters the Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qiangqinggong) through the Gate of Heavenly Purity (Qianqingmen). This was the residence of the Ming and early Qing Emperors. This was where the last Ming Emperor killed his young daughter and his concubines before hanging himself at Coal Hill. In front of this palace are bronze tortoises and cranes, a grain measure and a sundial. At the door is a tablet with calligraphy words "Sincerity and Openness" by the Sunzhi Emperor who abdicated in favor of Kangxi to be a Buddhist monk. The throne is again accompanied by a dragon screen behind it, and the ceiling is spectacular. This building was last used for the marriage celebration of Henry Puyi in 1922.
Further north of the Qianqinggong is Jiaotaidian (Hall of Union) with its beautiful ceiling and the twenty-five imperial seals of the Qianlong Emperor and a chiming clock and a clepsydra or water clock. (The Chinese had invented their own clepsydra prior to the Song Dynasty). After Jiaotaidian is Kunninggong (Palace of Earthly Tranquility) where the Ming Empresses lived. This was where the last Ming Empress hanged herself. It was converted to a Qing sacrificial chamber but became the bridal chamber of Henry Puyi with the double character xi to indicate happiness and fertility.
To east of Taihemen is Hall of Literary Glory (Wenyuandian) previously house of Ming crown prince but converted to a meeting place for the emperor and his scholars. During the Qianlong period it was made into the imperial library of 36,000 volumes. To west of Taihemen is Hall of Martial Spirit (Wuyingdian) initially for Ming Emperors to rest during fasting period. It became headquarter of rebel leader Li Zicheng and then his Manchu conqueror Duoergun. During Kangxi reign it was the site for compilation of the Kangxi Dictionary, Collected Works from Past and Present and Peiwen Dictionary.
Once past the Qianqingmen (Gate of Heavenly Purity) leading to the Qianqing Gong (Palace of Heavenly Purity) is the inner court which is located the Imperial family chambers previously housing thousands of women and eunuchs. To the east of Qianqing Gong is Zhaigong, which is a is a museum for bronze objects, and Ningshou Gong where Qianlong lived after his abdication and it now houses paintings and art objects.
The imperial flower garden, Yuhua Yuan, with rocks, pond, bamboo, flowers, fir and cypress trees and pavilions is located at the north end of the compound behind the Kunninggong. Landscaped during the Ming Dynasty, it covers 7000 sq. m. On the Double Nine festival, the imperial family would ascend the Yujingting (Imperial Viewing Pavilion) to view and relax. To the east is the Hall of Literary Elegance (Chizaotang) where rare classical books were kept, including a present complete set of the original Selections from the Four Branches of Literature (Shiku Huiyao).
Concubine ZhenFei's well is at the north-east corner of the compound near Yangxingdian (Hall of Mental Cultivation). Yangxindian (not Yangxingdian) was where the deposed last emperor, Henry Puyi, lived till driven out by the warlord Feng Yuxiang in 1924. Do not miss the Nine Dragon wall. There is a beautiful garden rock from Taihu (Tai Lake in Jiangsu).
It is not enough to see the Forbidden City in one morning or afternoon as on the usual tourist itinerary. For the first timer to Beijing, such a tour is a good, quick and brief introduction. For those who want to enjoy Chinese art and beauty, the Forbidden City requires a second longer and more elaborate visit. At such a time look closely at the roofs (ten mythological animals at the Hall of Supreme Harmony) and the wall and ceiling decors, reflect on the imperial history behind each hall, understand the animals symbolic of Chinese beliefs such as the lions, the crane, tortoise and dragons, and take the time to see the art pieces and the paintings.
The Forbidden City was started in the Mongol Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and was built anew by the Ming Dynasty Yongle Emperor in 1406, and completed in 1420. In 1644, it was sacked by the Manchu troops under Doergun, who overthrew the Ming Dynasty. The succeeding Qing Dynasty Shunzi, Kangxi and Yongzhen Emperors restored the buildings, and it was further renovated to its unique beauty by the Qianlong Emperor. The Forbidden City was the residence for 24 Ming and Qing emperors. A full description will take a whole book, so I will only feature the important points.
The walled area of the Forbidden City serves as the residence and office of the Imperial family and their household staffs, as well as the offices of the ministers and favored officials. The whole compound has some nine thousand rooms capable of housing the imperial family, administrators, eunuchs, maids and soldiers. The population numbered some 9000 women and 100,000 eunuchs at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and 300 plus women and 2000 odd eunuchs in the Qing Dynasty.
Most structures are of wood, and hence prone to fire. The foundation is of stone and the roofs of yellow glazed tiles. The city is surrounded at its boundary by a ten meter high red wall and a fifty meter wide moat. An exemption to imperial yellow tiling was for the library where the tiles were black to symbolize water and capable of suppressing fire. Each imperial door has nine rows of nine knobs, a total of 81, as an imperial designation that the number nine is an imperial number. The dragons all have five claws to as an imperial symbol. Commoners using the nine knobs and the five dragon claws faced execution.
The layout of the Forbidden City with its six main axial buildings is very simple. The front is the southern entrance and one enters the main attractions facing northwards. On a north-south axis, the compound is divided into two complexes, the southern outer courtyard with three principal halls (Taihedian, Zhonghedian and Baohedian), and northern inner courtyard of another three main buildings made up of two palaces and one hall (Qiangonggong, Jiaotaidian, Kunnunggong). The administrative area is the larger southern outer sector and the private quarters are to the smaller northern inner sector. Secondary halls and palaces are to both sides of this central axis.
The Forbidden Palace starts at Tiananmen passing northwards to Wumen or Meridian Gate, a giant gate with five pavillions guarding the main entrance to the compound. Wumen, also known as the Gate of Five Phoenixes, has played an important site in Ming and Qing history. It was the site of official imperial announcements of the Chinese calendar, the inspections of troops by the Emperor and the execution or pardon of prisoners at his behest. The Wumen has three doors, the central one only for the Emperor, the Empress (if in a sedan) as well as once in a lifetime for the top three scholars of the imperial exam.
Immediately past the Wumen, are five marble bridges over a small stream called the Gold Water Steam (Jinshuihe) leading to a large outer courtyard guarded by a smaller gateway, the Taihemen, at the entrance of its corresponding Taihedian. The Tiahedian and following two halls are each guarded at the entrance by a gate of the same name. These gates (Taihemen, Zhonghemen and Baohemen) are thus followed by their corresponding halls, viz. Taihedian, Zhonghedian and Baohedian.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihedian) is the tallest and largest of the buildings for the most important imperial banquets and ceremonies, such as the ascendance to the throne, the First day of the New Year, the Winter Solstice and the Emperor's Birthday. Prior to the Qianlong period, it was also where the imperial exams were held and the results announced. The hall has a raised golden lacquered throne between two dragon decorated pillars and under a sphere hanging form a colorful carved ceiling. A nine dragon screen behind the throne symbolizes longevity and the unity of heaven and earth. Standing at the base are two elephants of peace. One can see gargoyles of dragon and tortoise parts, said to show immortality and longevity. A grain measure and a sundial reflect on imperial justice and righteousness while a large gold plated copper cauldron was filled with water to be used for any fire. Bronze tripods were for incense and cranes again indicate longevity.
Further north is the smallest hall called Hall of Central Harmony (Zhonghedian) where the Emperor made his private preparations in donning his regalia before proceeding to Taihedian. This was also where the Emperor inspected the grain for annual planting, communicate with his entire family, (sometimes including his numerous concubines) and receiving foreign dignitaries.
Beyond Zhonghedian is the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohedian) for smaller banquets and ceremony, and for imperial exams during and after the Qianlong Emperor. The successful candidates were awarded the Jinshi or scholar title. The rooms have been converted as a museum to display the Imperial treasures and gifts from foreign rulers. The famous Flying Horse of Gansu (Wuwei) discovered in 1969 was displayed here, but is now in the Gansu Provincial Museum in Lanzhou. At the back of the hall is a block of Ming marble carved into steps with dragon design and given the name "Dragon Pavement".
Still proceeding northwards one then enters the Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qiangqinggong) through the Gate of Heavenly Purity (Qianqingmen). This was the residence of the Ming and early Qing Emperors. This was where the last Ming Emperor killed his young daughter and his concubines before hanging himself at Coal Hill. In front of this palace are bronze tortoises and cranes, a grain measure and a sundial. At the door is a tablet with calligraphy words "Sincerity and Openness" by the Sunzhi Emperor who abdicated in favor of Kangxi to be a Buddhist monk. The throne is again accompanied by a dragon screen behind it, and the ceiling is spectacular. This building was last used for the marriage celebration of Henry Puyi in 1922.
Further north of the Qianqinggong is Jiaotaidian (Hall of Union) with its beautiful ceiling and the twenty-five imperial seals of the Qianlong Emperor and a chiming clock and a clepsydra or water clock. (The Chinese had invented their own clepsydra prior to the Song Dynasty). After Jiaotaidian is Kunninggong (Palace of Earthly Tranquility) where the Ming Empresses lived. This was where the last Ming Empress hanged herself. It was converted to a Qing sacrificial chamber but became the bridal chamber of Henry Puyi with the double character xi to indicate happiness and fertility.
