Socio- Cultural Barriers In The Adoption Of Safe: Fill & Download for Free

UPDATE: This post still gets quite a bit of readership, so I figured I'd post a few new links that give more context to this post:Netanyahu apologizes to Israeli Arabs for comment widely criticized as racist: "“The right-wing government is in danger, Arab voters are coming out in droves to the polls. Left-wing organizations are busing them out.”Anti-Arab racism becomes tool in Israeli elections - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East"Miri Regev, who at the beginning of the current election campaign said of the Arab candidate of the Zionist Camp, Zuhair Bahloul: “What I want are Arabs who are not Trojan horses.” In the same breath, she also accused him of supporting terrorism." (Miri Regev is now the Minister of Culture and Sport)‘Racist’ Israeli mayor bans Arab workers from kindergartens"Ashkelon Mayor Itamar Shimoni defended his decision Thursday, saying, "I have nothing against Arab Israelis, they work with us throughout the year and do construction for us." However, he said, when tensions are high, just as Jews should be prevented from entering the Temple Mount, "by the same measure, I think it is wrong to allow Arab workers into the kindergartens," Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported."Lieberman's 'peace plan': Pay Israeli Arabs to move to Palestinian state - Diplomacy and DefenseFire heavily damages Church of Loaves and Fishes on Sea of Galilee"The Rabbis for Human Rights group said there have been 43 hate crime attacks against churches, mosques and monasteries in Israel, the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 2009."Israel's racist club won't has no plans to changeBefore Jerusalem Day march, opponents aim to thwart racism"“They were chanting ‘Muhammad is dead’ and ‘Death to the Arabs.’ It’s painful to witness, because these aren’t just chants, it’s incitement that becomes ecstatic. Guys were jumping up and down, adults as well as youngsters. Every year this day brings out the bad in people.”"Foreign Minister (at the time) Lieberman: Disloyal Israeli Arabs should have their heads chopped off - Israel election 2015"Those who are against us, there's nothing to be done – we need to pick up an ax and cut off his head," Lieberman said. "Otherwise we won't survive here."Israeli lawmaker: Israel is doing Arabs a favor by giving them citizenship"During a discussion on the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, Mazuz told Arab MK Aida Touma Sliman​ that the State of Israel was "doing you a favor by letting you sit here. You should give back your [Israeli] ID cards."Original Post:I am an Israeli Arab.Conflicted and stressful are two of the easier words to pick. Where do I start?Growing up in an environment that by definition embraces inequality by design is uncomfortable. It is not the naming that bothers, but the implementation and expectations people set. 'This is a Jewish Country!' people would argue when faced with questions about equality.It's 2012 and not a single mainstream party in Israel would call out for defining the state as the state of all its citizens. Attempts to do so by groups or parties would shun them into the 'radical' bucket.Having people disagree with you that equality is a basic right is highly demoralizing.Settings the stage: Arabs make for ~18%-20% of Israel's citizenry.Looking at more practical policies that affects Arab society in Israel:Lack of UrbanizationSince the formation of Israel, more than 1900 Jewish majority community settlements (small towns) were formed, and numerous modern cities.No modern [mixed] city has been built with the Arab community in mind. The main basic barriers for adopting cities who are mainly designated for Jews:Arab schools, as the school systems is Separate by default (Most Jews and Arabs learn in separate schools)Difficulty in building Arab cultural hubs: Cafes, Community Centers, Youth bodies (Without critical mass there's little financial sense to open any of those)Arab society is predominantly living in 100+ year old villages. While the infrastructure was upgraded years ago (electricity, internet, ...), they are still 100+ year old villages. They are not subjected to a structured plan to urbanize. This leads to horrid in-society effects:Significantly more religious with no alternative in sightClan mentality remains a dominant factor, as the surrounding habitat does not allow for a city-life experiences: More privacy, families are spread out in more distant areas, multi-story buildings that boost the Family vs. Community ratioDue to #2, municipality level politics are rigged - one Clan votes to Clan #1, the rest to Clan #2, who in turn slices the cake to the whomever voted them in#3 makes it nearly impossible to actually fix problems in a villageLack of adequate infrastructure prevents modernisation. This is especially evident when contrasted with Arabs, especially students, living in Israeli cities like Haifa. Life styles are no different than their peers in London, Tel Aviv, Munich, ...Education is a big one. Recent articles in mainstream Israeli media show 20%-37% less investment in the education budget reaching Arab students.This obviously leads to a chain reaction. 28% of Arab highschool students graduate (Eligible for Bagrut), compared to 51% in the Jewish sector11% of University undergrads are Arab, 9% of graduates, 7% of Masters students, 3% of Ph.D Students, and 2% of University academic staff.This leads to vast socio-economic gaps between the two communities - leading to higher crime rates, lowered aspirations and hopes.In the booming hightech industry in Israel, less than 4% of the work force is Arab.On the other hand, there's alienation:Arabs in Israel are not part of the public discourse on how the country is and will be shapedPolls in recent years have stopped polling Arabs, specifically mentioning that polls reflect Jewish opinionPolitical parties in the government are elected based on slogans such as 'No Loyalty No Citizenship' - suggesting to the Jewish Majority that the Arab citizens are somehow collectively not loyalDifferent periods of time brought media onslaught on all popular Israeli TV, repeating mantras like 'Arabs are ticking bombs' or 'Israeli Arab leadership is inciting hatred and radicalism'. All carried out by mainstream, in-government politicians. No other than the current prime minister has called Israeli Arabs 'The Real Demographic Threat'Racism in its purest forms. Remarks on superiority are common. Phrases like 'We're not like that, we're not Arabs' is thrown in any negative contextEvery time there's confrontation with an Arab country or militia - we're pitted with the 'Others', and racism levels spike for a whileThe occupation of Palestinians. We're by definition Palestinians, and folks from the West Bank and Gaza are literally family to many. Seeing them living under military occupation, while we live in relative freedom - mixes feelings even more.Leading city municipality/community leadership in Israel openly call for racist behaviour such as not renting or selling flats to Arabs (Carmiel as an example)On the flip side. Life is relatively comfortable for the Arab middle class+.Those who meet the socio-economic bar cannot but enjoy access to good public health care, purchasing power that satisfies most ordinary people and decent paying jobs, even for the working class.Life is super safe compared to the region. Basic freedoms are mostly upheld by the law and physical attacks due to racism seldomly occur.For the more fortunate amongst us, higher education and hard work are fantastic tools to get ahead into a better life.Do excuse me for posting this anonymously, as life opportunities in Israel become vastly more limited for me if my name is googled up and this post is surfaced :-)References:http://www.themarker.com/career/1.1842510http://www.haaretz.co.il/news/education/1.1846561http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3978960,00.htmlhttp://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/netanyahu-israel-s-arabs-are-the-real-demographic-threat-1.109045

Thanks for the A2A Natalie Engelbrecht, in the 276 long years for which the Ming Dynasty of China existed (1368–1644 AD), many notable and unprecedented civilizational feats worthy of praise in general were accomplished, all under the reign of the same ruling Imperial Zhu Family.There was the “Seven Voyages of Zheng He” (1405–33 AD) for one, a 28 year long international expedition funded purely by the State, in order to spread the glory of China with no end in sight. Apart from this particular accomplishment however also was “Yongle’s Encyclopedia”, the largest and most comprehensive of its kind for an entire 609 years until finally being overtaken by Wikipedia back in 2007.Moreover was the construction of the “Porcelain Tower of Nanjing”, which was said to have impressed the visiting Europeans to such an extent, that it was at the time even popularly nominated as 1 of the 7 Wonders of the Medieval World. In addition to this furthermore of course also was the 8,850 km long renovation of the “Great Wall of China” likewise; a pinnacle of Ming glamour and sophistication.Then finally, last, but certainly not least of course existed the legendary “Forbidden City” (紫禁城) of Ming China also, a palatial complex built exclusively for the emperors of the eponymous empire over a period of 14 years from 1406–20 AD, today considered by the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) still to “be the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures anywhere in the world.”An aerial view of the internationally renowned Forbidden City of China (seen here atop Jingshan Hill); seat of Imperial power for the Emperors of Merciless Ming and Totalitarian Qing (1644–1912):Simultaneously considered both to be a “World Heritage Site” (1987) and the almighty zenith of Chinese Traditional Architecture, the Forbidden City stands strong still to this day, stranded in the Capital of Beijing, where it attracts an unprecedented 16 million tourists per year as of 2016.The largest standing palatial complex by area anywhere in the world, truly, it was one of the Ming Empire’s greatest achievements, and by extension one of Chinese civilization’s most indispensable yet elegant contributions to the Human Race as a whole, with regards to the field of Architecture - a fact which shall be explored shortly throughout the course of this answer.It is with regards to the history and context of the Forbidden City however, which are its most notable features contrary to popular belief. Indeed, as one will quickly discover soon upon reading the rest of this answer, the City is in fact more than just a structure of superficiality, but indeed is rather also the physical manifestation of the health of Chinese civilization. When China was prosperous, so too was the City. But in times where the nation fell into hardship, the City likewise followed also.And this is by far one of the most important parts with regards to the palatial complex. It was and still is fundamentally a smaller version of the external world around it; a microcosm to be precise, and it therefore reflects physically any changes to China which come about in the world around it. As China passed from stage to stage in its long history, so too both did the function, opinions and status of the City alter in accordance with such a change in the exact same way.Warning: Substantially lengthy answer dead ahead. A “TL;DR” is attached for your convenience, located in the “Final Summary” section, please enjoy.Here are the contents of the answer for ease of navigation:Chapter I: The History and Context of the Forbidden City in Beijing (Imperial Era)Chapter II: The History and Context of the Forbidden City in Beijing (Modern Era)Chapter III: The Special Features of China’s Grand Palatial ComplexChapter IV: The Architectural Intricacies of the Forbidden CityFinal Summary (and TL;DR)Sources ISources IIChapter I: The History and Context of the Forbidden City in Beijing (Imperial Era)Come the year 1368 AD, after 89 years of Mongol rule, native Han Chinese administration is restored to the lands of “all under Heaven”. The victorious rebel leader and revolutionary, Zhu Yuanzhang; the man solely responsible for China’s Revolution against the Mongol Empire ascends the Imperial throne under the title: Hongwu of Ming; the Emperor of “Overwhelming Force”.Great fear, great anger, and great hatred were the attitudes which had come to define the peoples of the Celestial Empire by this point in time. From North to South, and East to West, notions of Han Chinese racism were in full swing, as the peoples of China viciously condemned their former Mongol masters for having inflicted a thousand lifetimes worth of misery and suffering onto the Middle Kingdom, in a mere miniscule fraction of the time.Popular rumour, which had insisted at the time that the vanquished Mongols would soon attempt a “re-invasion” of the Chinese Empire in retribution, immediately saw to it that Ming’s foreign policy in all 276 years of its existence, was defined exclusively in reaction to the movements and whereabouts- whether real or perceived - of the Armies of the Steppe.An artist’s impression of Hongwu, First Emperor of the “Empire of the Light” all those years ago when he first entered the Chinese city of Nanjing, having just liberated it days prior from Mongol occupation:Unwilling to alter the First Emperor’s precedent of a Mongol-centric Chinese foreign policy, the third and greatest Ming Emperor, Yongle (reigned 1402–24 AD), son of Hongwu, the Ruler of “Everlasting Happiness” and usurper to the throne (having come to power illegally by overthrowing the second Ming Emperor), continued his father’s brutally racist policy against the Mongol peoples.Though China had finally been able to force their nemesis back to the Mongolian plains after years upon years of war, death and suffering, the Ming Emperor, still unsatisfied with all of what Ming had accomplished decided to enact radical changes to the Empire as such accordingly.Even more so than his father before him, Yongle was an infinitely xenophobic Han supremacist who considered Mongol culture to have been rotten, and to this extent even forbade the use of popular Mongol names, habits, language, and clothing as a consequence. Many reforms be it socially, legally, or even economically all throughout such a turbulent time naturally, were carried out accordingly in favour of such a view.Chief amongst these many aforementioned reforms, was the shifting of the Capital from Nanjing (the “Southern Capital”) to its former Mongol counterpart of Khanbaliq, better known today as Beijing (the “Northern Capital”).A map of the Ming Dynasty at its heights under Emperor Yongle, with a land area of 6.5 million km^2 from 1407–28 AD (note where Beijing is relative to Mongolia: right next door):The reason behind such a radical act at the time was