Beijing
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When Ho Puai-Peng first visited Beijing’s Forbidden City in the late 1980s, he saw many of the historic courtyards used as storerooms, filled with trash and occupied by dangwei (government institutions).
He summed it up in one word: “Terrible.”
That was at a time when much of the vast former imperial palace in the heart of China’s capital was still closed to the public. In addition to government offices, many areas were severely damaged by devastation and fires, and most buildings were made of wood, making them prone to fires.
The Forbidden City was built in the 15th century during the Ming Dynasty as a workplace and residence for the imperial family. Later, it was taken over by the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and many parts were restored and rebuilt.
The Palace Museum opened here in 1925, after the last abdicated emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi, was forced out of the Forbidden City, but proper restoration work began much later.
Since Ho’s first visit decades ago, all Danwei have moved away from the Palace Museum, one of China’s most popular tourist attractions. “So now we own the entire site, and we plan to restore it little by little and open it to the public,” said Ho, chairman of UNESCO’s Asian Architectural Heritage Conservation Commission. “And I think it’s a great initiative.”
As the National Palace Museum celebrates its 100th anniversary in October, its small northeastern grounds attracted much attention when it opened to the public on September 30, with the museum describing it as “the most elaborate and beautifully decorated garden” in the entire complex.
Qianlong Garden had been closed for nearly a century. Construction was completed within five years in the 1770s, but restoration took 25 years with the help of the museum and the World Monuments Fund. “I’m glad they spent so much time on this,” Ho said.
This is a step in the museum’s long-term preservation efforts. Last Monday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited the museum for a commemorative exhibition, calling the museum “an important symbol of Chinese civilization” and calling it “more important to protect, restore and effectively utilize cultural relics.”
On the rainy final day of China’s recent Golden Week holiday, long lines of domestic tourists formed inside Qianlong Garden, making the attraction trend on the country’s social media platforms.
Named after Emperor Qianlong, this garden is located next to another popular attraction within the museum. Its modest entrance speaks to the Qing ruler’s design and desire to make it a personal retreat.
The 6,000 square meter garden is smaller than a soccer field. This is very different from other parts of the Forbidden City, which are characterized by vast spaces intended to express imperial power and territorial grandeur.
To make the layout more compact, Qianlong borrowed from the design of private gardens in southern China, dividing the site into four connected courtyards, two of which are now open to the public from south to north. He rearranged the courtyard. Some buildings are densely packed, while others are open and spacious.
“This architecture has carved out a very narrow space to accommodate a lot of scenery,” Ho explained. “Looking at the scenery from below and from above, from the top of the inner pavilion and rockery, gives you a different perspective.”
Major renovations to the Palace Museum finally began in 2002, after China’s cabinet, the State Council, held a meeting on site and announced its plans.
When the restoration project began, less than a third of the museum was open to the public. According to state media, the area increased by 80% by 2018 after numerous buildings and ramparts were repaired and 135 temporary structures on the site were demolished.
Restoration of Qianlong Garden took more than 20 years, was an expensive and painstaking undertaking, and was estimated to cost between $15 million and $18 million, under a 2000 cooperation agreement signed by the World Monuments Fund and the museum.
Back in 2006, restoration work on the largest building in the palace, the Taihe Hall (Hall of Supreme Harmony), took less than two years.
Following Qianlong Garden, Yangxindian (Temple of Spiritual Training), which was the Qing emperor’s residence and government office, is scheduled to reopen this year after restoration work began in 2018, according to museum officials.
For Mr. Ho, it is important for China to apply what it has learned from its experience in restoring buildings at the Palace Museum to the “professional and scientific” preservation of Qing-era architecture across the country, including smaller imperial palaces in northeastern China and ancient streets in many other regions.
“In general, I think this country has woken up to the very important task of protecting its historical heritage,” he added.