To east of Taihemen is Hall of Literary Glory (Wenyuandian) previously house of Ming crown prince but converted to a meeting place for the emperor and his scholars. During the Qianlong period it was made into the imperial library of 36,000 volumes. To west of Taihemen is Hall of Martial Spirit (Wuyingdian) initially for Ming Emperors to rest during fasting period. It became headquarter of rebel leader Li Zicheng and then his Manchu conqueror Duoergun. During Kangxi reign it was the site for compilation of the Kangxi Dictionary, Collected Works from Past and Present and Peiwen Dictionary.
Once past the Qianqingmen (Gate of Heavenly Purity) leading to the Qianqing Gong (Palace of Heavenly Purity) is the inner court which is located the Imperial family chambers previously housing thousands of women and eunuchs. To the east of Qianqing Gong is Zhaigong, which is a is a museum for bronze objects, and Ningshou Gong where Qianlong lived after his abdication and it now houses paintings and art objects.
The imperial flower garden, Yuhua Yuan, with rocks, pond, bamboo, flowers, fir and cypress trees and pavilions is located at the north end of the compound behind the Kunninggong. Landscaped during the Ming Dynasty, it covers 7000 sq. m. On the Double Nine festival, the imperial family would ascend the Yujingting (Imperial Viewing Pavilion) to view and relax. To the east is the Hall of Literary Elegance (Chizaotang) where rare classical books were kept, including a present complete set of the original Selections from the Four Branches of Literature (Shiku Huiyao).
Concubine ZhenFei's well is at the north-east corner of the compound near Yangxingdian (Hall of Mental Cultivation). Yangxindian (not Yangxingdian) was where the deposed last emperor, Henry Puyi, lived till driven out by the warlord Feng Yuxiang in 1924. Do not miss the Nine Dragon wall. There is a beautiful garden rock from Taihu (Tai Lake in Jiangsu).
It is not enough to see the Forbidden City in one morning or afternoon as on the usual tourist itinerary. For the first timer to Beijing, such a tour is a good, quick and brief introduction. For those who want to enjoy Chinese art and beauty, the Forbidden City requires a second longer and more elaborate visit. At such a time look closely at the roofs (ten mythological animals at the Hall of Supreme Harmony) and the wall and ceiling decors, reflect on the imperial history behind each hall, understand the animals symbolic of Chinese beliefs such as the lions, the crane, tortoise and dragons, and take the time to see the art pieces and the paintings.
Temple of Heaven (Tiantan)
The Temple of Heaven, an architectural wonder, is a complex of three main structures, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (Qinian Dian), the Imperial Vault of Heaven (Huangqionyu) and Circular Mound Altar (Huanqiu Tan). Its symbolic importance is the continuity of the mandate of heaven for the ruling imperial house whose emperor has to perform some Zhou Dynasty ritual at the winter and summer solstices in the Confucian tradition.
The area was built by the Ming Yongle Emperor with twice the area of his own palace and based on Chinese numerology and geomancy (fengshui). The four gates point to the directions of the compass. The north end of the compound conforms to heaven as a semi-circle, and the south end to earth as a square. The last ritual to be performed here was by the General Yuan Shikai in 1915 when he tried to establish a dynasty which collapsed with his death a year later.
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests was originally built in 1420, but it was burnt down by a fire in 1889. It was then rebuilt based on its original plan. The hall is entirely of wood without the use of any nail. The roof is made of glazed blue tiles converging onto a golden central point without beams or spars. It is supported by 28 pillars brought over from the southern province of Yunnan. There are four main pillars representing four seasons, followed by two surrounding rings of 12 pillars each. The inner ring represents the months of the year and the outer the time of day according to the Chinese calendar. At the middle part of the floor is the Dragon Phoenix, the imperial symbols. From this room the Emperor would pray to heaven for good harvests.
To the south is the Imperial Vault of Heaven, built in 1520 and restored in 1752. It houses the tablets for ceremonies. Further south is the circular brick wall called Echo Wall (Huiyin Bi). On can whisper at one part brick wall and the echo will be transmitted clearly round the wall. The Circular Mound Altar built in 1530 and reconstructed in 1749 after a fire. It has three open air marble tiers representing Man, Earth and Heaven and was the site where the Emperor would offer sacrifices for good harvests.
The area was built by the Ming Yongle Emperor with twice the area of his own palace and based on Chinese numerology and geomancy (fengshui). The four gates point to the directions of the compass. The north end of the compound conforms to heaven as a semi-circle, and the south end to earth as a square. The last ritual to be performed here was by the General Yuan Shikai in 1915 when he tried to establish a dynasty which collapsed with his death a year later.
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests was originally built in 1420, but it was burnt down by a fire in 1889. It was then rebuilt based on its original plan. The hall is entirely of wood without the use of any nail. The roof is made of glazed blue tiles converging onto a golden central point without beams or spars. It is supported by 28 pillars brought over from the southern province of Yunnan. There are four main pillars representing four seasons, followed by two surrounding rings of 12 pillars each. The inner ring represents the months of the year and the outer the time of day according to the Chinese calendar. At the middle part of the floor is the Dragon Phoenix, the imperial symbols. From this room the Emperor would pray to heaven for good harvests.
To the south is the Imperial Vault of Heaven, built in 1520 and restored in 1752. It houses the tablets for ceremonies. Further south is the circular brick wall called Echo Wall (Huiyin Bi). On can whisper at one part brick wall and the echo will be transmitted clearly round the wall. The Circular Mound Altar built in 1530 and reconstructed in 1749 after a fire. It has three open air marble tiers representing Man, Earth and Heaven and was the site where the Emperor would offer sacrifices for good harvests.
GREAT WALL of CHINA at Beijing
The Great Wall of China should rightly be considered a Wonder of the World for its sheer length and the time and labor spent to enact a protective barrier for the ancient Chinese. For many years it was considered the only man-made structure visible from the moon, but this is now found to be a myth, as astronauts including the first Chinese astronaut, Yang Liwei, reported that it could not be seen from space. Though considered the work of the Qin Shihuangdi秦始皇帝, the first Emperor of China, it was already started some three hundred years earlier in shorter segments. It is said that the word “China” came from Qin 秦 , also spelt “Chin”, the kingdom of Qin Shihuangdi.
Historical Aspects
The First Emperor, on unifying China in 221 BC, destroyed the walls that divided the previous seven contending kingdoms of the Warring States Period, and joined up the various northern walls of the previous states of Qin, Zhao and Yan into what is called the Great Wall of China. Succeeding dynasties repaired and re-construct sections of the wall, the last and most durable being the wall of the Ming Dynasty. In the final analysis, the Great Wall is the accumulated effort of many Chinese rulers and millions of unknown Chinese who lost their lives in erecting this 6000 mile long structure.
For foreign visitors, it is said that if one has not climbed the Great Wall, one has not been to China. For the Chinese, it is said that a true Chinese is one who has seen the Great Wall. The Great Wall is also a monument of mankind to be shared with the world. Stretching in the West at Jiayuguan嘉峪關 in Gansu Province on the Silk Road, the Great Wall winds its way eastwards till it reaches the Yalu River in north-east Manchurian China, a distance of some 6000 kms. Another eastern branch of the Great Wall terminates at Laolongtou老龍頭 (Old Dragon's Head) at the sea coast 5 km beyond Shanhaiguan山海關 (Mountain-Sea Pass).
To the ancient Chinese, westward from the Jiayuguan, the western gate of the Great Wall, was considered the end of civilization; the pass also called the Last Gate under Heaven. To the north of the Great Wall would be nomadic tribes who were raiders and considered uncivilized. Hence, the Chinese psyche placed the wall as the dividing line between the comfort zone of the civilized empire and the uncivilized unknown of the wild inhospitable nomadic steppes. It is immortalized in poems and in paintings through the ages. There are also photographic enthusiasts who want to portray the beauty of parts of the Great Wall throughout the seasons.
Sima Qian wrote in the Records of the Historian史記 (Shiji), that under the order of Qin Shihuangdi, “General Meng Tian蒙恬mobilized 300,000 soldiers… and built a Great Wall which followed the contour of the land, taking advantage of natural defenses.” Apparently, an additional 500,000 conscript laborers were recruited as well. The wall was improved upon by the succeeding Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), which built a separate 10,000 km wall, longer and to the north of the Qin wall. Unfortunately, the Han wall later fell into neglect and ruin.
During the Northern Qi北齊 (550-577), over one and a half million men were mobilized to build the sector from JuyongGuan to Datong in the west. The Sui Dynasty also called up a million conscripts for Great Wall repair and construction. Even widows were not spared when their menfolk died. However, the Great Wall was neglected by the Tang Dynasty, confident of repelling its northern neighbors without its use, while the Song Dynasty lost the northern part of China to the Liao遼Kingdom or Khitans契丹 (916-1125) and the Jin金Kingdom or Jurchens/Nuzhen女真 (1115-1234). Apparently the word for China, “Cathay”, came from Khitan.
The next phase of the re-construction of the Great Wall came with the fall of the Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty in 1368, when Ming Dynasty founder, Zhu Yuanzhang朱元璋 (1328-1398), entrusted the work to his general, Xu Da 徐达 . This earlier Ming re-construction was followed up in 1568 by the Ming Generals, Tan Lun譚綸 (1520-1577) and Qi Jiguang戚继光 (1528-1587), and most of the well preserved parts of the Great Wall at Beijing are due to these two men.