simple: Beijing was the largest, most important, yet closest northern city to the borders of Mongolia and thus the most appropriate place to change the homebase of the Emperors of Ming to. Shifting the Capital there was thus purely a strategic decision, allowing the center of Chinese military and political power to be based out of a city which was as close to the enemy as one could comfortably get.This was opposed to the former Ming Capital of Nanjing which was located in the horizontal center of China (refer to map attached above) along the Eastern coastal regions of the great Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River by stark contrast, in an area which was considered too far away from “all the action” so as to bluntly put it. Should the Mongols decide to invade China once more, and in doing so bypass the Great Wall, the Northern Garrisons, which totalled 500,000 men in all needed to move quickly to meet their nemesis, lest they wreak havoc on all of Northern China until then.Beijing was now capital of the greatest country on Earth, all was done and well, all had been accomplished, except, that something was still missing it seemed. Beijing was certainly a great city make no mistake, but it appeared to have lacked a residence worthy enough for the Chinese Emperor in which he could inhabit. And this was an intolerable issue which would have to change sooner or later in the eyes of the Yongle Emperor of course. As the most powerful man in the world, he would settle for nothing short of supernatural perfection.An Imperial portrait of Emperor Yongle, the great yet xenophobic ruler of Ming:To this extent, Yongle decided in favour of the construction of an all new palatial complex which he specifically requested to be more grand, more complex and more sophisticated than any which had preceded it. In order to do just that, he thus ordered the relevant experts to construct his residence on Earth such as to be built exactly to replicate Heaven’s “Purple Palace”, a place in which celestial beings were thought to have inhabited.In due succession, plans were drawn out, labourers rallied, and the best of the human capital within the borders of Merciless Ming gathered in Beijing, all for one purpose and one purpose only. And thus it was that in the pivotal year of 1406 AD, a total of 1 million labourers, accompanied with 100,000 skilled artisans begun the 14 year long construction of Yongle’s Imperial Palace.An urban planning schematic for Beijing, attached with the Forbidden City in the midst of the settlement (orange highlighted and centralized):By the end of the grand project in 1420 AD, the Forbidden City of China; the throne of the Celestial Empire was finished at last.The complex by this point in time consisted of 980 buildings covering an area of 72 hectares or 180 acres (720,000 m^2) of land, able to contain the equivalent of 50 Buckingham Palaces. Also consisting of 90 smaller palaces and courtyards, the Forbidden City was known to have a total floor space of approximately 150,000 m^2 and a total of 8,704 individual rooms.Though a common myth insists that the City has a total of 9,999 rooms, this is not realistically supported by any physical surveys conducted on a regular basis. The origins of the myth, came from the common Ming Chinese belief that Heaven had in its possession a total of 10,000 rooms, and therefore the Emperor should have exactly 9,999, since he was the “Son of Heaven”, and therefore inferior to his “father”, but only slightly so, and still much very superior to a common man or woman.The entire city meanwhile was surrounded by a colossal stone wall 10 metres in height, and was 3.43 km with regards to its perimeter. Mighty watchtowers meanwhile were placed at each corner of the City, in order to prevent external incursions into the Emperor’s private residence.Exterior of the Forbidden City in Winter:A moat in addition 6 metres deep by 52 metres wide, acting as the first line of defence against any would be trespasser or invader, was likewise also placed around the Walls of the Forbidden City itself. Speaking of which, was effectively prohibited to anyone of an ordinary makeup on pain of death.Only those who were important to the Emperor could even enter the Forbidden City in the first place. And even for those who resided within the de facto fortress itself namely the members of the Imperial family and the Court Eunuchs, were not able to venture fully into certain areas of the residence. Rather, only the Emperor was granted complete, and unlimited autonomy to do as he so pleased and visit each and every restricted area, should it have been in his best interest.Interior of the Forbidden City in Winter:And thus it was that the Forbidden City, seat of Imperial power for 24 Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties was established, where it remained the center of Chinese power and authority for the next 492 years until the end of the Imperial Era in 1912.The most noteworthy aspect of the City, was what some have interpreted to have indirect yet de facto allusion to its status as what was essentially a “microcosm” (a smaller world similar to and representative of the real world) for Merciless Ming. The civilizational arrogance of China by the point in time after thousands of years of consistent upward acceleration, had at last reached its almighty zenith.Both the Emperor of China, and his subjects no longer believed that the peoples and their kingdoms beyond the borders of “all under Heaven” had anything to offer them, and in doing so permanently closed off their access to their Empire for the most part henceforth.China, was the greatest country on Earth they reasoned, it would absolutely make no sense for any individual originating from a country infinitely considered of a “lesser” caliber to thus be allowed into the “Holy Land” (the only major exception to this rule was the famous Matteo Ricci, a Christian Monk from the Order of the Society of Jesus; the Jesuits, who after great pains was finally allowed into the City itself, and yet even then not so significantly far).And the Forbidden City, being a microcosm and all, of course already reflected such an national phenomenon. Case in point here, is the Forbidden City today as seen from a bird’s eye point of view (note the highly divisive surrounding moat in particular):The moat surrounding the city, acted not only as a defensive measure for the Ming Emperors, but also symbolically as the de facto indicator in addition, for the isolationism of Ming China by extension.In the same way as how China was isolated from the rest of the world, the Emperor likewise also isolated himself from all his subjects, the moat thus acted both as a physical and symbolic wall between the Emperor and his subjects. How could the Emperor have hoped to have ruled well then thus, if he knew not the status nor wellbeing of his subjects?And like how China refused to believe that the world had anything to offer it, the Emperor also refused to believe China had anything to offer him. The Jesuit Matteo Ricci in fact, had especially noted this and described such a phenomenon during his visit to the City in the 16th Century as follows:“The emperors... abandoned the custom of going out in public...When they did leave the imperial enclosure, they would never dare to do so without a thousand preliminary precautions. On such occasions the whole court was placed under military guard.Secret servicemen were placed along the route over which the Emperor was to travel and on all roads leading into it. He was not only hidden from view, but the public never knew in which of the palanquins of the cortege he was actually riding. One would think he was making a journey through enemy country rather than among multitudes of his own subjects.”-Matteo Ricci, Monk from the Society of JesusAn artist’s impression of the Jesuit Matteo Ricci conversing with Ming Officials:Boarded up from all ordinal directions, and off limits to any ordinary individual without special permission, the Forbidden City became more than just what it was intended for.Chinese isolationism was thus not just represented on a national level, but also on an Imperial and therefore personal level. The Forbidden City, a symbol for the rest of the country was isolated, and therefore Ming China as a whole was isolated. Neither trends of which would really alter for the next couple hundred years.The fact that the City was the way it was made all the difference in the world. The complex eventually became regarded more than what it was originally intended to be (as the Emperor’s home). No, instead over time the complex took on the status of a de facto holy place, likened to that of the home of gods on Earth.The facts both also that it was off limits and based on Heaven’s “Purple City” were phenomenons which served only to further increase its perceived sanctity amongst the common people. And indeed, this became the public’s perception of the Forbidden Complex for the next couple hundreds of years. Safe both in its status as the seat of Imperial power, and (as perceived by the common people) the home of the gods on Earth, the City represented the last days of Chinese glory in a world which was rapidly changing in favour against it.A Ming Era artist’s impression of the Forbidden City:For the rest of the Ming Era however, the Forbidden City was the source and victim of many malicious rumours and natural disasters respectively. Merely 9 months after its construction for example, three main halls of the Forbidden City including the Throne Room were burnt down, and wouldn’t be reconstructed for another 23 years until the times of 1444 AD.In the case of the latter, the rumours which arose were primarily sexual in nature (not unjustified though of course). The Forbidden City was essentially one large scale adult’s playground for the Emperors of Ming, who cut off from contact with the outside world having been disincentivized by the physical barriers of the Forbidden City (a fact further exacerbated by the efficiency of the Ming Administration which was run by the “Mandarin” Officials), the rulers of China turnt to debauchery en masse.Ming pornography during this time for example, was famously called “Spring Palace Art”, a direct reference to the implied debauchery which occured behind the scenes of the Forbidden City. Female concubines to this extent (and in some cases male also) were kept on an orderly rotation based on scheduled times, in order to constantly satisfy the Emperors of Ming. At any given time, the Emperor was to be pleased with regards to matters in the sexual realm lest he be frustrated and take his anger out on the common people.And thus, the Forbidden City in time became a de facto private brothel, the major difference however was that the Emperor could demand from his concubines any favour which he so wished, and they could not reject him on pain of death. And certainly, there was also no fee as would be the case in a normal brothel of course.A portrait of the Ming Emperor Taichang, one particular ruler who notably passed away from exhaustion after having being oversexed with eight concubines in a row:Aside from these trivial events, the Forbidden City was indeed the seat of Chinese power all throughout the course of the Ming Dynasty. It was here, in the Imperial Throne room that hundreds upon hundreds of countless decisions with regards to economics, socio-politics, the military, civil administration and foreign affairs were all dished out.It was here that the order was given for example, for the Ming Chinese invasion against the Mongols of the Steppe in 1449 AD during the Tumu Crisis but to no avail. Or likewise in 1592 AD, when seeking to come to the aid of its ally, Joseon Korea (1392–1897), China intervened in the Imjin War (1592–96 AD) against the Japanese under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Countless decisions regardless, all for the sake of the Great Ming Empire were made, blood was spilt, glory attained, wealth maintained and Chinese power secured.Alas, all good things must come to an end, and such was no exception for Merciless Ming, long having neglected the prosperity of the people towards the very last days of its existence, was finally toppled by the infamous rebel leader Li Zicheng in 1644 AD, thus ending the Ming Empire once and for all. As the rebels entered the Forbidden City, now bereft of an Emperor who had hung himself, major portions of the City were incinerated to the ground, and the brutal representation for Imperial despotism was no more at last.An illustration of the Ming Imperial Army at the Great Wall of China, defending against the Manchurian invaders:Misfortune, already high by this point in time in addition was only further exacerbated when a former subject peoples of Ming, the semi-agricultural Manchurians went through the Sanhai Pass of the Great Wall of China without shooting one arrow due to the efforts of one former Ming General—Wu Sangui, and eventually, with the help of former Ming army, came to conquer the Middle Kingdom in its entirety. From the ending days of Ming to the foundation of the last Chinese Imperial dynasty of Totalitarian Qing, 25 million people in total died, due to famines, disease, rebellions and invasions.Like the Mongols which came before, the Manchurians had also managed to not only defeat, but occupy all China in its entirety. The difference this time however was that unlike the Mongol Yuan Empire (1279–1368 AD) which had existed before it, the Manchurians sought to assimilate themselves into Chinese society. Han language and culture were adopted, and in doing so, over time the Manchus essentially became just as Chinese as the Han peoples were.Formerly an invader, the Manchus much like their Han brethren were now the sworn protectors of their new home: the Celestial Empire. And it was exactly due to this now being the case, that the Manchu peoples soon found that they had a claim to the successive legitimacy of the old Chinese dynasties; one which they gladly seized. And in doing so by extension, the Ming model was maintained, including both the status of Beijing as the Capital of the Qing Empire, and therefore its seat of ruling power also: the Forbidden City.An artist’s impression of the infamous proclamation which required all Han Chinese men to don a Queue (a hairstyle in which all of one’s hair was removed save for a select few groupings of hair at the back of one’s head) henceforth, on pain of death should one have dared to remove it otherwise (as it was a symbol of submission to Manchurian authority and dominance):The Emperors of Ming had been evicted, and in their stead now were Rulers of Qing, the second and last tenants of the palatial complex. As the new found holders of Imperial authority, the first act of the Manchus with regards to the Forbidden City, was to rename many of the buildings of the complex in order to purposefully contrast the beliefs of the Old