The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-28
IN THE FORBIDDEN CITY.
THE GORGEOUS CeLoalNG OF PAL
ACES AND TEMPLES.


FutiIty of the Cameras Repro
duetions-Where Emperors OF Old
Received Bearers Of Tribute-ori-
entail Magnihcence Of the Chief
Throne-ROom of TO-day-Mortnl
MonotOny OF UnvarylnG Architec-
ture-The Jealous Eye of Guardian
Eunucbs.
Sydney Adamson in the Evening Post.
Pekin, March 20.-I remember a para
graph by zangwlll in which he accuses
he goes on to explain how a photograph
represented his workday den with its dis
order and dust as a fine-looking place
to which he was stranger But the
camera is not merely untruthful in a
hattering sense; it can suppress the facts
even the most important of them. The
fuH gorgeousness of Chinese palaces and
temples lies in their blaze of contrasting
yet harmonious colors. The very look
OF place is changed when the cold.
unconvincing gray of a photograph pre-
sents but the dry bones of form II is
reproduction that the American people
know anything of those places famous in
Chinese history which have recently had
SO many lenses snapped at them. To our
eyes, used to the scintillating piles of
red, blue, green, and gold against a ceru-
lean sky, and lit by the sun, the photo
graphs look like their dull gray ghosts
turned to stone.
A few days ago paid second visit
10 tine Forbidden City and examined
some of it's features with closer attention
tnan was possible during the triumphal
march on the 2Sth of August. In all. there
are five throne rooms, not counting the
entirely dilapidated one on .up of lne
Wu-Men. 1t, however. in its dusty
grandeur, is one of the greatest of them
all Sitting in front of this great plllared
hall, surrounded by the prince and his
immediate body guard, and looking down
rrom the magnificent altitude of the
gate. the Emperor of old received the
tribute-bearers from far Thibet, Mongolia,
OF the States that border India on the
east.
Far From the Son of Heaven.
The court was lined with soldiers, and
the ambassadors from tributary States
were not permitted nearer to the Sons
from the base of the great edifice on
which his Imperial Majesty sat. Here
they laid their gifts upon the stones and
bowed to the earth before the awful
presence. For years the great hall seems
to have been neglected. The throne is
crumbling into dust Pigeons live in the
painted recesses of it's gorgeous roof
Great holes are cut in the rotten wood
work, and masses of tiles are overthrown
by the shells that burst there on the
18th of August.
Within the Wu-Men (Which is built
in the center of the southern wall of the
Forbidden City is large rectangular
stone courtyard with curving artificial
watercourse, which serves as an excuse
for many elaborate marble bridges. The
pavements of these bridges are great
marble slabs with dragons carved in low
relief Guarding the Northern gateway
of this court are two green lions on
pedestals. The gate itself is within a
pillared hallway where stands of spears
indicate the former presence of a guard.
Across the next courtyard, raised upon
a very high foundation and approached
by marble stairways, is the largest and
most elaborate throne-room in the Sacred
City. The marble stairways are very
rich, and in no other architecture have
seen anything even remotely resembling
them. Each stairway is enclosed by a
marble rail on both sides. The marble
steps reach from the outer rail not more
than a yard inward on each side of the
stairway. The center Is a huge, fiat,
monolith slab beautifully carved with
dragon designs. The exquisite work both
in design and execution impresses even
the careless visitor. Thus each stairway
instead of the steps reaching from one
side rail to the other, as they do in most
European approaches, is really cut in
two by the large panel-shaped slab which
occupies the greater space in the center.
leaving only two narrow step-ways next
to the outer rails. These stairways, which
lead up to stone platform in front of
tia building run parallel with each
other. The intervening spaces are levelled
at intervals, and on these places magni
ficent bronze urns are placed.
Eye-LiIke Spots of Gold Amid Gloom.
On the platform itself are other urns,
and on each side are a bronze stork
and tortoise facing the south, the tor
tolse behind the stork. Entering the great
painted hall, one sees the throne stand
ing squarely in the center, facing the
south, directly opposite the great door
way. The dais, or more properly speak
ing in this case, the platform on which
the throne sits, is about four feet high,
surrounded by carved rail and led up
to by little flights of steps from the
front and the two sides. On graceful
stands between the stairways are beauti-
full cloisonne vases. On the platform it
self are other cloisonne ornaments, some
of them column-shaped with a spiral
dragon winding up the stem.
The throne is richly emblazoned with
gilded carving, which is mass of In
tertwined dragons. As usual In all the
large temples and palaces, the great roof
with it's enormous beams is upheld by
huge round pillars They ali present a
plain, smooth surface covered with red
lacquer, save two, those Immediately on
the right and left of the throne which
have carved spiral dragons and are rich
ly gilded. The dragons heads are almost
where the pillars join the first heavy
beams and in them the eyes are paint
ed The great beams that bind the pill
lars and uphold the roof are literally
covered with intricate designs Of glitter
ing Oriental pattern in pale green, dark
green, blue that is almost purple, duh
red. and gold Wrigging golden dragons
chase each other over the beams. where
eye-like spots OF gold amid the gloom
make a armament OF glittering stars.
Mysterious doorways, richly ornamented,
lead TO hidden chambers In the walls
toward the rising and the setting sun.
The effect Of this interior fs rich, bizarre,
rococo And yet It is but the frame, the
fhIbrate setting for those barbarous
ceremonials so fun OF pomp and gor-
geous servility.