The famous Shanhaiguan we see today at the Bohai on the eastern end, was built during the Ming Dynasty, and is not the original Qin/Han Dynasty wall. There was an old fortress at Shanhaiguan during the Northern Qi period, but it had been destroyed. The present Shanghaiguan was the pass that the Ming Dynasty general, Wu Sangui 吳三桂 , in 1644 allowed the Manchu army under General Doergun 多爾袞to pass through to counter the rebel army of Li Zicheng李自成. With the defeat of the rebels and the Ming remnants, the Manchus decided to stay for good and ruled China as the Qing 清 (not Qin 秦) Dynasty from 1644 till 1911.
Construction of the Great Wall
On the Great Wall one can look to the northern rough terrain of the ancient invaders, and to the east and west the wall winding its way from peak to peak. The difficulty of constructing the wall was compounded by locating it at the steepest of terrains to offer a commanding strategic advantage, the beacon towers being built atop the peaks.
The materials used differed according to the location and the terrain. Unlike the Qin and Han walls in which sand, earth, clay, reed, wood, tiles and stones were used, the Ming artisans fifteen centuries later were using lime, bricks and stone slabs. In certain sections of the wall, to ensure a good standard of the bricks, each manufacturer had to emboss his bricks with his name and date of manufacture. Stone slabs had to be cut and transported from the quarries, and the bigger 3 meter long stone slabs seen at Badaling and JuyongGuan weighed 1000 kg and took much effort to be transported to site.
The first stage of the Ming wall building was to erect the two sides of the wall, followed by the filling of the space in between. The base had a longer width than the top of the wall. Bricks and stop slabs were then place on top of the fill-in as pavements for the rampart and steps. The beacon towers were then built with the upper floor for look-out and the lower floor for cannons. To prevent erosion by rain, drainage openings were designed. The tedious work in the face of poor nutrition, cold, heat, rain and enemy attacks took a heavy toll on the workers. It was estimated that the demanding Ming wall would require a hundred workers for each of the worker of the Qin/Han wall.
The Great Wall’s main defensive purpose was as a signaling outpost more than a standing army garrison. Many sections of the wall were in desolate places, and food and quarters had to be supplied via narrow paths to the wall where they are pulled over the side in baskets. Hence, it was not possible to have troops stationed in big numbers to anticipate an attack. The fast riding nomadic horsemen to the north of China could congregate and attack any section of the wall and breach at will. However, with the alarm given at any sector, reinforcement could be sent to counter the attack.
The Chinese had a system of smoke signal in which one smoke was for 100 enemies, two smokes for 500 and three smokes for 1000. An attack could thus be communicate for a thousand km within a few hours. The soldiers had to colect straw and wolf dung in ready for signal fires. Apparently, wolf dung was easily available, and it gave good upright smoke. In 1468, the Ming standardized the warning signals with cannon shots in addition to the smokes.
No Great Wall story can be complete without mentioning the legend of a lady called Meng Jiangnu 孟姜女 , who went seeking for her husband at the Great Wall. Having made a coat to protect her husband from the northern cold, she found that her husband had died while helping to construct the wall, and was entombed under the Great Wall. She cried with so much sorrow that heavens took pity on her. A section of the wall then broke off, exposing her husband’s remains so she could offer him a decent burial. She then took her own life by drowning to join her husband in the afterlife. A temple was erected at Shanghaiguan to honor this lady, though there is no historically authenticated person of her name. Her story apparently appeared during the Tang Dynasty.
Visiting the Great Wall at Beijing
Beijing is protected by the Taihang and Yanshan mountain ranges to its west and north. Three passes separate the Beijing/Hebei area from the steppes of Mongolia and Manchuria viz. Gubeikou and JuyongGuan just north of Beijing, and Shanhaiguan at the eastern coast facing Bohai Sea. The Beijing area has itself eight sites at the Great Wall for tourists, these comprising of two passes (JuyongGuan and Gubeikou) and six sections of the wall (Badaling, Mutianyu, Simatai, Jinshanling, HuanghuaCheng and Jiankou). Another two nearby Great Wall sites, Shanghaiguan and Huangyaguan can each be visited as an overnight tour from Beijing.
The Great Wall was only opened to the dignitaries and tourists at Badaling till the early 1980s. In 1984, the Chinese government set up a Great Wall Restoration Committee to raise funds to restore the Great Wall as a national symbol of China under a slogan of "Love China and Rebuild the Great Wall." Supported by the news media, scholars and artists contributed works in the form of calligraphy, paintings and sculptures for decoration and for sale to raise funds. Chinese from all walks of life donated, as did foreigners. Two years later a sum of USD 2.7 million was collected for the reconstruction of the Great Wall. The Chinese leader, Deng Xiaoping, wrote an inscription for the slogan at the entrance of the Badaling Great Wall. A special monument was given in honor of Pakistan and other foreign contributions at the Wangjingshi望京石 (Looking to Beijing Rock), also at Badaling.
On first arrival at Beijing, most tourists aspire to see the Great Wall. Many will spend half a day at the touristy and packed Badaling, the nearby Juyong Guan or the quieter Mutianyu. The more initiated will want to spend a full day hiking along some deserted and more challenging sections like Gubeikou, Simatai, Jinshanling, HuanghuaCheng and Jiankou. The wall seen at the above sites were built during the Ming Dynasty, as the Han Dynasty wall had long fallen into decay.
These solid looking parts of the Great Wall to the north of Beijing will give good and memorable photographs, but wear some warm clothing against the chilling wind. At Badaling, JuyongGuan and Mutianyu, drinks, snacks, fruits, souvenirs, VCDs and books are available, but be prepared with the correct money change and remember which tour guide you come with.
The Eight Great Wall Sites at Beijing
The eight sites of the Great Wall at Beijing, starting from the north-west clockwise, are Badaling, JuyongGuan and HuanghuaCheng, then Jiankou and Mutianyu in the north followed by Jinshanling, Gubeikou and Simatai to the north-east. A few desolated sites have been closed by the authorities to prevent further damage to the structures as well as injuries to tourists. The eight Great Wall sites in the Beijing area are described as below:
Badaling八达岭 (Eight Prominent Peaks, also interpreted as Peak to leading all Directions) sector, located at Yanqing County 70 km northwest of Beijing, is the first section of the Great Wall to be opened to tourists. There was an older and incomplete wall here during Warring States Period (476 BC - 221 BC). However, the wall we are seeing was built in 1571 and was repaired in 1957. It is considered the best preserved, being the hallmark of Ming Dynasty wall construction. It became a United Nations world cultural heritage in 1987.
The section is about 5 km long with 19 watchtowers. The wall extends from peak to peak and is made of rectangular slabs, standing eight to ten meters high, six meters wide at the base and five meters wide at the ramparts, hence allowing ten soldiers or five horses to stand abreast. Along the wall are observation platforms every 500 meters and they also serve as sentry posts and storage for weapons and food. Many sections of the wall were in desolate places, and food and quarters were supplied via narrow paths to the wall where they are pulled over the side in baskets.
Many visitors bemoan the commercialization of Badaling. Shops and sellers abound making the visit as one of festivity. There is a cable car as well as a Great Wall museum of Chinese History and a Great Wall Circle Vision Amphitheater for 15 minute film shows. The museum has a photo gallery showing all the world’s famous personalities who came to climb and admire this man-made wonder. For those who are not physically fit, Badaling is the safest site to see the Great Wall.
The left part of the Badaling wall is steeper but gives a better scenery of the wall. To the east of Badaling is a 2 meter high rock said to be where Dowager Empress Cixi looked towards Beijing in reflection to her previous grand court life-style compared to her then 1900 distress in her fleeing to Xian to escape the Eight Nations Allied Army. This is the rock mentioned earlier, called “Looking to Beijing Rock”, with a monument for foreign contributors to the reconstruction of the Great Wall in the 1980s.
For those few visitors arriving by train at the nearby Qinglongqiao station, they will not fail to see the bronze statue of engineer, Zhan Tianyou詹天佑(1860-1919). He built the Beijing-Baotou railway line through the mountainous terrain when the Americans and Europeans refused to support the construction. Zhan was born in Guangdong, and at the age of eleven years was sent to a select school to prepare him for a future study in engineering at Yale University in 1878. He returned to China in 1881, became chief engineer in 1905, and completed the railway line in 1909, two years ahead of time. This was an engineering achievement in China, matched almost sixty years later by the construction of the Nanjing Bridge. Zhan Tianyou is honored with a museum at Badaling and his story has been made into a popular film released in 2000.
Juyong Guan居庸關 (Common Dwelling Pass), 10 km before Badaling, is the sector I like best because of its historical significance. Juyong Pass guards a 100 meter wide 20 km long and deep gully 60 km northwest of Beijing on the same railway line just before Badaling. It was first mentioned in a second century BC philosophical book called HuaiNanzi 淮南子as one of the great nine passes in the competing kingdoms of China. Juyong Pass was also said to have been used in the Qin Dynasty when the First Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi started the Great Wall.