Regime which had transpired before it.The Ming which came before for instance, had given titles to each of the buildings of the City in support of the concept of “Extremity” (極), the Qing Emperor, not wishing to antagonize the native Han Chinese peoples by associating himself with such a concept, instead renamed all the buildings of the complex such as to support the notions of “Harmony” (和).In one particular case for example with regards to such a matter, the former Ming building of the “Hall of Imperial Supremacy” (皇极殿) was purposefully renamed by the Qing under the new title of the “Hall of Supreme Harmony” (太和殿).The specific tablet located on the aforementioned hall reflecting the new Qing reform, via usage of the characters of “太和殿” (Hall of Supreme Harmony):Apart from this, as the Manchurian ruling class was still hellbent on ensuring that their people’s language would not be superseded with that of the Han Chinese ethnicity, it came to be thus that the decision was made to also correct many of the signs within the Forbidden City itself to not only come attached with Chinese characters, but the Manchu script also in order to directly reflect the bilingual nature of the Imperial Aisin-Gioro Family of Qing.Shamanism, an element which was missing from the Forbidden City earlier under the Ming Empire likewise, was also introduced into palatial complex of the Forbidden City in order to reflect the beliefs of the Manchurian peoples; their ethnic religion at the time.Regardless of any superficial changes made either to its exterior or interior however, the takeaway point was that the Forbidden City was still the ultimate symbol of Chinese power under Great Qing (大清), as it was once under Great Ming (大明) before it, of this fact one can be sure.An artist’s impression of the great Emperor Kangxi (reigned 1661–1722 AD) returning to the Forbidden City after a tour of Southern China in 1689 AD:Where the Qing City differs from its Ming counterpart however, would have to be with regards to its ultimate fate towards the very last days of the aforementioned dynasty. For indeed, whereas the City never lost its authority nor splendour even in the last days of Ming, the same however could not be said meanwhile for Qing by stark contrast.The Forbidden City in all its glory was of course only a microcosm (as mentioned previously) for all China, as such it existed only to reflect the national might and power of the Empire. If China was strong, then the Imperial authority remained steadfast, and the sanctity of the City was maintained. If however the opposite was to occur, then Imperial authority would erode, and status of the complex; one of holiness and respect, would follow suit.And most unfortunately for Imperial China, and therefore what was in the end of the equivalent of 2,133 years under the reign of the Emperors, the latter would overwhelmingly prove to be the case in those very last dark days for Chinese civilization.Chapter II: The History and Context of the Forbidden City in Beijing (Modern Era)Indeed, most unfortunately for the Forbidden City, by the Late Qing Era misfortune had been contracted in all four corners of the Empire. Ming isolationism, a precedent maintained under the reign of Qing, weakened the nation to such an extent relative to the rest of the world, that the then “runner-up” civilizations of the world chief amongst which was Western Europe, soon not only equalled but far surpassed Chinese power as far back as the early 1500s and late 1700s respectively.As such, when the “100 Years of National Humiliation” (1840–1949) debuted in 1840 with the First Opium War (1840–42) in which Chinese power and prestige were severely damaged, so too thus was the power and glory of the Forbidden City likewise mutilated.An artist’s impression of a naval battle between the forces of Great Britain and Great Qing during the First Opium War:All of a sudden, this former holy complex that was the Forbidden City, didn’t feel so powerful nor holy any longer. The common people, understanding that China was no longer the most advanced, or even one of the most powerful countries in the world essentially became disillusioned with the power of the Emperor. And because they became disillusioned with their Head of State, his physical residence likewise also no longer had that same aura of forbiddenness nor holiness as it one did previously.The Emperor was just an ordinary man, and his Forbidden City was just a glorified private fortress. No longer considered a holy place, and in a world bereft of Chinese dominance, the Forbidden City was really just… nothing essentially. Absolutely nothing about this complex was of any significance any longer. And if this City, was indeed the microcosm for all Qing China as a whole, then it certainly also signalled the beginnings of a new era for sure, one which in time would act only to fully expose the outdated notions of Chinese exceptionalism.The Forbidden City’s status of former power and glory, already severely damaged with the advent of the First Opium War, to make matters worse in time imminently and finally begun hit rock bottom with the advent both of the Second Opium War (1856–60) in 1856, and the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901) likewise in 1899.An artist’s impression of the Anglo-French joint strikeforce at the Battle of Palikao (1860) facing off against their Chinese counterpart during the Second Opium War:Chinese national glory, and therefore the power and status of the Forbidden City itself, was damaged in the case of the former, when James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, having previously defeated an Imperial division of 30,000 Chinese soldiers in late september, entered and occupied not only the Capital of Beijing but the Forbidden City itself also with the intent to fully burn it to the ground in all of its entirety, directly as revenge for the Chinese abduction and kidnapping of one Henry Parkes, a British envoy, and 20 of his retinue by extension also.Such an action was only fortunately prevented when the Earl’s colleagues had argued against it, and convinced him instead to burn down the “Old Summer Palace” rather, another architectural masterpiece of Imperial China. Though the Forbidden City did not contract any physical harm on that day, just the mere fact that it could have been razed to the ground in its entirety, was one which acted to further, simultaneously negate the authority of the Emperor, and his that of his Empire, and therefore the hallowed status of the City by symbolic extension.In the case of the latter meanwhile (the Boxer Rebellion that is), the “Eight-Nation Alliance”, a military coalition composed of 50,000 men from the polities of the United Kingdom, France, Russia, Japan, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and the United States was similarly responsible for the further initiating in the decline of both Imperial power, and the status of the Forbidden City by extension.Having emerged victorious in Peking (Beijing) merely moments before, the Alliance then proceeded to occupy the Forbidden City itself, on November 28th, 1900, a photo of which can be seen below as follows:By 1912, the fortunes of the Forbidden City, already consistently on the downwards trend all throughout the Late Qing Era, at last reached a trough with the advent of the new Republican Era (1912–49), which effectively put an end to Imperial rule and in doing so all but ensured the end of the complex as the center of Chinese power in addition furthermore.The Government of the Republic however, still deeply mistrusting both the Imperial Family, and fearing a counter-revolution by radical monarchists keen to restore the Last Emperor, Puyi to the throne, managed to conclude an agreement with the aforementioned individual allowing him to stay in his former residence, henceforth placing him essentially under what was a de facto state of permanent house arrest.As an aside, their claims were not unfounded of course, as in one instance for example, pro-Imperial forces headed by the Qing loyalist General Zhang Xun, attempted to violently restore the former Imperial Family back into power, causing the Republican Army to respond with force in response, as evident by the following photograph below which so depicts the Republican Army fighting to reclaim the Forbidden City on July 12th, 1917 :Anyways, to this extent the complex was divided into two halves (it had always been though, since the Imperial Era), with one section; the Inner Court (the northern end of the Palace) allocated to Puyi and his family, whilst the Outer Court was placed under Republican control by stark contrast. This would prove to be the status quo for quite some time, and one safeguarded under the law in addition of course.Nothing had changed much for Puyi really in that case truth be told, for traditionally the Imperial family for hundreds of years through both Ming and Qing, had lived in the Inner Court anyways, which was also where the Emperor conducted his official business and day to day errands. The Outer Court was used exclusively for ceremonial purposes only by stark contrast. In this regard, life under the New Regime was not as traumatic for the former ruling family as it has often been implied to be, even despite the fact that they were placed under what was fundamentally a state of house arrest.A plan for the Forbidden City, with the Aisin-Gioro Family’s quarters (as defined by their agreement with the Republicans) highlighted in red, whilst the areas highlighted in blue were given over to the Administration instead:With control over the Outer Court now within their grasps, the Republican Government almost immediately wasted no time, and before the end of 1914 had already established a museum within the aforementioned area, titled the “Gallery of Antiquities”, which would serve as an essential precursor to a more famous successor which replaced it approximately 11 years afterwards.For the next several years until 1923, the relationship between Puyi and the Republicans though strained had at least stabilized up until that very year. Such a status quo then changed however, when his English teacher, an individual so named Reginald Johnson had tipped him off to the fact that his former Eunuchs were secretly stealing his personal treasures right out from under his nose, before proceeding to subsequently sell them for unreasonably exorbitant prices in antique shops.Before he could perform a much needed audit of the palace’s collections to confirm such a treacherous fact however, a fire had mysteriously sparked and consumed the entire gardens of the “Palace of Establishing Prosperity” (建福宫) where the bulk of the his predecessors’ collection of art works were stored. The circumstances and timing, suspicious as they were, were all but ignored by the people of Republican China however.What occurred instead waas that anti-Puyi sentiments rose to an all time high, and so too did resistance against the fact that the former Emperor was still being allowed to stay in the Forbidden City, follow suit likewise.A photograph of Puyi in 1922, formerly Emperor Kangde of Qing during the Early Modern; Late Imperial Era:Such sentiments, finally proved to be harmful when a warlord by the name of Feng Yuxiang overthrew the Republican Government, and likely having been urged on by a combination both of personal and popular opinion, renounced the former administration’s agreement with Puyi, expelling him permanently from the Forbidden City along with the rest of his family.The next pivotal event with regards to the Forbidden City, in a move which further acted to make clear that there was no longer anything special about the former Ming and Qing palatial complex, was the establishment of the “Palace Museum” on October 10th, 1925 (“Double Ten Day”; the National Day of the Chinese Republic), as the successor to the earlier Gallery of Antiquities back in 1914.The new museum housed according to an audit in 1925, of an impressive 1.17 million unique pieces of art, most dating back primarily to the Ming and Qing Eras. The Forbidden City, formerly the home of the Emperors of Ming and Qing, was now essentially one giant museum.A pair of “Blue Porcelain” wares dating back to the Qing Era, both formerly and currently stored in the Palace Museum:As a stronghold for the relics of a world which had now long passed, the Forbidden City, though far from what it once was during the Imperial Era, had taken on a whole new meaning and identity during the Republican Period, as what was one which fundamentally represented the last physical vestiges of the Old World.This was indeed also exacerbated by the fact that it was home to so many important works of art, apart from both its historical status as the seat of Imperial power and its important status to Chinese Traditional Architecture.Though popular societal attitudes during the Early 20th Century was one which remained viciously in favour of modernization, all throughout the Republic, a recognition of the very real need to protect and preserve the honoured past reigned supreme, amongst the common and ruling classes of the Chinese Nation alike.To this extent as such, when martial forces from the Empire of Japan (1868–1947) first violently entered China during the Battle of Shanghai (1932), the Government, now under the control of the Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT), prepared emergency countermeasures not only with regards to the military sphere, but also that of the civil facet, chief amongst which concerned the Palace Museum and Forbidden City itself.A photograph of the Military Police (MP) defending against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA)’s advance during the First Battle of Shanghai, better known as the “January 28th Incident” (1932):Unfortunately for the Chinese, treasures originating from the Palace Museum which had been originally intended to have been moved from Beijing, to Shanghai where they were supposed to be safe, was now a redundant plan directly due to the Japanese invasion. Because of this unforeseen contingency, it was decided rather that the antiques should be split into three separate lots instead, in order to directly to make them more difficult to have all been destroyed at once, should the worse case scenario prove true.And thus it was that unto Shaanxi Province of Northern China went one bundle, a second grouping meanwhile was displaced along the Yangtze River with the end destination in mind of Sichuan Province in Western China, whilst the last lot was to venture towards Southern China’s Guangxi Province. Upon reaching each’s designated safe zone, the plan was for all three bundles to eventually rendezvous in Sichuan, where they were to remain until all dangers had finally ceded with the passing of time.As the Japanese advance throughout China was so rapid however, these aforementioned bundles usually only had literal hours of notice to be packed