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The Forbidden City |
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The Forbidden City |
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The Inner Court
The three halls of the Inner Court are slightly smaller scale versions of the three halls in the Outer Court. Like the three great halls for official
ceremonies, they stand along the same north-south axis on
a second huge stone terrace. The Gate of Celestial Purity
The Gate of Celestial Purity (QianQingMen), is the main gate of the Inner Court. In front of the gate, there is a courtyard which is 200 meters long from east to west and is 30 meters from north to south. This courtyard both separates the Outer Court and the Inner Court and integrates them.
During the Qing dynasty, this was the place where emperors, while sitting on the throne set in the middle of the gate, would hear reports and make decisions. The huts to the left and right are duty rooms and waiting rooms for ministers to be interviewed.
Along the walls flanking the gate the are ten gilded bronze vats. These huge vats are both decorations and reservoirs in case of fire. Each one weighs 4 tons by itself and can hold 4 tons of water.
There are in total 308 vats in the whole Forbidden City, including 22 of this kind.
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 Forbidden City : IntroductionForbidden City : HistoryForbidden
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