The surrounding the valley area was considered one of the Eight Sceneries of Yanjing (ancient name for Beijing) during the Jin Dynasty (AD 1115-1234). In autumn the valley is colored red by the maple leaves. Juyong Pass has a architecturally unique marbled Cloud Terrace 雲塔 (Yuntai) complex built in 1345, with a semi-hexagonal arched gateway through it. The ceiling and walls of the terrace have interesting Buddhist inscriptions and carvings, one called “A Record of Charitable and Pious Pagoda Building” featuring six languages (Sanskrit, Tibetan, Mongolian, Western Xia, Uighur and Han).
Three stone pagodas atop the Cloud Terrace were built by the last Yuan Emperor, but were soon burnt down with the fall of the Yuan Dynasty in 1368. Hence, the Cloud Terrace supporting the three white pagodas and built across a street was also called "Crossing Street Tower" 過街塔 (Guojieta). A temple called TaiAn Si 太安寺 (Great Peace Temple) was built to replace the pagodas, but was accidentally burnt down in 1702. At the Juyong area is a Northern Song Dynasty temple honoring five heroes of great strength who helped to dig the gully.
A tomb of the Eastern Han period (25-221) unearthed in Inner Mongolia showed a wall painting of a noble on horseback at Juyong Pass, showing Juyongguan as a wooden bridge-like structure with the word “JuyongGuan”.The name of Juyong Pass is interesting because the character Yong 庸 indicated a common and inferior status, hence Juyong 居庸 means common dwelling, a name not complimentary to its status of protecting the Ming and Qing Imperial capital. It is believed that the name was given during the much earlier Qin Dynasty when this Great Wall site had plain dwellings for numerous conscripted laborers building the wall. At that time Yanjing (Old Beijing) was not considered as important as the Qin capital at Xianyang.
In A.D. 916 Beijing became the capital of the Khitan tribe, which called itself the Liao Kingdom. In 1122, the Jurchens or Nuchens attacked Beijing through the Juyong Pass. To the invaders’ good luck, there was a landslide at the pass which killed many defenders, allowing the Jurchens to overwhelm them and to take Beijing, which became the capital of the Jurchens under the Jin Dynasty. The Liao Empress had to escape to the north from Beijing via the Gubeikou Pass.
In 1213, the Mongol leader, Genghis Khan 成吉思汗, attempted an attack on Beijing, but was repulsed by the Jin defenders at Juyongguan, who poured molten iron on the gate of the fortress. However. Genghis Khan had a general called Tsabar, who was his emissary to the Jin capital and who knew about a little used path to bypass the Juyong Pass. Using this path at night, the Mongol horsemen in a single file broke through and surprised the Juyong Pass defenders from the rear.
With the retreat of the Mongols in 1368, Ming General Xuda quickly secured the Juyong Pass and started reconstruction of the wall to prevent further Mongol attacks. He built four defensive walls, two circular and two straight across the pass with an extra wall at Gubeikou. The Ming wall construction at Beijing lasted from 1368 till 1582.
In 1449, the 20 year old Ming Zhengtong Emperor正統 was gullible enough to allow his eunuch tutor, Wang Zhen王振 , to plan an attack on the Mongols, with the Emperor in lead. The corrupt eunuch’s plan was actually to divert the Emperor to visit his own nearby native village rather than to go to battle. Without any military experience, the glory seeking eunuch caused a military disaster ending with two Ming Emperors contending for the throne.
Half a million Ming troops with the Emperor passed through Juyong Pass to an ignominious defeat at the battle of Tumupu土木堡, where the Emperor was himself captured by the Mongol leader Esen也先 , but he was later released to cause conflict between the captured Emperor and his newly installed successor. The Zhengtong Emperor was re-instated by his supporters as the TianShun Emperor天順in a coup in 1457.
Again in 1549, another Mongol leader, Altan Khan阿拉坦汗 , attacked Beijing but knowing the difficulty of going through Juyong Pass, he opted instead to go further east and broke through the Gubeikou Pass and then took Juyong Pass from the rear. Advancing up to the gates of Beijing he laid waste the suburbs before retreating north to the Ordos.
Towards the end of the Ming Dynasty, the peasant rebel leader, Li Zicheng, attacked Juyong Pass in 1644. Dissatisfied with the Ming Court corruption, the military surrendered to the rebel forces and allowed Li Zicheng to capture Beijing, precipitating the suicide of the last Ming Emperor at Coal Hill, now called Beijing's Jingshan Park, just outside the Forbidden City.
There are many poems mentioning Juyong Pass. Yuan Dynasty poet, Chen Fu 陳孚 (1240-1303), typifies the officials sent on military or civil service to the Great Wall regions and he described in his poem Juyong Pass 居庸關his sadness at passing through Juyong on his journey into Mongolia. Other poets who had written about Juyong Pass are Tang Dynasty poet GaoShi高適 , Song Dynasty poet Wang Yuanliang 汪元量, Jin Dynasty (Jurchen) poet Yu Wen Xu Zhong宇文虛中, Yuan Dynasty poets Gong Kui 貢奎, Liu Gui柳貴, Jie Xisi 揭係斯, Zhou Boqi周伯琦, Sa Duci薩都刺, Nai Xian 迺賢, Ming Dynasty poets Zheng Luo 鄭珞, Xu Tianxi許天錫, Xie Zhen謝榛, Li Zongshi李宗樞, Su Shi蘇祏, Liu Kan劉侃, Wang Ou王謳 and Qing Dynasty poets Gu Yanwu顧炎武, Qu Dajun屈大均 and Li Zhonghua 李重華. (Please note that the Su Shi of Yuan Dynasty is a lesser poet and not the famous Su Shi also called Su Dongpo of the Song Dynasty.)
Mutianyu, 慕田峪located at Huairou county 79 km northeast of Beijing, joins the Juyong Pass in the west and Gubeikou in the east. Though only 20 km long it has 22 beacon towers and was opened to tourists on May Day in 1986, the second Great Wall site opened to tourists after Badaling. For those weary of walking they can have access to a cable car, with excellent views at the top. There was an earlier wall built 1400 years ago, but the present wall was built during the Ming Dynasty by General Xu Da under the order of Ming founder, Zhu Yuanzhang. It was further strengthened by General Qi Jiguang in 1568. In 1988, the Henkel company of Germany donated US$300,000 to restore Mutianyu.
There is a tower complex of three inter-connected towers capable of withstanding a strong attack. The other interesting feature unique to Mutianyu is that the inner and outer parapets of the wall are crenellated with merlons for shots to be fired on both sides of the wall. It was at Mutianyu that Cao Cao曹操during the Three Kingdom Period defeated his opponent Yuan Shao袁紹. The Mutianyu section was later redesigned and strengthened by Ming General, Qi Jiguang, Military Superintendent of Jizhou蓟州 .
Simatai司马台 , the 5.5. km long sector at Miyun county near the Gubeikou frontier garrison, is 140 km to the north-east of Beijing. It has 35 beacon towers, being quiet and peaceful but challenging, with crumbling parts and steep walls beyond its restored first portion. For those who want to see the Great Wall untouched by modern hands, this is the part to go for. It has interesting towers and platforms of various designs.
At the highest position one can see Beijing from a tower called Wangjinglou望京樓 (Tower for viewing the Capital). Notice that some of the bricks here have dates and numbers to indicate the maker in order to ensure quality. To reach Wangjinglou, about 1000 meters above sea level, one must overcome the 70 degree slope Stairway to Heaven (requiring a crawl on all fours), and the narrow hundred meter long Sky Bridge across a deep abyss between Wangjinglou and Fairy Tower. This is certainly a most dangerous climb. In the early spring and summer mornings, one may be lucky to see a sea of clouds below. Fairy Tower is beautiful with an interesting twin lotus flower carving above its arched door.
A cable car may save some half hour by foot, while a full hike may take two hours. A small Simatai reservoir divides the wall into two sectors, the Simatai to the east and Jinshanling to the west. Simatai has been included by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site.
Jinshanling 金山岭 (Gold Mountain), equally far as Simatai, is at Ruanping county some 150 km from Beijing and slightly to the west of Simatai. It was constructed during the Ming Dynasty from 1386 till 1389, and re-constructed in 1571 by Ming General Qi Jiguang. The Jinshan 金山name apparently came from Genral Qi’s Jiangsu troops, who named two towers in honor of the smaller and greater Jinshan Islands in Zhenjiang City in Jiangsu.
The section, just over 10 km, is desolated with 150 odd battle platforms in various shapes. Parts of the Jinshanling have "obstacle-walls", actually smaller upright stone slabs at right angles to the parapets to shield defenders when facing enemies who had already ascended the wall from below and were charging up the rampart. The side walls also have peepholes and shooting holes unique to Jinshanling. After Badaling, it is the second most complete section of the Great Wall, despite having no recent repairs. From the eastern end of Jinshanling, one ascends the hundred meter long Stairway to Heaven to reach Wangjinglou (Tower for viewing the Capital) at Simatai.
Huanghuacheng黃花城 (Yellow Flower Town), 100 km north of Beijing and 20 km from Mutianyu, is the latest section to become popular with hikers. It was built by Ming General Cai Kai, 蔡凱whose prolonged and meticulous work caused him to be beheaded under a false charge of inefficiency. Realizing his mistake and with a heavy conscience, the Emperor had General Cai Kai reburied with honors as well as commissioning a two large words Jin Tang金湯to be carved into a large rock at Huanghuacheng. The character 金 (metal) denotes the hardness of metal, and the character 湯 (boiling solution) denotes great heat, hence the two characters implied the invincibility of the Huanghuacheng wall. Thus, the Huanghuacheng sector is also known as the Jintang Great Wall.