up and sent along its way. Nonetheless, in the end, the three bundles did indeed manage to finally regroup in the Province of Sichuan, where they stayed until the end of World War II (1939–1945).And so when the war with Japan was finally over at last, the three bundles were then imminently returned to Beijing, all of which were miraculously found to have somehow have escaped out of harm’s way, all throughout such a destructive period of time, one which had killed 20 million Chinese, and made homeless another 100 million. The Forbidden City itself on the other hand, was not so lucky meanwhile by stark contrast, but was instead occupied by the invading imperialist forces, before also being robbed of its copper cannons subsequently thereafter.The only comeuppance to the invaders which came about, was that the Japanese Surrender Ceremony in the end was however, appropriately and poetically held in the Forbidden City on October 10, 1945, a photograph of the events prior to which can be seen as follows, where a crowd had gathered in anticipation for what they considered was a highly pivotal moment for both Chinese and Human history during that point in time:The next crucial event to have occured with regards to the Forbidden City, came about during the last years of the 1940s, towards the end of the brutal Chinese Civil War (1927–45) between Chiang Kai-Shek’s Nationalists, led by the Kuomintang on one hand, and Mao Zedong’s Revolutionaries, led by the Communist Party of China (CCP) on the other.When Chiang finally realized that defeat was imminent, most unwilling to let China’s National Treasures housed in the Forbidden City’s Palace Museum - the physical manifestation of 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and history - fall into Communist hands (who were known for being notoriously anti-tradition), strategically yet rightfully had the artifacts evacuated.And together with additional antiques from the City of Nanjing’s “National Museum”, were brought instead to the Island of Taiwan off the coasts of the Mainland, where they stay there still to this very day, at Taipei’s National Palace Museum.And as for the Chinese Civil War itself, just as Chiang had correctly predicted, the Chinese Communists under the command of Mao Zedong had at last emerged victorious, and the way was finally paved for the beginnings of a new age in Chinese history. And thus it was, that on October 1st 1949, the People’s Republic of China (1949-Present Day) was finally proclaimed by Mao Zedong, most notably one which was made at Tiananmen whilst he faced directly towards the Forbidden City itself, an artist’s impression of which can be seen below as follows:A new age in Chinese history had begun, but the misfortunes of the Forbidden City had not yet ceased even by this time however. Indeed, over the next two decades various proposals were made which suggested everything (with regards to the City’s fate) ranging from its complete destruction, oscillating as far as to suggest a full restoration. Should it be preserved in the name of history, or turnt into a mere entertainment parlour, public park or even a transport interchange? This was the question of the hour, and one indeed for the entire Mao Era (1949–1976) as a whole.Communist China after all had no need for the remnants of a former world which it had claimed was nothing but full of oppression from the ruling classes; the Bourgeois overlords more specifically. And yet, because they could not come to a common consensus on what was to be done, the City was left alone for the most part by authorities.A portrait of Mao at Tiananmen (the traditional entrance to the Forbidden City) today (it was first placed there on the same day as the People’s Republic was proclaimed, in order to signify the beginnings of a New Society devoid, and liberated of, and from the Old World respectively. The placard on the left proclaims: “Long Live the People's Republic of China” whilst the one on the right asserts: "Long live the Great Unity of the World's Peoples”):The exception to this rule however was most notably with regards to the disassembling of the Imperial Throne, located in the “Hall of Central Harmony” (中和殿), the removal of several name tablets from select buildings and gardens, and also the demolition of some minor gates and structures. Otherwise, the City was left primarily in tact by the Central Government at an official level.Unofficially however with regards to the common people, this was by far certainly not the case however by stark contrast. During a turbulent and highly destructive event appropriately called the “Cultural Revolution” (1966–76), destruction of the City reached its peaks. One particular example of notable interested occurred in 1966 when the “Hall of Worshipping Ancestors” (太廟) was modified and some artefacts destroyed for an exhibition of Revolutionary Communist mud sculptures.The destruction of all things important to the former times of Imperial China were targeted in fact, by an especially radical Communist paramilitary group titled the “Red Guards” (红卫兵), who in their vicious and relentless campaigns to utterly obliterate the hated Ancient Regime in the form of the “Four Olds” (四旧), chief amongst which were Old Customs, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Ideas, sought to specifically destroy as a whole, the entirety of the Palatial Complex that was the Forbidden City of Ming and Qing China.Most fortunately, because not all sense of neither respect nor tolerance had completed dissipated from Maoist China by this point in time, Zhou Enlai, Premier of the People’s Republic of China sent an entire battalion (300–800 men) of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to guard the Forbidden City against the treacheries of the Red Guards. And thus it was, that in order to protect the complex from imminent destruction, the whole City was sealed off completely to the outside world from 1966–71 for an entire 5 year period of time.A poster dating back to the years of the Cultural Revolution, here in favour of the elimination of the Four Olds”:How far from glory indeed the Forbidden City had fallen. Formerly beloved and venerated during the Imperial Era, then ignored and given into disrepair come the Republican Period, and now actively attacked by the descendents of the same people who had once built and respected it, under Maoist China the City was all but a shadow of its former glory, relegated to nothing but a hated and outdated relic of a former world, one which not a single individual any longer admired.A change to this attitude however, was to come about post the year 1979, when Deng Xiaoping, the successor to Mao Zedong famously declared that “…it does not matter whether a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice,” ushering in yet another era, and an objectively better one at that. The Communist Era had finally ended, and China was now open to the world once more. A new age of liberation had begun. And it was one which acted only in favour of the Forbidden City of Merciless Ming and Totalitarian Qing.A 20th century photograph depicting Deng Xiaoping (left) conversing with British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher (right) as follows:China became rich, and it became rich very quickly. Such a fact is a huge understatement of course, but regardless as the People’s Republic became wealthier and healthier, and as the years so went on, China “overnight” became relevant to the world once more.It’s people were richer, and its national prowess higher yet still. All of a sudden, a country which had been relatively ignored on the international stage for so long, was now seemingly in a matter of year, important yet again once more. A renaissance in the realms of Chinese history and culture begun resultant of such a phenomenon, both at home and abroad at the parallel level.And thus it was that in the pivotal year of 1987, the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at last, finally saw it fit to bestow the title of “World Heritage Site” onto the former Ming and Qing palace, due to its significant place in the development of Chinese architecture and culture, giving it the recognition it so desperately required after one hundred years of neglect and disrepair.The status of the City, once more begun to rapidly rise after this was done, and there it remains to this day during the Modern Era, where as of November 8th 2017, both the President and First Lady of the United States (Trump being the first US President to have been offered a “State Dinner” within the Forbidden City itself), along with their Chinese counterparts shared a photo in the former Imperial Palace of Ming and Qing (as can be seen below):And there it remains, a national treasure in the eyes of all 1.4 billion Chinese people to this very day. Presently, the Palace Museum is responsible for the preservation and restoration of the City, whilst any hypothetical buildings around the complex which could potentially obstruct it in any possible way, are largely prohibited and possibly even looked down upon by the people at large.The most important milestone for the City came in as late as 2005, when a 16 year long restoration project was announced with the intention to fully repair and restore in its entirety, all buildings in the Forbidden City to their pre-1912 state under the Ming and Qing Dynasties.The Forbidden City’s future thus, having long fallen from glory even up until 1979, is now to this day swiftly on the upwards trend once more. And though it will almost certainly never be able to recover to its former status as seen under the heights of Ming China in the 1400s, it will nonetheless remain an important relic to present day Sino civilization, as China continues to become more wealthy and powerful relative to the rest of the world, sooner rather than later.The Forbidden City today in Modern China, in the midst of a full restoration due to be completed by 2021 merely 3 years from this day:And therefore ends the history of the Forbidden City thus far. As should be overwhelmingly evident by now, both the City’s status and function did change to adapt to the times of which it was presented with. Formerly prosperous under the Imperial eras, this could only be the case when China was either one of the most if not the most advanced civilization in the entire world.When change came about in the form of the 100 Years of National Humiliation however, the strength of the City became nominal, and the power of Chinese civilization became lesser still. And finally with the advent of the socially progressive yet anti-tradition Communist Era, the City reflected this change by completely losing any last shred of respect and awe from the common people, as the complex essentially became an oppressive menace, which reflected a world which now was no more.It has only been due to changes in the post-reform era of 1979, that has allowed China to become rich and powerful yet again, thus allowing the Forbidden City’s importance and status to match and reflect this trend at last once more. And thus it should be self-evident then, that the City was more that just a structure of superficiality; it was in fact a microcosm which allowed a physical structure to materialistically reflect the spiritual changes of the world around it.Chapter III: The Special Features of China’s Grand Palatial ComplexNow traditionally, when each and every new Chinese dynasty came to power during the Imperial Era (221 BC-1912 AD) as opposed to the Feudal Era (2070–221 BC) before it, they would seek to reference their predecessors with regards to every civilizational aspect, so as to create a society based the exemplars of the past. And the reason for this was of course simple: China was a continuous civilization, so it made sense therefore to copy those who had come before.Such a trend started with the Han Dynasty of China (206 BC-220 AD), which eventually became the ultimate template for the Tang Empire (618–907 AD); Sino civilization’s “Golden Age” which then begun to desire to emulate its predecessor in every possible way. Likewise in the same fashion, such a case was true also for the the Proto-Industrialized Empire of Song (960–1279 AD) also, successor of Tang, and great emulator therefore of it.So of course, when Great Ming came to power in 1368 AD, the template for the Forbidden City had already been set in stone with regards to its architecture: that of which was primarily based upon the Song Era’s designs.Now this was quite the difficult task indeed, as Mongolia had been ruling over China for 89 years, so no one truly knew how to perfectly emulate Song Architecture of course. So to this extent, they had to actually enlist the help of one Ruan An (Nguyen An or 阮安), a Ming Eunuch of Vietnamese origins (as Vietnam’s Architecture was based specifically on the Tang and Song Era’s under both the Ly (1009–1225 AD) and Tran (1225–1400 AD) Empires), in order to assist as the Master Architect of the Forbidden City.He was of course assisted however by Cai Xin (蔡信), the Master Designer; Kuai Xiang (蒯祥), the Master Carpenter; and Lu Xiang (陸祥) the Master Mason. And in doing so, the Forbidden City of China, the zenith of Traditional Chinese Architecture was finally assembled at last, the plan for which can be seen below as follows (please continuously refer back to this map, you will need to for the entire chapter, this is merely a suggestion however, do what you wish. Credit for this immensely helpful picture goes to “Tommy Chen of Wikipedia” linked here as follows: Forbidden City - Wikipedia):As previously mentioned, the dividing red dashed line separates the City into 2 halves. The Inner Court (situated in the North), was historically the home of the Imperial Family, whilst its more southerly counterpart, the Outer Court, was the primarily location for official ceremonies to have been historically carried out. As for the designated and marked locations on the above map however, they are as follows:Point A represents the main entrance to the Forbidden City from the Outer Court so called the “Meridian Gate” (午門). The reason for this being directly due to the fact that Emperors of China had believed in the very existence of quite the particular yet imaginary North-South axis dash; so called the “Meridian Line”, which went straight through his Palace, one which he insisted was actually the center of the Universe.He was like a god after all, so if such phenomenon were true, he was not surprised the least bit. Anyways, the Meridian indicated an ordinal South position on Chinese compasses as well in addition, so naturally the gate was of course in time imminently considered to be the southern entrance to the City.Per tradition existed the “Accepting Captives Ceremony” also in which a Chinese General who had returned from his long campaigns, would offer up the prisoners which he had acquired along the way up to the Emperor, who was to accept such a kindness in return, and reciprocate it therefore in the form of many material rewards.That only occured during the Qing Era however, not so much the Ming Period prior to it. Sacrifices to altars, such as that of the “Altar of Earth and Harvests” (北京社稷壇) were also to take place nearby meanwhile, prior to the aforementioned ceremony in anticipation of such an event.The Meridian Gate as can be seen in Beijing to this day, the main entrance to the Forbidden City:With a height of 37.95 metres, it was the tallest and therefore grandest of its kind all throughout the Forbidden City.It notably comes attached with 5 very special towers, which when viewed from the ground floor by visitors appears to apparently represent the figure of a phoenix. The towers are naturally therefore collectively known as the “Five-Phoenix Shaped Spires” (五鳳樓) thus, the center at which lies a double-eaved structure; the tallest of the 5, measuring in at approximately 60.05 metres in length, 25 metres in width, and is placed on a 12 metre tall red abutment.This abutment came attached with 3 arched doorways which lead into the rest of the complex, the middle of which was reserved for the Emperor only, as a general rule. The only exception to such an annoyance was with regards however to his Empress who could also use it likewise… albeit merely once in her life… during the day of her wedding to be precise.The rules with regard to this matter were annoyingly strict, presumably on pain of death also.The central abutment meanwhile was complemented also by a pair of corridor like structural “wings”extending southwards, separately connecting 2 towers with double spires on their ends.There exists a set of bells and drums furthermore, located at the 2 ends of the central tower. When it was time for the Emperor to depart for the “Temple of Heaven” (天壇) beyond the Forbidden City, the bells would be rung, to announce his journey to the outside world. Both bells and drums however, were to be rung in unison at the same time when significant ceremonies were being held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.The Meridian Gate as seen from from the exit end of the Forbidden City:And of course as mentioned prior, many festivals were indeed celebrated at the gate. Case in point during the Ming Dynasty for example, the Emperor would celebrate the “Lantern Festival” (元宵節) with his top officials on January 15th, serve cakes on May 5th during the “Dragon Boat Festival” (端午節), and even Chongyang cakes when the once per annum “Chrysanthemum Festival” (重陽節) came about on September 9th.Apart from that, officials who had offended the Emperor were also punished near the Gate, at a location left of the central arch with all punitive measures carried out by use of “the rod”. This was the fate of 158 officials in 1519 AD, where 15 died from their wounds during the sustained beating alone, and most unfortunately as well that particular punishment wouldn’t be abolished for roughly 125 more years come the year 1644 AD with the collapse of the Ming Empire.The Meridian Gate as seen from the exit end in Winter:Point B meanwhile, represents the entrance into the Forbidden City from the opposite end from the magnetic North, and so called the “Gate of Divine Might” (神武門). This particular Gate is not only much smaller than its Southern counterpart, but in addition also lacks any proper function as well.The only notable fact about this particular feature, was the changing of its name from “Black Tortoise Gate” (玄武門) under the Ming Era City, to its current title instead under the reign of the great Kangxi Emperor of Qing.The reason for this was simply because the Emperor’s true name was “Xuanye” (玄燁), so naturally having a gate named after Kangxi birth title was deeply inappropriate. In fact, the use of “Xuan” (玄) in any circumstance, person or place was now considered to be illegal. So Xuan, was thus replaced with “Shen” (神) instead, which meant “divine” as opposed to its still fairly similar predecessor, “sacred mystery”.The Gate of Divine Might at the far end of the Northern Court, the secondary entrance to the Forbidden City (note how the entrance is much less grand than its southern counterpart, self-evidently devoid of any complementing side “wings”):Point C and D are the “Western Prosperity Gate” (西華門) and “Eastern Prosperity Gate” (東華門) respectively, which are yet even smaller entrances into the Forbidden City situated on the left and right sides of the Forbidden City accordingly.Both auxillary gates were similar to one another with regards to architectural design, in that both came attached with a white-marble pedestal and 3 complementing small arched gates, whilst also mutually utilizing the colour “red” as the foremost dominating structural tint.Where the Eastern Prosperity Gate differs from its Western counterpart however, was with regards to the fact that it was devoid of a nine-by-nine array of golden door nails (a round stud lodged in the door itself), a feature of literally every other gate within the Forbidden City meanwhile. This was because the Eastern variant was close to the Prince’s Palace, and served as his foremost entrance and exit from the complex, hence its lesser status with merely 8 rows of door nails.The Eastern Gate was also nicknamed as the “Gate of the Spectre”, because it was supposedly the place where the coffins of the Emperors were carried out from the City. Both Gates however, came attached with dismounting stelas placed in front of these bypasses, and since the waters of the “Inner Golden Water River” (內金水) ran underneath them, were both accompanied with a bridge made of stone specifically for individuals to cross to and fro from the palatial complex.The Western Prosperity Gate which is situated on the left side of the Forbidden City, and acts as an auxillary passage to and from the aforementioned complex:The Eastern Prosperity Gate which is situated on the right side of the Forbidden City, and is the counterpart to the previously introduced Western Prosperity Gate:Point E concerns itself with the “Four Corner Towers” (四角樓) of the Forbidden City. Now the Towers are primarily defensive in nature, and to this extent were made to complement the City Walls, Gate Towers, Moat and other defensive facilities that also came along with the complex. Each Corner Tower comes equipped with 9 girders, 18 columns and 72 ridges, is “L” shaped and at its base is surrounded with several marble pillars also.The designs of every single one of the four Corner Towers were made to be such, that it was considered to have been in harmony with the other buildings in the Forbidden City. The Towers are most noted for not only their size, but indeed also their complexity also, which serve only to reveal the intricacies of Traditional Chinese Architecture by this point in time.According to legend, the Yongle Emperor had ordered the towers originally to have been built in 3 months, should the Ministers in charge of such a project have failed him, they would all be executed accordingly. Now of course, no one - or so they argued - had never built such an intricate Corner Tower before, at least not on the same lines as Yongle so desired. This was going to be an issue, and the Mandarin of Ming knew it.An unspecified Corner Tower at the edge of the Forbidden City:So they decided to hire only the best craftsman in Beijing, to carry out their project, but not before promising to have them all executed before they themselves were killed, should they fail have the towers up before the end of 3 months. Naturally, the craftsman started to panic, as he too also realized the unprecedented difficulty of building such a tower to the exact specifications as demanded by the Mandarin, and by extension Yongle.One entire month thus quickly passed by, and still he had not the slightest clue with regards to what he should do. Summer arrives during this time, making the weather unbearably hot in the infamous Beijing heat, prompting the man to take a stroll around the said city. There it was, that he happened to come across an elderly man selling crickets, which he proceeded to buy as he reasoned that the cage was beautifully designed, the sounds of the crickets which pleased him served only further in favour of such a decision.His colleagues disagreed however, and asked him to dispose of the creatures, and he would have done so had he not noticed first, that in fact, the crickets’ cage exactly resembled that of the proposed tower’s requirements, which he so desired to construct. And thus in this way, the Corners were in the end constructed based on this pure stroke of luck, and in time also. No one ended up being executed in the end, whilst the Towers, considered of unprecedented beauty were constructed; a clear testament to the ingenuity and elegance of the Ming Chinese.A Corner Tower outside the Forbidden City at sunset:Point F which comes after passing through the Southern Entrance (at Point A), was itself a gateway to one of the main sections of the City, and is called the “Gate of Supreme Harmony” (太和門). The current gate which can be seen today, was only completed in 1894 during the last years of the Qing Dynasty, the one which came before was first built during the Ming Dynasty along with the original complex.During the Ming Era several hundred years ago, the Gate was the location where early morning Court sessions were held, in order for the Emperor to discuss administrational matters with his Mandarins. Alas such sessions were mainly ceremonial however, in order to both uphold a sense of the Emperor’s diligence, and his nominal role as “First Minister” of the State. During the Qing Era however, the Gate served mostly as for banquets and other ceremonies however.The gate is 3 bays deep, 7 wide and covers an area of 1,371.4 m^2, whilst being accompanied with 2 minor gates; that of Zhendu to the West, and Zhaode to the East. Together with the Meridian Gate (at Point A), the two form the boundaries of a Serpentine (Bow) shaped waterway, the previously introduced Inner River of the Golden Water, which runs through the square, and is crossed over by a set of 5 bridges.The middle stairwell - of which there were existed three - was reserved for Imperial use only - a rule which applied to the middle of three set of arches for the Meridian Gate leading into the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Here is a set of carved marble steps of the Imperial Way leading up to the Gate of Supreme Harmony case in point:Most interestingly, the foundations of the Gate was designed in a very specific way such that to be filled with 7 layers of lengthways and 8 layers of crosswise, a total of 15 layers in total. Now why was such care taken with regards to this matter? Simply in order to prevent assassins from infiltrating pass this section of the palace of course, which would have allowed them t access the rest of the complex also - quite undesirable indeed.The paving bricks which acted as a footpath meanwhile, were specifically designed to make a musically pleasant sound upon being trodden on, whilst the rooms of the structures on each side of the Gate were said to have been used to house a variety of precious commodities, including but not limited to fur, silver, tea, silk, satin, porcelain and clothes.Apart from also being the main gate to main section of the Outer Court, the Gate is most notably complemented by a pair of bronze lions which act to symbolize Imperial supremacy and dominance. How do we know this? Well with regards to the lion on the right hand side; a male, was created with its front paw on top of a globe in order to represent the world wide power of Chinese superiority and authority.The female lioness on the left hand side meanwhile, has its front paw by stark contrast on a Cub, in order to represent a harmonious and prosperous Imperial Family. Case in point, here is a close up of the Gate of Supreme Harmony itself, note the bronze female lion here in the foreground:The last most notable part about the Gate, but really not the Gate itself, rather with regards to the courtyard that led up to it (the Serpentine shaped body of water), existed 5 marble bridges which ran across the underlying Golden River.The number 5 here is key, in that it is not an arbitrarily chosen numeral, rather it was an intentional choice in order to represent the 5 key beliefs of the Ming Official Ideology of Neo-Confucianism, itself based on an earlier philosophy dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period (771–476 BC) called Confucianism.Now were these aforementioned 5 values? Here they were as follows:The 5 Key Virtues of Confucianism:“Benevolence” or “仁”“Righteousness” or “義”“Propriety” or “禮”“Knowledge” or “智”“Integrity” or “信”Each of these virtues, corresponds to a single Inner Golden Water River Bridge. Five values for Five bridges simply put. One of which can be seen down below as follows, from a side view of the courtyard in between the Meridian Gate and that of Supreme Harmony:Point G came about after passing through the Gate of Supreme Harmony, which gives passage to the “Hall of Supreme Harmony” (太和殿).The Hall is noted for covering over a spacious square, which has an area of approximately 30,000 m^2. Standing on a set of triple stacked marble terraces, it is considered to be “greatest timber framework” still standing in China to this day. First constructed along with the original City in 1406 AD, the building has been significantly updated and reconstructed many times over.Nicknamed the “Golden Carriage Palace”, it was here that the Emperor himself received the highest ranked Mandarins of the Ming State to conduct official business together, for the sake of the Chinese Empire.Coronation ceremonies, some of the grandest ever held in China were consistently held in this location on a regular basis, along with those concerned with the Emperor’s birthdays, wedding ceremonies, Chinese New Year, the dispatching of generals into wars, and other celebrations with regards to the Winter Solstice for example, were all held in this exact location.An exterior view to the Forbidden City’s Hall of Supreme Harmony:Beside the 3 set of stairs leading up the Hall itself, existed also a group of 18 bronze “Dings”, a type of Pre-Modern Chinese vessel which represented the 18 national provinces of Early Modern China under the reigns of Merciless Ming and Totalitarian Qing. A bronze crane and tortoise meanwhile, are also present on the balustraded terrace itself, in order to symbolize the concepts of everlasting rule and longevity.A sundial made of marble meanwhile, the “Rigui” (日晷) located on the Eastern side of the terrace along with an ancient measuring vessel titled the “Jialiang” (嘉量), which was placed on the Western side opposite the sundial, acted to demonstrate that the Chinese Emperor, the father of “all under Heaven” was both just and fair. In front of the two objects meanwhile, was several bronze vats which held water, in the event that a fire