The wall can be accessed by crossing a moon-shaped reservoir close to the Jintang Lake. The wall section is said to be an exquisite for the lonely and contemplative traveler, a site considered beautiful but dangerous as parts of the wall may crumble, plunging the hiker down to the terrain below. During summer, the area is colored with yellow by the flowers, and during autumn, the ground is carpeted with yellow leaves. Shibadeng is the steepest and most perilous part.
Gubeikou 古北口 (Old Northern Entrance), in Miyun county is 120 km northeast of Beijing on a road that running northwards as a 20 km wide pass through the Yanshan Mountain Range. Located at Wohu臥虎 (Lying Tiger) mountain, it was originally called Hubeikou 虎北口. In 1368 Ming Dynasty general, Xu Da, rebuilt this section of the Great Wall. Gubeikou has seen famous battles and on its slope is a temple dedicated to Yang Ye楊業 (??-986), a famous Song Dynasty general whose illustrious military family served the Song Emperors for four generations. Their stories of loyalty, bravery and romance were told in books, operas and by balladeers and minstrels.
Gubeikou was first constructed in the Qi Dynasty while the newer Beikou town, originally called Yingcheng, was built in 1378. The town is protected by Caohe River to the west and surrounded by three gates to the north, east and south, as well three underground,water gates. The Qing Emperors going to their summer residence in Chengde had to pass through Gubeikou. Although an interesting historical site on its own, Gubeikou is considered by some as inclusive of the Great Wall sections of Jinshanling to the west and Simatai to the east. Here, Jinshanling and Simatai are considered separately as different locations.
During the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) the walls were 10 kilometres north of the present Ming walls. The walls were built and rebuilt by succeeding dynasties from the Northern Qi Dynasty (479-502) to the Tang (618-907), the Song (960-1279) and the Jin or Jurchens (1115-1234). The victorious Mongols from the north under Gengzhis Khan did not have need to have the Great Wall as a barrier.
With the overthrow of the Mongols, the Ming Dynasty General Xu Da quickly captured Gubeikou and started reconstruction of the wall from Juyongguan to Shanhaiguan in 1370. When the Yongle Emperor moved his capital to Beijing in 1420, Gubeikou became even more crucial as the key to the defence of the city from the north-east. In 1549, the Mongol leader, Altan Khan, succeeded in breaking through Gubeikou and pillaged the suburbs of Beijing before returning north. In 1568 the Gubeikou wall was again rebuilt by General Qi Jiguang in coordination with General Tan Lun, and the new wall was able to face attacks from both front and rear. Part of the wall was damaged from shelling by Japanese Army during the War of Resistance from 1937 to 1945.
Jiankou 箭口(Arrow Entrance) in Huairou County is 73 kilometres north of Beijing, connecting Mutianyu to the east and HuanghuaCheng to the west. This section was built during the Ming Dynasty in 1368. It is noticeable for its white rocks and the fact that the main section are built on cliffs, with iron shoulder poles inserted between the cliffs. It has five gate towers and is considered very perilous, especially in winter when the wall is very scenic under white snow. Like HuanghuaCheng, this site is gaining popularity among the adventurous and the backpackers.
Two Great Wall sites outside Beijing
For visitors to Beijing who are Great Wall enthusiasts, they can continue eastward outside Beijing onto Shanghaiguan and Huangyaguan.
Shanhaiguan Pass (Mountain and Sea Pass), at Qinhuangdao City of Hebei, about 300 km from Beijing, lies between the Yan Mountains in the north and the Bohai Sea in the south. It is 10km in width and commands an extremely strategic location that blocks the northern Manchuria tribes from advancing into eastern Hebei. The pass was restored in 1952. There is a temple for Lady Meng Jiangnu at Shanhaiguan.
The first settlement appeared in 6th Century BC and the earliest gate called Yuguan, now non-existent, was erected in 618. The pass saw numerous battles between the Chinese ruling dynasties and the northern tribes. Following the defeat of the Mongols by the Ming forces, General Xu Da in 1381 built the present pass into a formidable fortress complex with four gates.
The four gates had each an urn-like enclosure, the east gate further enhanced with web fortification. The north gate was destroyed and only the east, west and south gates remain, the east gate being the most beautiful. Each gate had a tower but only the east gate tower remains. This tower, about 14 meter high has two storeys, the top storey of wood has decorations of the Ming era. The main fort is surrounded by a moat of 10 meters deep and 20 meters wide and supported by smaller secondary forts.
In 1472, a Ming scholar and calligrapher called Xiao Xian蕭顯 wrote the famous five characters in Chinese天下第一城 meaning First Fortress under Heaven. His calligraphy is on a placard hanging on the top of the eastern gate. In 1644, Ming General Wu Sangui, opened up the fortress gate for the Manchu troops under Doergun to foray south into Beijing and China to destroy the rebel army of Li Zicheng. Once in China, the superior Manchu army took Beijing and set up the Qing Dynasty which ruled from 1644 till 1911. Each Manchu Emperor on his journey to and from Chengde would pass through Shanhaiguan, but the pass had already lost its military significance.
Some 5 km from Shanhaiguan is Laulongtou (Old Dragon Head), the end point of this section at the Bohai seacoast. It was built of stones by General Qi Jiguang but has fallen into ruins. A stone tablet at a secondary sea-pacifying fort read “Heavens with a view of Mountain and Sea”, apparently with the personal calligraphy of Qi Jiguang.
Huangyaguan黃崖關 (Yellow Precipice) 28 km north of Jixian Country, 120 km north of Tianjin was built in 557 and rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty. This section of the Great Wall, hugging the Wangmaoding Mountain, has features different with those in Beijing, for it is a mix of high terrains and rivers with fortresses, water obstacles and traps. It hosts an international marathon on the Great Wall annually. The sites of interest include the Forest of Stone Tablets, the Phoenix Tower and the North Pole Pavilion.
Historical Aspects
The First Emperor, on unifying China in 221 BC, destroyed the walls that divided the previous seven contending kingdoms of the Warring States Period, and joined up the various northern walls of the previous states of Qin, Zhao and Yan into what is called the Great Wall of China. Succeeding dynasties repaired and re-construct sections of the wall, the last and most durable being the wall of the Ming Dynasty. In the final analysis, the Great Wall is the accumulated effort of many Chinese rulers and millions of unknown Chinese who lost their lives in erecting this 6000 mile long structure.
For foreign visitors, it is said that if one has not climbed the Great Wall, one has not been to China. For the Chinese, it is said that a true Chinese is one who has seen the Great Wall. The Great Wall is also a monument of mankind to be shared with the world. Stretching in the West at Jiayuguan嘉峪關 in Gansu Province on the Silk Road, the Great Wall winds its way eastwards till it reaches the Yalu River in north-east Manchurian China, a distance of some 6000 kms. Another eastern branch of the Great Wall terminates at Laolongtou老龍頭 (Old Dragon's Head) at the sea coast 5 km beyond Shanhaiguan山海關 (Mountain-Sea Pass).
To the ancient Chinese, westward from the Jiayuguan, the western gate of the Great Wall, was considered the end of civilization; the pass also called the Last Gate under Heaven. To the north of the Great Wall would be nomadic tribes who were raiders and considered uncivilized. Hence, the Chinese psyche placed the wall as the dividing line between the comfort zone of the civilized empire and the uncivilized unknown of the wild inhospitable nomadic steppes. It is immortalized in poems and in paintings through the ages. There are also photographic enthusiasts who want to portray the beauty of parts of the Great Wall throughout the seasons.
Sima Qian wrote in the Records of the Historian史記 (Shiji), that under the order of Qin Shihuangdi, “General Meng Tian蒙恬mobilized 300,000 soldiers… and built a Great Wall which followed the contour of the land, taking advantage of natural defenses.” Apparently, an additional 500,000 conscript laborers were recruited as well. The wall was improved upon by the succeeding Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), which built a separate 10,000 km wall, longer and to the north of the Qin wall. Unfortunately, the Han wall later fell into neglect and ruin.
During the Northern Qi北齊 (550-577), over one and a half million men were mobilized to build the sector from JuyongGuan to Datong in the west. The Sui Dynasty also called up a million conscripts for Great Wall repair and construction. Even widows were not spared when their menfolk died. However, the Great Wall was neglected by the Tang Dynasty, confident of repelling its northern neighbors without its use, while the Song Dynasty lost the northern part of China to the Liao遼Kingdom or Khitans契丹 (916-1125) and the Jin金Kingdom or Jurchens/Nuzhen女真 (1115-1234). Apparently the word for China, “Cathay”, came from Khitan.
The next phase of the re-construction of the Great Wall came with the fall of the Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty in 1368, when Ming Dynasty founder, Zhu Yuanzhang朱元璋 (1328-1398), entrusted the work to his general, Xu Da 徐达 . This earlier Ming re-construction was followed up in 1568 by the Ming Generals, Tan Lun譚綸 (1520-1577) and Qi Jiguang戚继光 (1528-1587), and most of the well preserved parts of the Great Wall at Beijing are due to these two men.
The famous Shanhaiguan we see today at the Bohai on the eastern end, was built during the Ming Dynasty, and is not the original Qin/Han Dynasty wall. There was an old fortress at Shanhaiguan during the Northern Qi period, but it had been destroyed. The present Shanghaiguan was the pass that the Ming Dynasty general, Wu Sangui 吳三桂 , in 1644 allowed the Manchu army under General Doergun 多爾袞to pass through to counter the rebel army of Li Zicheng李自成. With the defeat of the rebels and the Ming remnants, the Manchus decided to stay for good and ruled China as the Qing 清 (not Qin 秦) Dynasty from 1644 till 1911.
Construction of the Great Wall
On the Great Wall one can look to the northern rough terrain of the ancient invaders, and to the east and west the wall winding its way from peak to peak. The difficulty of constructing the wall was compounded by locating it at the steepest of terrains to offer a commanding strategic advantage, the beacon towers being built atop the peaks.
The materials used differed according to the location and the terrain. Unlike the Qin and Han walls in which sand, earth, clay, reed, wood, tiles and stones were used, the Ming artisans fifteen centuries later were using lime, bricks and stone slabs. In certain sections of the wall, to ensure a good standard of the bricks, each manufacturer had to emboss his bricks with his name and date of manufacture. Stone slabs had to be cut and transported from the quarries, and the bigger 3 meter long stone slabs seen at Badaling and JuyongGuan weighed 1000 kg and took much effort to be transported to site.
The first stage of the Ming wall building was to erect the two sides of the wall, followed by the filling of the space in between. The base had a longer width than the top of the wall. Bricks and stop slabs were then place on top of the fill-in as pavements for the rampart and steps. The beacon towers were then built with the upper floor for look-out and the lower floor for cannons. To prevent erosion by rain, drainage openings were designed. The tedious work in the face of poor nutrition, cold, heat, rain and enemy attacks took a heavy toll on the workers. It was estimated that the demanding Ming wall would require a hundred workers for each of the worker of the Qin/Han wall.
The Great Wall’s main defensive purpose was as a signaling outpost more than a standing army garrison. Many sections of the wall were in desolate places, and food and quarters had to be supplied via narrow paths to the wall where they are pulled over the side in baskets. Hence, it was not possible to have troops stationed in big numbers to anticipate an attack. The fast riding nomadic horsemen to the north of China could congregate and attack any section of the wall and breach at will. However, with the alarm given at any sector, reinforcement could be sent to counter the attack.
The Chinese had a system of smoke signal in which one smoke was for 100 enemies, two smokes for 500 and three smokes for 1000. An attack could thus be communicate for a thousand km within a few hours. The soldiers had to colect straw and wolf dung in ready for signal fires. Apparently, wolf dung was easily available, and it gave good upright smoke. In 1468, the Ming standardized the warning signals with cannon shots in addition to the smokes.
No Great Wall story can be complete without mentioning the legend of a lady called Meng Jiangnu 孟姜女 , who went seeking for her husband at the Great Wall. Having made a coat to protect her husband from the northern cold, she found that her husband had died while helping to construct the wall, and was entombed under the Great Wall. She cried with so much sorrow that heavens took pity on her. A section of the wall then broke off, exposing her husband’s remains so she could offer him a decent burial. She then took her own life by drowning to join her husband in the afterlife. A temple was erected at Shanghaiguan to honor this lady, though there is no historically authenticated person of her name. Her story apparently appeared during the Tang Dynasty.
Visiting the Great Wall at Beijing
Beijing is protected by the Taihang and Yanshan mountain ranges to its west and north. Three passes separate the Beijing/Hebei area from the steppes of Mongolia and Manchuria viz. Gubeikou and JuyongGuan just north of Beijing, and Shanhaiguan at the eastern coast facing Bohai Sea. The Beijing area has itself eight sites at the Great Wall for tourists, these comprising of two passes (JuyongGuan and Gubeikou) and six sections of the wall (Badaling, Mutianyu, Simatai, Jinshanling, HuanghuaCheng and Jiankou). Another two nearby Great Wall sites, Shanghaiguan and Huangyaguan can each be visited as an overnight tour from Beijing.
The Great Wall was only opened to the dignitaries and tourists at Badaling till the early 1980s. In 1984, the Chinese government set up a Great Wall Restoration Committee to raise funds to restore the Great Wall as a national symbol of China under a slogan of "Love China and Rebuild the Great Wall." Supported by the news media, scholars and artists contributed works in the form of calligraphy, paintings and sculptures for decoration and for sale to raise funds. Chinese from all walks of life donated, as did foreigners. Two years later a sum of USD 2.7 million was collected for the reconstruction of the Great Wall. The Chinese leader, Deng Xiaoping, wrote an inscription for the slogan at the entrance of the Badaling Great Wall. A special monument was given in honor of Pakistan and other foreign contributions at the Wangjingshi望京石 (Looking to Beijing Rock), also at Badaling.
On first arrival at Beijing, most tourists aspire to see the Great Wall. Many will spend half a day at the touristy and packed Badaling, the nearby Juyong Guan or the quieter Mutianyu. The more initiated will want to spend a full day hiking along some deserted and more challenging sections like Gubeikou, Simatai, Jinshanling, HuanghuaCheng and Jiankou. The wall seen at the above sites were built during the Ming Dynasty, as the Han Dynasty wall had long fallen into decay.
These solid looking parts of the Great Wall to the north of Beijing will give good and memorable photographs, but wear some warm clothing against the chilling wind. At Badaling, JuyongGuan and Mutianyu, drinks, snacks, fruits, souvenirs, VCDs and books are available, but be prepared with the correct money change and remember which tour guide you come with.
The Eight Great Wall Sites at Beijing
The eight sites of the Great Wall at Beijing, starting from the north-west clockwise, are Badaling, JuyongGuan and HuanghuaCheng, then Jiankou and Mutianyu in the north followed by Jinshanling, Gubeikou and Simatai to the north-east. A few desolated sites have been closed by the authorities to prevent further damage to the structures as well as injuries to tourists. The eight Great Wall sites in the Beijing area are described as below:
Badaling八达岭 (Eight Prominent Peaks, also interpreted as Peak to leading all Directions) sector, located at Yanqing County 70 km northwest of Beijing, is the first section of the Great Wall to be opened to tourists. There was an older and incomplete wall here during Warring States Period (476 BC - 221 BC). However, the wall we are seeing was built in 1571 and was repaired in 1957. It is considered the best preserved, being the hallmark of Ming Dynasty wall construction. It became a United Nations world cultural heritage in 1987.
The section is about 5 km long with 19 watchtowers. The wall extends from peak to peak and is made of rectangular slabs, standing eight to ten meters high, six meters wide at the base and five meters wide at the ramparts, hence allowing ten soldiers or five horses to stand abreast. Along the wall are observation platforms every 500 meters and they also serve as sentry posts and storage for weapons and food. Many sections of the wall were in desolate places, and food and quarters were supplied via narrow paths to the wall where they are pulled over the side in baskets.
Many visitors bemoan the commercialization of Badaling. Shops and sellers abound making the visit as one of festivity. There is a cable car as well as a Great Wall museum of Chinese History and a Great Wall Circle Vision Amphitheater for 15 minute film shows. The museum has a photo gallery showing all the world’s famous personalities who came to climb and admire this man-made wonder. For those who are not physically fit, Badaling is the safest site to see the Great Wall.
The left part of the Badaling wall is steeper but gives a better scenery of the wall. To the east of Badaling is a 2 meter high rock said to be where Dowager Empress Cixi looked towards Beijing in reflection to her previous grand court life-style compared to her then 1900 distress in her fleeing to Xian to escape the Eight Nations Allied Army. This is the rock mentioned earlier, called “Looking to Beijing Rock”, with a monument for foreign contributors to the reconstruction of the Great Wall in the 1980s.
For those few visitors arriving by train at the nearby Qinglongqiao station, they will not fail to see the bronze statue of engineer, Zhan Tianyou詹天佑(1860-1919). He built the Beijing-Baotou railway line through the mountainous terrain when the Americans and Europeans refused to support the construction. Zhan was born in Guangdong, and at the age of eleven years was sent to a select school to prepare him for a future study in engineering at Yale University in 1878. He returned to China in 1881, became chief engineer in 1905, and completed the railway line in 1909, two years ahead of time. This was an engineering achievement in China, matched almost sixty years later by the construction of the Nanjing Bridge. Zhan Tianyou is honored with a museum at Badaling and his story has been made into a popular film released in 2000.
Juyong Guan居庸關 (Common Dwelling Pass), 10 km before Badaling, is the sector I like best because of its historical significance. Juyong Pass guards a 100 meter wide 20 km long and deep gully 60 km northwest of Beijing on the same railway line just before Badaling. It was first mentioned in a second century BC philosophical book called HuaiNanzi 淮南子as one of the great nine passes in the competing kingdoms of China. Juyong Pass was also said to have been used in the Qin Dynasty when the First Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi started the Great Wall.