were to spark to life all of a sudden.And because it was the major symbol for Imperial power, naturally the Hall was also one of the tallest structures in Ming and Qing China, measuring in at 35.02 in height (37.44 metres if one were to include the rooftop decoration also), and was also 63.96 meters in width and 37.2 meters in length, coming equipped with a total of 72 pillars, in six rows, in order to support the roof of the Hall.A close up of the cornered roofs details to the Hall of Supreme Harmony:Inside the Hall itself meanwhile, the floor is paved with a special type of brick which were fired long and then polished by being soaked in tungoil.The Imperial Throne itself meanwhile, made up of sandalwood was set upon a 2 metre high platform, located in the center and surrounded 6 thick gold-lacquered pillars decorated with a group of 5 dragons, which also happen to have been carved into the throne itself in addition.Surrounding the throne meanwhile existed a pair of bronze cranes an elephant-shaped incense burner and tripods in the shape of mythical beasts. At the top of the internal roof also was a pair of dragons playing with pearls, both of which were made of glass but painted with mercury.As the story goes, the pearl was fabled to have been able to sense an imposter, and upon detecting an individual sitting on the Emperor’s throne who was not related to him, would subsequently then drop the pearl out from its mouth, striking the usurper dead on impact.A photograph depicting the internal room within the Hall of Supreme Harmony:Point H was located in the South-Western half of the complex, and was called the “Hall of Martial Valor” (武英殿).Present knowledge is more than enough to suggest the main usage of the Hall during the Qing Era at least, was the headquarters of an official group called the “Department of the Correction of Books”.As its name suggests, the Department located with the Hall itself was tasked with the correction of books, in order to update them with newer and better sourced information. The highest ranking Eunuchs in the Qing Empire were task with rewriting older editions of books, by incorporating latest information into their updated editions.Unfortunately for the sake of historical accuracy, under the reign of Totalitarian Qing, the Department also indirectly served as one hugely centralized censorship office, which acted to alter the truth should it have been inconvenient for facts rather than lies, to have been published in order to “save face” for both the Emperor and the Imperial Administration. This became of particular importance, at the heights of Qing censorship during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735–96 AD).The Hall was also considered as one of the main locations for the storing of books under the Qing Era. This was directly in response to the issues of the Ming Era before it, which had been plagued with the perpetual problem of where to store the favoured documents of the Emperor. Books have of course always been valuable to Chinese culture, which has greatly historically favoured knowledge above all else, so of course the Emperor had to have as many books as he could afford for sure.The exterior of the Hall of Military Eminence in Winter:During the Ming Era, so many books were collected for the Emperor that they eventually just ended up being stored wherever the ruler was currently staying. This led to the issue of books just being stored whenever and wherever, strewn about all over the place with order not premeditation, and not to mention those of the other members of the Imperial Family also, so this was of course going to be a huge issue no doubt.The solution during the Qing Era, was to simply select a few halls in which to store the Imperial Family’s documents, in order to give rise to an order with regards to the storing of the Emperor’s and his family’s books. This was in great contrast to the Ming Era, which had just stored their documents wherever, including within the boundaries of the Imperial Gardens itself - not appropriate.Apart from that however, the whole building is described as an “I” shaped structure, with a lobby connecting the main hall and the back hall. The main hall faces south, is 5 bays wide and 3 bays deep, and was prior to the Qing Era, also military focused but has since taken on a more passive role.It was also famous for certain events which occurred during the Ming-Qing Era, in which the infamous rebel Li Zicheng, having toppled the Imperial Administration, declared his own new regime, the Shun Dynasty (1644–45 AD) in this very structure. Today, the Hall serves as a painting gallery which is used to the house the most rare and important works of Imperial China.A portrait of “The Qianlong Emperor in Ceremonial Armour on Horseback”, sourced directly from the accompanying Painting Gallery, located on the interior of the Hall of Martial Valor today:Point J directly parallel Point H in that it was located in the South-Eastern section of the City under the title of the “Hall of Literary Glory” (文華殿). The Hall is the symmetrical equivalent of the its Military Valor counterpart in the West, and resembles it to almost every extent. For example, it too is also single-eaved with regards to its roof (meaning there exists only one row of roofs), is 3 bays deep, 5 wide and is also “I” shaped likewise.Its initial function during the reign of the Ming Empire, was to serve as the Ming Princes’ main hall in which official business was conducted, and to this extent the roof was initially painted with the colour green, because it represented growth and therefore continuing maturity.However, during the 15th year of the reign of the Jiajing Emperor (reigned 1521–67 AD), as the Crown Prince had been too young to assist in administrative business, the Hall was given over to the Emperor instead, and thus the roofs were painted over with the Imperial colour of yellow in place of green. A private tutor in addition known as the “Grand Scholar”, who was responsible for educating the Prince often also taught in this very Hall.The operations of this Grand Scholar most notably, was expanded during the succeeding Qing Dynasty with the advent of the “Three Halls, Three Cabinets” System (三大廳、 三內閣), the position of the Grand Scholar was expanded to include ministerial responsibilities with regards to the Imperial governance of the Chinese Empire, by dealing with the Mandarins themselves.The exterior to the Hall of Literary Glory from the exit end:The Hall was also most notable for being the area in which common ceremonies were held, ceremonies which obligated the Emperor to compose reports with a focus on the famous “4 Books and 5 Classics” (四書五經).During the Qing Era, due to the bilingual nature of the Qing Imperial Family, the Emperor had to present their reports twice, once in Mandarin Chinese, and once more in the Manchurian language. Qing Mandarins, accompanying the Emperor had to also have been knelt during the entire period most notably.Debates between these aforementioned Mandarins in fact, were often encouraged to be held on the premises under the reign of the Qing Emperors, whensoever the ruler was facing intellectual difficulties, which required the bliss of more than merely that of the solitude of isolationism, in which to solve. After the debate, all involved parties were to take a break with a cup of green tea, whilst they reflected on all that they had accomplished during the session thus far.After this was done, then the Emperor would take his Mandarins to the “Pavilion of Literary Profundity” (文淵閣), which lay directly behind the Hall, in order to read to them the Confucian manuscripts of the Four Books, Five Classics as a special encouragement to all those who were fortunate enough to have attended the ceremony.The aforementioned Pavilion of Literary Profundity, located directly behind that of the Hall of Literary Glory:Today, the Hall of Literary Glory is also home to the Forbidden City’s Pottery Gallery, under the jurisdiction of the Palace Museum and houses approximately 429 pieces of pottery works, all dating back to the Pre-Modern Era, and presently all placed in glass cases.All types of pottery are included, the noteworthy fact about this collection being meanwhile, that the accompanying lights from different angles, all act in unison to highlight the exhibit from different directions so as to further make their qualities and unique features stand out for the appreciation of the touristsCase in point, here are some of the select works from the accompanying Pottery Gallery, located on the interior of the Hall of Literary Glory today:Point K meanwhile is a set of complexes collectively called the “Southern Three Places” (南三所). Though the Princes conducted their official business in the Hall of Literary Glory, it was in the Southern Three Places that they collectively called their personal residences meanwhile by stark contrast.It must be stressed however, that only a particular type of prince actually lived here. During the Qing Era, Imperial princes often lived in their mother’s residences (most came from different mothers of course), until they became of a marriageable age (at approximately 16 years old), then and only then, would they move out of their mother’s abode and transfer their residence over to the Southern Three Places instead.As was the case with the Hall of Literary Glory before it in its earliest days, the entire mini-complex was glazed with green tiles to represent their continuing maturity, but apart from that to well wish them on their journey to adulthood. This was in stark contrast to virtually the rest of the Forbidden City meanwhile, which had the roofs of the various structures covered in yellow glazed tiles.From there, all the Princes of a marriageable age would be given an Imperial title to accompany him before being asked to leave the Forbidden City. This was the fate of all of the Princes of Qing, all save but for one who was chosen to be the Crown Prince instead; the official successor to the Imperial Throne and therefore the title of “Huangdi” (皇帝) or Emperor.The General Gate to the Southern Three Places:Naturally it was common knowledge to all that a very significant gap, with regards to the two possible fates were in existence. If one was not chosen by the present Emperor, one had to leave the City, on the other hand, the Crown Prince would not only not be “evicted” from the complex, but would even be able to one day have the privilege of even living within the yellow tiled buildings themselves. The winner took it all essentially this was a self-evident matter, and all the more reason not to lose thus.Competition for the throne was extremely fierce and “cutthroat” therefore, with many mothers of these princes, whether they be Empress or mere concubine competing viciously behind the scenes, if not obviously in front of one another also. The same meanwhile, could and probably would have also been the cases for the princes themselves meanwhile.It was because of such a violent and conniving status quo, with regards to the selection of the Crown Prince, that finally prompted the Qing Emperor Yongzheng (1722–35 AD) to finally make some essential reforms, in order curtail the negative effects resulting from such a malicious competition, or at least minimize it anyway.Having come to power after battling with 23 of his own brothers, Yongzheng knew not only just how fierce the rivalries could be, but also how dangerous they were too, should external intervention arise in the form of assassination attempts. To this extent, he decreed that the name of the Crown Prince was only to be revealed on the current Emperor’s death, in order to not only protect the favoured candidate, but to disincentive familial turmoil, which spread unneeded disharmony amongst brothers and mothers.The Southern Three Places as seen from a bird’s eye point of view:Point L concerns the “Palace of Heavenly Purity” (乾清宫), the sleeping quarters of the Emperor. The Palace was essentially a smaller version of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, with regards both to its exterior and interior. Located in the northern end of the City, it is also the largest of the Inner Court’s 3 main halls. Here it was during the Qing Era, where the Emperor would meet with his “Grand Council” (軍機處).9 rooms existed on 2 levels, with a total of 27 beds. Why so many beds? For security reasons of course, on any particular night, one of the many beds would be selected arbitrarily, in order make it more difficult for potential spies or assassins to locate or memorize the Emperor’s resting place and schedule respectively. This was the case both throughout the Ming and Qing Eras.As the Emperor’s main audience hall, both emissaries and ministers were received in this part of the palatial complex, and banquets likewise were also held here. Twice in fact it was that special themed banquets, once in 1722 AD then again in 1785 AD that a type of occasion titled under “Banquet for A Thousand Seniors” was held in the Palace, in which 1,000 elderly (over 60 years of age) were invited to attend, in order to dine with the Emperor. Afterwards, all were even given presents personally by the ruler of China himself.The exterior to the Palace of Heavenly Purity:During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng however, the Palace temporarily ceased being the sleeping quarters for the sovereigns onwards, in favour of the Hall of Mental Cultivation instead. Nonetheless, it continued to play an important role during the Qing Dynasty regardless, serving as the place where the bodies of the deceased Chinese Emperors would go (within their coffins) for memorial ceremonies.Within the Palace itself meanwhile, existed both a throne and an accompanying desk located above an elaborate platform on which the Emperor wrote notes and signed documents during councils with his Mandarins. The Imperial Throne itself was surrounded by cloisonne incense burners, long red candles, and large mirrors, which were placed beside the throne to ward off evil spirits.On the surrounding 4 columns meanwhile, exists 4 poetic lines which have been previously written by the Emperors of Qing, before being engraved onto the columns officially, whilst above exists a 4 character long plaque. The plaque reads the following characters: “正大光明” which is best translated as: “Let the Righteous Shine,” a Chinese idiom essentially advocating in favour of benevolence.With regards to the Yongzheng Era meanwhile and the selection of the Crown Prince, a copy of the Emperor’s will designating his secret successor was to be hidden behind this plaque at all times. A caisson was also set into the roof, which featured a coiled dragon in addition.The interior of the Palace of Heavenly Purity:Point M are the Forbidden City’s “Imperial Gardens” (御花園), initially constructed in 1417 AD. Today however, the current Garden is approximately 12,000 m^2 in area, rectangular in shape, and