The surrounding the valley area was considered one of the Eight Sceneries of Yanjing (ancient name for Beijing) during the Jin Dynasty (AD 1115-1234). In autumn the valley is colored red by the maple leaves. Juyong Pass has a architecturally unique marbled Cloud Terrace 雲塔 (Yuntai) complex built in 1345, with a semi-hexagonal arched gateway through it. The ceiling and walls of the terrace have interesting Buddhist inscriptions and carvings, one called “A Record of Charitable and Pious Pagoda Building” featuring six languages (Sanskrit, Tibetan, Mongolian, Western Xia, Uighur and Han).
Three stone pagodas atop the Cloud Terrace were built by the last Yuan Emperor, but were soon burnt down with the fall of the Yuan Dynasty in 1368. Hence, the Cloud Terrace supporting the three white pagodas and built across a street was also called "Crossing Street Tower" 過街塔 (Guojieta). A temple called TaiAn Si 太安寺 (Great Peace Temple) was built to replace the pagodas, but was accidentally burnt down in 1702. At the Juyong area is a Northern Song Dynasty temple honoring five heroes of great strength who helped to dig the gully.
A tomb of the Eastern Han period (25-221) unearthed in Inner Mongolia showed a wall painting of a noble on horseback at Juyong Pass, showing Juyongguan as a wooden bridge-like structure with the word “JuyongGuan”.The name of Juyong Pass is interesting because the character Yong 庸 indicated a common and inferior status, hence Juyong 居庸 means common dwelling, a name not complimentary to its status of protecting the Ming and Qing Imperial capital. It is believed that the name was given during the much earlier Qin Dynasty when this Great Wall site had plain dwellings for numerous conscripted laborers building the wall. At that time Yanjing (Old Beijing) was not considered as important as the Qin capital at Xianyang.
In A.D. 916 Beijing became the capital of the Khitan tribe, which called itself the Liao Kingdom. In 1122, the Jurchens or Nuchens attacked Beijing through the Juyong Pass. To the invaders’ good luck, there was a landslide at the pass which killed many defenders, allowing the Jurchens to overwhelm them and to take Beijing, which became the capital of the Jurchens under the Jin Dynasty. The Liao Empress had to escape to the north from Beijing via the Gubeikou Pass.
In 1213, the Mongol leader, Genghis Khan 成吉思汗, attempted an attack on Beijing, but was repulsed by the Jin defenders at Juyongguan, who poured molten iron on the gate of the fortress. However. Genghis Khan had a general called Tsabar, who was his emissary to the Jin capital and who knew about a little used path to bypass the Juyong Pass. Using this path at night, the Mongol horsemen in a single file broke through and surprised the Juyong Pass defenders from the rear.
With the retreat of the Mongols in 1368, Ming General Xuda quickly secured the Juyong Pass and started reconstruction of the wall to prevent further Mongol attacks. He built four defensive walls, two circular and two straight across the pass with an extra wall at Gubeikou. The Ming wall construction at Beijing lasted from 1368 till 1582.
In 1449, the 20 year old Ming Zhengtong Emperor正統 was gullible enough to allow his eunuch tutor, Wang Zhen王振 , to plan an attack on the Mongols, with the Emperor in lead. The corrupt eunuch’s plan was actually to divert the Emperor to visit his own nearby native village rather than to go to battle. Without any military experience, the glory seeking eunuch caused a military disaster ending with two Ming Emperors contending for the throne.
Half a million Ming troops with the Emperor passed through Juyong Pass to an ignominious defeat at the battle of Tumupu土木堡, where the Emperor was himself captured by the Mongol leader Esen也先 , but he was later released to cause conflict between the captured Emperor and his newly installed successor. The Zhengtong Emperor was re-instated by his supporters as the TianShun Emperor天順in a coup in 1457.
Again in 1549, another Mongol leader, Altan Khan阿拉坦汗 , attacked Beijing but knowing the difficulty of going through Juyong Pass, he opted instead to go further east and broke through the Gubeikou Pass and then took Juyong Pass from the rear. Advancing up to the gates of Beijing he laid waste the suburbs before retreating north to the Ordos.
Towards the end of the Ming Dynasty, the peasant rebel leader, Li Zicheng, attacked Juyong Pass in 1644. Dissatisfied with the Ming Court corruption, the military surrendered to the rebel forces and allowed Li Zicheng to capture Beijing, precipitating the suicide of the last Ming Emperor at Coal Hill, now called Beijing's Jingshan Park, just outside the Forbidden City.
There are many poems mentioning Juyong Pass. Yuan Dynasty poet, Chen Fu 陳孚 (1240-1303), typifies the officials sent on military or civil service to the Great Wall regions and he described in his poem Juyong Pass 居庸關his sadness at passing through Juyong on his journey into Mongolia. Other poets who had written about Juyong Pass are Tang Dynasty poet GaoShi高適 , Song Dynasty poet Wang Yuanliang 汪元量, Jin Dynasty (Jurchen) poet Yu Wen Xu Zhong宇文虛中, Yuan Dynasty poets Gong Kui 貢奎, Liu Gui柳貴, Jie Xisi 揭係斯, Zhou Boqi周伯琦, Sa Duci薩都刺, Nai Xian 迺賢, Ming Dynasty poets Zheng Luo 鄭珞, Xu Tianxi許天錫, Xie Zhen謝榛, Li Zongshi李宗樞, Su Shi蘇祏, Liu Kan劉侃, Wang Ou王謳 and Qing Dynasty poets Gu Yanwu顧炎武, Qu Dajun屈大均 and Li Zhonghua 李重華. (Please note that the Su Shi of Yuan Dynasty is a lesser poet and not the famous Su Shi also called Su Dongpo of the Song Dynasty.)
Mutianyu, 慕田峪located at Huairou county 79 km northeast of Beijing, joins the Juyong Pass in the west and Gubeikou in the east. Though only 20 km long it has 22 beacon towers and was opened to tourists on May Day in 1986, the second Great Wall site opened to tourists after Badaling. For those weary of walking they can have access to a cable car, with excellent views at the top. There was an earlier wall built 1400 years ago, but the present wall was built during the Ming Dynasty by General Xu Da under the order of Ming founder, Zhu Yuanzhang. It was further strengthened by General Qi Jiguang in 1568. In 1988, the Henkel company of Germany donated US$300,000 to restore Mutianyu.
There is a tower complex of three inter-connected towers capable of withstanding a strong attack. The other interesting feature unique to Mutianyu is that the inner and outer parapets of the wall are crenellated with merlons for shots to be fired on both sides of the wall. It was at Mutianyu that Cao Cao曹操during the Three Kingdom Period defeated his opponent Yuan Shao袁紹. The Mutianyu section was later redesigned and strengthened by Ming General, Qi Jiguang, Military Superintendent of Jizhou蓟州 .
Simatai司马台 , the 5.5. km long sector at Miyun county near the Gubeikou frontier garrison, is 140 km to the north-east of Beijing. It has 35 beacon towers, being quiet and peaceful but challenging, with crumbling parts and steep walls beyond its restored first portion. For those who want to see the Great Wall untouched by modern hands, this is the part to go for. It has interesting towers and platforms of various designs.
At the highest position one can see Beijing from a tower called Wangjinglou望京樓 (Tower for viewing the Capital). Notice that some of the bricks here have dates and numbers to indicate the maker in order to ensure quality. To reach Wangjinglou, about 1000 meters above sea level, one must overcome the 70 degree slope Stairway to Heaven (requiring a crawl on all fours), and the narrow hundred meter long Sky Bridge across a deep abyss between Wangjinglou and Fairy Tower. This is certainly a most dangerous climb. In the early spring and summer mornings, one may be lucky to see a sea of clouds below. Fairy Tower is beautiful with an interesting twin lotus flower carving above its arched door.
A cable car may save some half hour by foot, while a full hike may take two hours. A small Simatai reservoir divides the wall into two sectors, the Simatai to the east and Jinshanling to the west. Simatai has been included by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site.
Jinshanling 金山岭 (Gold Mountain), equally far as Simatai, is at Ruanping county some 150 km from Beijing and slightly to the west of Simatai. It was constructed during the Ming Dynasty from 1386 till 1389, and re-constructed in 1571 by Ming General Qi Jiguang. The Jinshan 金山name apparently came from Genral Qi’s Jiangsu troops, who named two towers in honor of the smaller and greater Jinshan Islands in Zhenjiang City in Jiangsu.
The section, just over 10 km, is desolated with 150 odd battle platforms in various shapes. Parts of the Jinshanling have "obstacle-walls", actually smaller upright stone slabs at right angles to the parapets to shield defenders when facing enemies who had already ascended the wall from below and were charging up the rampart. The side walls also have peepholes and shooting holes unique to Jinshanling. After Badaling, it is the second most complete section of the Great Wall, despite having no recent repairs. From the eastern end of Jinshanling, one ascends the hundred meter long Stairway to Heaven to reach Wangjinglou (Tower for viewing the Capital) at Simatai.
Huanghuacheng黃花城 (Yellow Flower Town), 100 km north of Beijing and 20 km from Mutianyu, is the latest section to become popular with hikers. It was built by Ming General Cai Kai, 蔡凱whose prolonged and meticulous work caused him to be beheaded under a false charge of inefficiency. Realizing his mistake and with a heavy conscience, the Emperor had General Cai Kai reburied with honors as well as commissioning a two large words Jin Tang金湯to be carved into a large rock at Huanghuacheng. The character 金 (metal) denotes the hardness of metal, and the character 湯 (boiling solution) denotes great heat, hence the two characters implied the invincibility of the Huanghuacheng wall. Thus, the Huanghuacheng sector is also known as the Jintang Great Wall.
The wall can be accessed by crossing a moon-shaped reservoir close to the Jintang Lake. The wall section is said to be an exquisite for the lonely and contemplative traveler, a site considered beautiful but dangerous as parts of the wall may crumble, plunging the hiker down to the terrain below. During summer, the area is colored with yellow by the flowers, and during autumn, the ground is carpeted with yellow leaves. Shibadeng is the steepest and most perilous part.
Gubeikou 古北口 (Old Northern Entrance), in Miyun county is 120 km northeast of Beijing on a road that running northwards as a 20 km wide pass through the Yanshan Mountain Range. Located at Wohu臥虎 (Lying Tiger) mountain, it was originally called Hubeikou 虎北口. In 1368 Ming Dynasty general, Xu Da, rebuilt this section of the Great Wall. Gubeikou has seen famous battles and on its slope is a temple dedicated to Yang Ye楊業 (??-986), a famous Song Dynasty general whose illustrious military family served the Song Emperors for four generations. Their stories of loyalty, bravery and romance were told in books, operas and by balladeers and minstrels.
Gubeikou was first constructed in the Qi Dynasty while the newer Beikou town, originally called Yingcheng, was built in 1378. The town is protected by Caohe River to the west and surrounded by three gates to the north, east and south, as well three underground,water gates. The Qing Emperors going to their summer residence in Chengde had to pass through Gubeikou. Although an interesting historical site on its own, Gubeikou is considered by some as inclusive of the Great Wall sections of Jinshanling to the west and Simatai to the east. Here, Jinshanling and Simatai are considered separately as different locations.
During the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) the walls were 10 kilometres north of the present Ming walls. The walls were built and rebuilt by succeeding dynasties from the Northern Qi Dynasty (479-502) to the Tang (618-907), the Song (960-1279) and the Jin or Jurchens (1115-1234). The victorious Mongols from the north under Gengzhis Khan did not have need to have the Great Wall as a barrier.
With the overthrow of the Mongols, the Ming Dynasty General Xu Da quickly captured Gubeikou and started reconstruction of the wall from Juyongguan to Shanhaiguan in 1370. When the Yongle Emperor moved his capital to Beijing in 1420, Gubeikou became even more crucial as the key to the defence of the city from the north-east. In 1549, the Mongol leader, Altan Khan, succeeded in breaking through Gubeikou and pillaged the suburbs of Beijing before returning north. In 1568 the Gubeikou wall was again rebuilt by General Qi Jiguang in coordination with General Tan Lun, and the new wall was able to face attacks from both front and rear. Part of the wall was damaged from shelling by Japanese Army during the War of Resistance from 1937 to 1945.
Jiankou 箭口(Arrow Entrance) in Huairou County is 73 kilometres north of Beijing, connecting Mutianyu to the east and HuanghuaCheng to the west. This section was built during the Ming Dynasty in 1368. It is noticeable for its white rocks and the fact that the main section are built on cliffs, with iron shoulder poles inserted between the cliffs. It has five gate towers and is considered very perilous, especially in winter when the wall is very scenic under white snow. Like HuanghuaCheng, this site is gaining popularity among the adventurous and the backpackers.
Two Great Wall sites outside Beijing
For visitors to Beijing who are Great Wall enthusiasts, they can continue eastward outside Beijing onto Shanghaiguan and Huangyaguan.
Shanhaiguan Pass (Mountain and Sea Pass), at Qinhuangdao City of Hebei, about 300 km from Beijing, lies between the Yan Mountains in the north and the Bohai Sea in the south. It is 10km in width and commands an extremely strategic location that blocks the northern Manchuria tribes from advancing into eastern Hebei. The pass was restored in 1952. There is a temple for Lady Meng Jiangnu at Shanhaiguan.
The first settlement appeared in 6th Century BC and the earliest gate called Yuguan, now non-existent, was erected in 618. The pass saw numerous battles between the Chinese ruling dynasties and the northern tribes. Following the defeat of the Mongols by the Ming forces, General Xu Da in 1381 built the present pass into a formidable fortress complex with four gates.
The four gates had each an urn-like enclosure, the east gate further enhanced with web fortification. The north gate was destroyed and only the east, west and south gates remain, the east gate being the most beautiful. Each gate had a tower but only the east gate tower remains. This tower, about 14 meter high has two storeys, the top storey of wood has decorations of the Ming era. The main fort is surrounded by a moat of 10 meters deep and 20 meters wide and supported by smaller secondary forts.
In 1472, a Ming scholar and calligrapher called Xiao Xian蕭顯 wrote the famous five characters in Chinese天下第一城 meaning First Fortress under Heaven. His calligraphy is on a placard hanging on the top of the eastern gate. In 1644, Ming General Wu Sangui, opened up the fortress gate for the Manchu troops under Doergun to foray south into Beijing and China to destroy the rebel army of Li Zicheng. Once in China, the superior Manchu army took Beijing and set up the Qing Dynasty which ruled from 1644 till 1911. Each Manchu Emperor on his journey to and from Chengde would pass through Shanhaiguan, but the pass had already lost its military significance.
Some 5 km from Shanhaiguan is Laulongtou (Old Dragon Head), the end point of this section at the Bohai seacoast. It was built of stones by General Qi Jiguang but has fallen into ruins. A stone tablet at a secondary sea-pacifying fort read “Heavens with a view of Mountain and Sea”, apparently with the personal calligraphy of Qi Jiguang.
Huangyaguan黃崖關 (Yellow Precipice) 28 km north of Jixian Country, 120 km north of Tianjin was built in 557 and rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty. This section of the Great Wall, hugging the Wangmaoding Mountain, has features different with those in Beijing, for it is a mix of high terrains and rivers with fortresses, water obstacles and traps. It hosts an international marathon on the Great Wall annually. The sites of interest include the Forest of Stone Tablets, the Phoenix Tower and the North Pole Pavilion.
An Introduction to China
Staggeringly vast and a land of great diversity, China, the world's most populous and third largest nation is more like a continent in itself than a country.
Stretching from its southern borders in the Himalayas to the deserts of Mongolia in the north, and from the East China Sea through the Yangzi River Valley plains, to the Tibetan Plateau in the western mainland, China covers an area of 9,596,960 square kilometres.
China also encompasses over 5000 islands, not to mention the disputed territories such as the Spratlys and the Paracels.The nation comprises five autonomous regions and twenty-two provinces, as well as Hong Kong, which is now titled a 'Special Administrative Region'.The seat of government, Beijing, is a large city of 11 million people, and like all of China's urban metropolises, life here contrasts immensely with that of the peasant farmers in rural areas.Due to its size, China's climate is obviously very diverse, ranging from an unbearable 48ºC in the northwest during Summer to an equally unbearable -40ºC in the far north in winter.
The official language in China is Mandarin, as spoken in Beijing, but there are also many different dialects to listen for.Chinese food (and much of the ingredients used to create it is like no other cuisine - and again, this differs greatly between regions.Art in China is also stunningly unique, perhaps best typified by calligraphy, performed with ink and brush, and held in extremely high esteem by the Chinese.
AuthorDavid Collins
Factfile
Area: 9,596,960 square kilometresPopulation: 1.2 billionCapital City: BeijingPeople: Han Chinese 93%, other immigrants (including Mongol, Zhuang, Manchu and Uighur) 7%Main Language: Mandarin (Beijing dialect)Religion: Officially atheist; Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism. Also Islamic and Christian communitiesMajor Industries: Iron, steel, coal, machinery, textilesCurrency: Renminbi (RMB)
Stretching from its southern borders in the Himalayas to the deserts of Mongolia in the north, and from the East China Sea through the Yangzi River Valley plains, to the Tibetan Plateau in the western mainland, China covers an area of 9,596,960 square kilometres.
China also encompasses over 5000 islands, not to mention the disputed territories such as the Spratlys and the Paracels.The nation comprises five autonomous regions and twenty-two provinces, as well as Hong Kong, which is now titled a 'Special Administrative Region'.The seat of government, Beijing, is a large city of 11 million people, and like all of China's urban metropolises, life here contrasts immensely with that of the peasant farmers in rural areas.Due to its size, China's climate is obviously very diverse, ranging from an unbearable 48ºC in the northwest during Summer to an equally unbearable -40ºC in the far north in winter.
The official language in China is Mandarin, as spoken in Beijing, but there are also many different dialects to listen for.Chinese food (and much of the ingredients used to create it is like no other cuisine - and again, this differs greatly between regions.Art in China is also stunningly unique, perhaps best typified by calligraphy, performed with ink and brush, and held in extremely high esteem by the Chinese.
AuthorDavid Collins
Factfile
Area: 9,596,960 square kilometresPopulation: 1.2 billionCapital City: BeijingPeople: Han Chinese 93%, other immigrants (including Mongol, Zhuang, Manchu and Uighur) 7%Main Language: Mandarin (Beijing dialect)Religion: Officially atheist; Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism. Also Islamic and Christian communitiesMajor Industries: Iron, steel, coal, machinery, textilesCurrency: Renminbi (RMB)
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