still retains relatively the same patterns as to when it was first constructed.During China’s Ming and Qing Dynasties, it served primarily as a private retreat for the Imperial Family, in which the Emperor and his either wife, or several concubines would gater to either enjoy the natural scenery, to read, or to even exercise.The Imperial Garden, as can still be seen in the Forbidden City today:The central position of the Garden is occupied by a building called the “Hall of Imperial Peace” (欽安殿), which dates back to the 15th Century. Not only is it surrounded by a wall, but in front of this fortification exists one very particular 400 year old pine tree known as the “Consort Pine”, which primarily serves to symbolize the continuous harmony between the Emperor and his Empress.A pair of gilded unicorns protects the Hall’s exterior from the threat of evil spirits, whilst the interior comes attached with a place of worship for Zhenwudadi (真武大帝), the Taoist God of Water, who one was supposed to pray to for protection against fire, fire which in an all timber complex, could become extremely dangerous quickly indeed.The Hall of Imperial Peace within the Imperial Gardens:Within the Imperial Gardens, there exists some 20 artificial structure, which are accompanied trees, rockeries, flower beds and sculptural objects such as the bronze incense burners. Most notably, each of these structures are quite unique in their own way with regards to not only style, but colouring and design also.Most of the trees in the Garden are of course also hundreds of years old, there are more than 160 of them in fact, distributed all around the garden. Hill stones and miniscapes are littered throughout the entire garden, with one of the latter made up of “wood stone”, which merely has the appearance of wood due to long exposure to the Sun, but is in fact stone.The “Pavilion of Myriad Springs” (萬春亭), merely 1 of 4 situated at each corner, was another structure of noteworthy interest within the Imperial Gardens, occupying the Eastern corner of the Garden. Each of the 4 pavillons were supposed to represent a particular season, with the aforementioned building as its name suggests, intended to embody the physical representation of Spring.The Pavilion of Myriad Springs, located at on the right side of the Garden:The last noteworthy landmark within the Gardens meanwhile, would have to be that of the “Hill of Accumulated Elegance” (堆秀山), an artificial man made 14 metre tall rockery located in the northeastern end of the Garden. It is made entirely of stone, coming attached with a pair of stone carved lions, attached with a dragon’s head oddly enough.The water that spurts out from the mouths of these lion-dragon hybrids, have been known to reach up to 10 metres high. During the Chrysanthemum Festival on September 9th, the Imperial Family ascended this very hill in order to have a good view at all the surrounding scenery directly beneath them.The aforementioned Hill of Accumulated Elegance in question here:Point N regards the “Hall of Mental Cultivation” (養心殿), what appears to be quite the important place within the Forbidden City, wasn’t always exactly so until the reign of the Qing Emperor, Yongzheng, despite being built under his Ming predecessor, Emperor Jiajing. Previously, it was stated that the Hall of Heavenly Purity was the sleeping quarters for the Emperor of Ming and Qing, however this was not quite accurate, at least not completely.For during the reign of Yongzheng, the sleeping quarters of the sovereign were transferred here to the Hall of Mental Cultivation instead, serving as such a role for the last 8 rulers of the Qing Dynasty, and therefore the Imperial Era as a whole. Up until such a radical change occurred however, the Hall was still being utilized as a relaxation hall for the Emperors of China, so it was still quite important truth be told.Now, why did Emperor Yongzheng see it fit to make such a seemingly unnecessary change? There exists two conflicting schools of thought on this matter. One insists that the Hall, formerly a resting place prior to the change, was close to the Hall of Heavenly Purity (formerly the sleeping quarters of the Emperor), so when Yongzheng’s father (the Kangxi Emperor) became ill, the dying ruler was thus moved to that hall in order for him to recover.It didn’t work, and he passed away. In order to show respect to his father after death, Yongzheng shifted his sleeping quarters to the Hall, keeping in accordance with the Confucian idea of “Filial Piety” (孝).The Hall of Mental Cultivation as seen from the outside:The other school of thought on the other hand, insists that the Emperor intentionally moved into the Hall because it was so “dilapidated” when compared to the rest of the complex, in order to show how much he suffered for the sake of the common people.Apart from that however, existed a main southerly entrance called “The Gate of Mental Cultivation” (養心門), which led into the Hall itself, one which was of exclusive use to merely the Emperor himself. The likes of which can be seen below as follows:The Hall came about afterwards, split into the main “I-Shaped” section, accompanied with 2 smaller side compartments. As for the main hall itself, the structure was also divided into 2 parts: the front which was used for the office of the Emperor, whilst the rear end was used as his sleeping quarters.The office came attached with a both a throne for the Emperor on which to seat, and an accompanying desk for him to write upon. There existed a plethora of manuscripts also, containing detailed instructions on how one was to rule the Qing Empire, which was placed on a bookshelf behind the throne and was frequently consulted by any recently coronated ruler per tradition.Somewhere in the vicinity of 160 books were kept to this extent, and 2 hidden doors leading to the rear halls, and situated behind the throne existed also in addition.The Emperor’s desk and throne in his office within the Hall of Mental Cultivation:Buddhist Prayer Halls occupied the Western and Eastern halls of the Hall of Mental Cultivation in addition. As for the left side of the main hall, this was occupied by the “Eastern Warmth Chamber” meanwhile, where the infamous Empress Dowager Cixi secretly manipulated the affairs of the Qing Empire through the Emperor himself, for a lengthy period of 48 years also.The aforementioned room is directly paralleled by the “Western Warmth Chamber” in which a conference room was maintained for the discussion of secret matters of the state with his Mandarins, called the “Hall of Three Treasures” (三希堂), and also a small personal Buddhist prayer room.The Hall of Three Treasures is most noteworthy, as it contains 3 very rare and exquisite pieces of calligraphy, all composed by 3 equally talented masters of calligraphy who lived 1,500 years earlier during the Jin Dynasty (265–420 AD): Wang Xizhi (王羲之), Wang Xianzhi (王獻之) and Wang Xun (王珣), both these works and this particular room can still be seen today as follows:Point O concerns the “Palace of Tranquil Longevity” (寧壽宮), a section of the Forbidden City that comes attached with a variety of different buildings, including apartments, pavilions, gates and gardens, together which has been previously called “some of the most elegant spaces at a time widely considered to be the pinnacle of Chinese interior design.”Unlike the rest of the Forbidden City, the Palace is relatively quite new, having merely been constructed in 1771 AD under commands from the Qianlong Emperor of Qing in order to prepare for his retirement from public life. Despite this fact however, the Emperor even up until the day he died, never moved into it even for a mere second. He did however temporarily visit it twice still though.The Palace is located in the northeastern section of palatial complex, and covers an area of approximately 46,000 m^2, or roughly 6.39% of the City’s total area, and is large enough to contain several smaller buildings as mentioned prior, including but not limited to the “Pavilion of Pleasant Sounds” (暢音閣), “Hall of Spiritual Cultivation” (養性殿), and the “Well of Concubine Zhen” (珍妃井).The Pavilion of Pleasant Sounds located within the Hall itself:The main Palace itself is roughly 7 bays wide, and 3 bays deep, and is a two story building with a pair of single-eaved roofs, and is placed at the center of the entire mini-complex, which as a whole like the rest of the Forbidden City is aligned on a magnetic North-South axis. To get there, one would have to first get past both the “Hall of Imperial Supremacy” (皇极殿), not to be confused with the Hall of Supreme Harmony’s Ming Era name, and the “Gate of Tranquil Longevity” (寧壽門).The Hall of Supreme Harmony by stark contrast is 9 bay wide and double-eaved with regards to its roof, and is where the father of the Emperor, the Imperial Regent (if he was still alive in the case of the Qianlong Emperor), would receive Mandarin Officials on his son’s behalf. Currently, both the Hall and the Palace have been turned into the “Exhibition Hall of Fine Arts of the Palace Museum”, which houses 100,000 pieces of art from the Jin Era from the 3rd Century, to the end of the Qing Era in the 20th Century.The exterior of the Hall of Tranquil Longevity:The most noteworthy physical aspect of the Palace would have had to have been the “Nine Dragon Screen” (九龍壁), which located to the south of the “Gate of Imperial Supremacy” (皇极門), which is the largest and best of its kind throughout all China, of which there were only 3 others.Facing north, it measures in at about 29.4 m long and 3.5 m high. Constructed merely a year after the Palace itself was built in the 37th year of the reign of Qianlong, the whole scene on the wall depicts a total of 9 dragons fixated with their pearls against a backdrop of the seas and clouds.Yellow, blue, white and purple were merely some of the colours the dragons on high relief were decorated with, a rule which applied to 8. But the one in the center was only decorated with yellow and purple most notably. Dragons (龍) historically speaking, had always been an important symbol in Chinese culture, and were thus often adopted by the Emperor. They are representative for “Yang” (陽) the masculine energy of the universe, and is used to denote the Emperor as the Son of Heaven.The Screen is exactly composed of 270 glazed tiles, the reason being that the numeral “270” is divisible both by numbers “5” and “9”. In a “Base 10” system, 9 is the largest of the odd numbers, 5 meanwhile is in the middle of the four, both which complemented one another in displaying the superiority of the Chinese Emperor of Imperial China, hence their importance.The Screen as depicted below:The importance of the Palace in particular, cannot be overstated. It was built at a time when anti-Manchurian rule during the Qing Empire, from native Han Chinese peoples was at its highest. So the construction of the building was for propaganda purposes primarily. That is why Qianlong never lived in the Palace itself - he had never intended to.He built it for his retirement set for the year 1796 exactly; the year he intended to abdicate making his reign merely 60 years long, rather than the 61 which had been achieved by his grandfather. By purposefully giving up his throne 1 year short of the Kangxi Emperor, he was hoping to submit to Confucian beliefs regarding filial piety, thus showing how pro-Chinese he really was, in order to win over the people’s trust once and for all.The Interior of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity:Chapter IV: The Architectural Intricacies of the Forbidden CityDown to the last seemingly insignificant detail, everything in the Forbidden City was painstakingly planned, designed and executed meticulously in order to reflect the ongoing philosophical and religious trends of Chinese civilization of course sure, but above all, it was made to uphold and promote Imperial supremacy and greatness.Hence why the Forbidden City has consistently been called “the Zenith of Traditional Chinese Architecture” many times prior to this day. This is not a trivial fact however, as Chinese civilization is continuous. Each dynasty, takes the developments seen under its predecessors, and lifts it up to an all new unprecedented level. The Ming and Qing, being the last dynasties therefore, by default were able to bring about this pinnacle in Chinese Architecture naturally.Anyways, let us first begin with a concept called “Axial Symmetry”, one shown here down below as follows of the “Three Great Halls”, of which the Hall of Supreme Harmony is part of:The entire Palace was designed to be perfectly in line with the North-South magnetic axis of the Earth (to this extent they failed, it was roughly 2 degrees off to the side).The buildings in the very center to this extent, including the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony in the outer court together with Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Union, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility in the Inner Court, were all built along this central axis.All other buildings were likewise also constructed parallel to this aforementioned central axis. Obviously, the entire complex today is not all too symmetrical, however, this is because the Palace has been altered significantly up until today little by little for reasons as diverse as cultural change and necessity.The entire complex however, keeps in line with an idea from the Pre-Imperial Chinese (before 221 BC) belief, from the “Book of Changes”; the “I Ching” (易經), a 2,800 year old book which advised buildings to be constructed to respect “the union of the human being and nature. The palace gates specifically for example, were notably built on the basis of 8 Chinese diagrams depicting the ideal of harmonizing man with nature.Hence why the palace is also constructed in line with the religious temples on the outside of the complex also, done so out of respect for such a belief, careful to respect the cosmic balance between Man and Nature (the balance between earthly life and celestial life is attained by ensuring that the palaces in the center are of equal distances from the central axis, yet in line with the alters):The Forbidden City was also most notably at the center of the Imperial City itself, a phenomenon which is of no mistake either. Because the Ming and Qing National Ideology of Confucianism maintained that the Emperor sat at the apex of Chinese society, where else could the ruler of all under Heaven live except at the center of the universe of course.Just because the City was symmetrical however, does not mean also that they were equal. The Imperial Chinese often favoured one side over the other, in this case the left side was deemed as being more important than the right. The left represented the notions of promotion, and stood for the general highest order of things. The right by stark contrast meanwhile, meant demotion and was therefore inferior.The fact that the “Temple of Ancestral Worship” (太廟) was on the left, directly parallel to its more easterly cousin, the Temple of Earth and Harvests, was a fact which made the former the self-evidently superior party. Implicitly, this also served further to show what Chinese culture so valued. The veneration and respect for one’s ancestors, was very much superior to the worries of everyday life in the forms of harvests, and therefore food. One’s ancestors was essentially more important than even starvation to this extent, as per Confucian beliefs.The Temple of Ancestral Worship, slightly outside the confines of the Forbidden City:The primary building material of Chinese Architecture meanwhile, since time immemorial, has of course always been wood, simply because it was an abundant, and seemingly never ending resource in “China Proper”, and the Chinese were a practical peoples. Wood was simple to work with, easier still to produce en masse, and was also quite flexible to use as a means to construct.However worthy it was of foremost adoption however, there were several inherent drawbacks to this fact though of course. Chief amongst which was its tendency to quickly rot over time, severely weakening the structure of any particular building. It was also highly flammable furthermore, several of the buildings within the City have reportedly burned down throughout the City’s history.And furthermore, wood being a very weak material relative to say stone, was a fact which acted to traditionally ensure that no pure wooden building in neither Feudal nor Imperial China, could ever reach heights of beyond 3 stories high. Some exceptions do exist of course, but it was a limitation which ensured that the Forbidden City’s buildings, even despite living in a world with hundreds of years of compounded technological progress, mostly emphasized width instead for this very reason.The “Hall of Preserving Harmony” (保和殿) within the City, is but merely one example of such a limitation, double storied despite its vast width:The Four Corner Towers of the Forbidden City meanwhile were built to respect the numeral of “9”. Emperor Yongle had desired a tower which utilized exactly 9 wooden beams, 18 pillars and 72 ridge beams on pain of death for failure to deliver - this was the aforementioned intellectual difficulties faced, by the expert craftsman, who eventually solved it by observing an elderly man’s cricket cage, as mentioned previously last chapter.Emperor Yongle was very inflexible to this extent, demanding such a specification since the sum of 9, 18 and 72 totalled together to an amount equivalent to the numeral of “99”. 99 during the Ming Era, was a very important number at the time. Yongle had also instructed that the number was to be attained by segregating construction efforts into 3 layers of construction first.The first was to create 8 sides on the first floor, and forge an eave. Afterwards, one was supposed to apply the same instructions once again, but this time above the 4 main eaves, one was to place ridge beams also in addition to provide adequate support in the shape of a triangle.And lastly, one was to do this four more times with regards to the triangular ridges, and in so doing was to lay on top of each one of them, was to lay the sum of 4 additional beams on 4 exclusive sides only. Thereafter, the internal fundamentals of the structure would be completed at last.The North-Western Tower of the Forbidden City in Beijing:Colouring of the Forbidden City was yet another matter altogether. The ideology of Confucianism was indeed the philosophy which determined the location and the whereabouts to be of the Forbidden City and all its buildings, but its traditional counterpart, Taoism on the other hand was the dominating force when it came to colour usage within the complex meanwhile.It was a Taoist belief that a naturally occuring rule which was universally applicable, asserted in favour of the existence of 5 naturally occurring elements, to which the entire universe was composed of. Fire (火), Earth (土), Metal (金), Water (水) and Wood (木) are these aforementioned elements, and each had a colour which was associated with it. Fire for example was red, wood was green presumably due to its leaves, whilst water was black, earth yellow, and metal was white.We see this ideology applied to the Southern Three Places for example, which was covered with tiles, glazed with green in accordance to the theory of the 5 Elements, in order to represent growth, and continuing maturity like wood and trees which grow likewise in the same way.A chart of the Five Elements along with their respective colours:Some buildings such as the Pavilion of Literary Profundity (introduced last chapter) also had black tiles. Black presumably being the colour of water, was intended as a symbolically countermeasure against fire, which routinely engulfed and burned down select parts of the Forbidden City, in random incinerations.Yellow however - the colour of most of the roofs in the City- was considered the Imperial colour, reserved for exclusive Imperial use. Yellow was the colour of Earth, representing the notions of stability and nourishment. The traditions of Yellow being the colour of the Emperor goes back a long way however.The very first ruler of Chinese civilization, the legendary “Yellow Emperor” (黃帝) was called so because his army was said to have honoured the value of the “Yellow Earth”; the symbol of farming, since Northern China around the traditional basins which first gave rise to Sino civilization, was quite yellowish in colour also.The Huang He (黃河) “Yellow” River was this aforementioned cradle of Chinese civilization, and is so called because of the yellow tint it displays, was resultant of a large sediment to water ratio. Here is the River as seen at Hukou Falls:Hence Yellow was considered the Imperial colour, and why it was also used so often throughout the Forbidden City. Yellow also had an additional meaning in the eyes of the Imperial Chinese, having long by that point in time also meant “respect” in addition to its Taoist definition.Red meanwhile was utilized by the walls of select parts in the City, most notably the sides of the Forbidden City. Red represented the notions and concepts of good fortune, favour and happiness. Naturally it was used quite a significant amount on many of the buildings within the Forbidden City itself.White, the colour for metal meanwhile was the least utilized of the 5 colours, but was primarily used still with regards to the marble fences, which surrounded the perimeters of the various terraces beneath buildings such as that of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. White meant righteousness and purity, just like the justice of the Chinese Emperors.A marble slab staircase within the Forbidden City:Roofs of the buildings within the complex itself, noticeably came with a set of small, ornately carved statuettes. The number of statuettes that are placed along the eaves of the roofs however, does depend on how important a particular building is. A minor building might merely have 3–5, but a more important structure such as the Hall of Supreme Harmony could have up to even 10 perhaps.Upon reflection, this is not really true truth be told, since 10 decorations was an unprecedented amount, and as a consequence the Hall’s 10th statuette is called the “Hangshi” (行十), or “Ranked Tenth”. The front statue as per tradition is consistently that of a man riding upon a phoenix, and is usually followed up with an Imperial Dragon.The statuettes atop the eaves of the Hall of Supreme Harmony:The fact that the Hall of Supreme Harmony has 10 of these animals, was a fact which also implied its superiority in the unwritten hierarchy of buildings within the Forbidden City. These animals come from Chinese mythology, and include in chronological order of a:Chiwen (the Kissing Dragon), 1 of the 9 of its kind to keep an eye on the threat of firesPhoenix, to wish upon the structure it was place with prosperity and blissLion, exists to proclaim the power of the Emperor to the entire worldCelestial Horse, to show off their ability to bridge the gap between Heaven and EarthSeahorse, situated on the roof primarily for protection against fireSuanni (Lion-Dragon), king of the animal kingdom and one of the many sons of the “King of Dragons”Yayu (Lion-Fish), exists to collect clouds and extinguish firesHaetae (Unicorn), which stands for justice and righteousnessDouniu (Bull-Fighting Dragon), the guardian of peace and tranquilityXingshi (Flying Monkey), a creature of guardianship whose purpose it is to protect the structure from thunder and ruinA statue of the Celestial Being, the leading statuette on the very corner of the corners of any particular building:As decorative as the statuettes were, they were also placed on the eaves for a more practical reason. The decorations were quite heavy, so they acted as a de facto nail on the roofs of a building on which they were placed to prevent them from sliding, and also to ensure the stability of their corners when a gust of wind ventured by, serving lastly to prevent roof leaks in addition.Apart from being able to indicate the rank and title of its owner (in this case for the Emperor), the animals serve to create a supernatural atmosphere, to further give it the impression that the Forbidden City was the home of the gods on Earth.A close up of the secondary Chiwen, the last animal right after the Xingshi; the animal of ranked tenth:The Chinese were also known to have based the layouts of their Forbidden City on an ancient text; the “Book of Rites” (禮記), and so had specifically organized the complex such that ancestral temples were in front of the palace, storage areas by stark contrast situated in the forward compartments of the palace complex, whilst residences for the Imperial Family reserved for the rear ends of the City; the Inner Court.Apart from that however, Imperial motifs were also quite a big deal. Dragons protect the Emperor, Phoenixes meanwhile do the same for the Empress. With regards to the former, a number amounting to 12,654 were created specifically for this purpose, all crafted in a variety of different ways.A statue of a dragon and phoenix, the protectors of the Emperor and Empress respectively:Two additional styles of motifs apart complement the Imperial type in addition: Suzhou style and Tangent circle patterns. The latter is inferior to its Imperial counterpart, which is made up of gyrate decorative patterns, and used on side halls, gates and subordinate halls, whilst the former is utilized on pavilions, towers and so on in the gardens.Moreover was the existence of terraces which are used both to support and magnify the magnificence on a building to which it is assigned. The former is applicable in the event of rain, in which the terrace acts as a barrier against wood dampness.As part of the hierarchical model of buildings denoting the superiority of certain structures over others, the more terraces a building has, the more important that particular hall is. They were also designed to be drainage systems also in addition, with the stone heads of the lions around the terraces acting as water spouts.Case in point, here are a set of waterspouts, which serve to drain rainwater from upper level platforms on which their principal halls were built:There ended the most unique aspects of the Forbidden City. Most of the other features were nothing all too special with regards to the Imperial style of Ming and Qing Architecture, generally reflected Late Imperial trends rather. Still in those last days, was the importance of beams and columns to be used as the foremost support structures for instances.Rooms were divided internally by walls, who objectives it was also, to serve as auxiliary backups to the pillars. Buildings were designed to be such that windows were easy to change, paint still had a dual role as part decoration and part protection to any building to which it was applied. Otherwise, there is little else of interest to note with regards to the Forbidden City that hasn’t already been covered above previously.Final Summary (and TL;DR)To put it sharp and shortly, the Forbidden City, the grand palatial complex for the Emperors of Merciless Ming and Totalitarian Qing was a 980 room strong, 720,000 m^2 large, de facto private fortified fortress which acted as the private residence for all who were of importance to the ruler of China. The City was so called because it was off limits to all who had not been authorized to enter it, the punishment for doing so was immediate execution.Apart from this, the City was also a microcosm for both Ming and Qing China, representing in full the ignorance, prejudice and isolationism of the Emperor, the most powerful individual in China, as it did also for the country as a whole which was to remain the most advanced nation for a couple of decades still after the former’s initial construction in the 1400s, itself taking 14 years for 1,000,000 labourers to finally complete in 1420 AD.Because of the status of the Forbidden City as being off limits to the common people, and the fact also that it was modelled on the fabled Heavenly Purple Palace, the City was initially looked upon with utmost reverence, a status reflected by China as a whole. As time passed however, the City changed also, following suit with such a change with regards to how it was perceived and treated accordingly.As China became weaker, more backward and poorer relative to the rest of the world, the City became less revered, more ignored and its forbidden status though still observed became more mocked and scorned at than respected towards its very last days. The status of the City finally reached its lowest point come the advent of the highly destructive Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, in which the fanatical Red Guards had even attempted to have it completely wiped off the face of the Earth.The Forbidden City as seen from the Gate of Divine Might in Winter:The City in the post-1979 reforms has only recently begin to once again be on the path to attaining its former glory, once more reflecting the changing status of China as an emerging superpower, which becoming rich and strong yet again relative to the rest of the World.The Architecture of China is another thing, everything has been meticulously planned down to the last detail, all in order to honour the Emperor, yet reflect philosophical and cultural beliefs. Colouring for example is based on Taoism, so is its orientation on a North-South axis, Confucianism dictates the hierarchy of buildings and the importance of some over others, whilst wood is the primarily material utilized in construction.The City itself is meanwhile littered all across with halls in some areas, including the Hall of Supreme Harmony, of Literary Glory and of Martial Valor. Pavillons likewise also dominate, including that of Myriad Springs, Gates also of Divine Might, of Eastern and Western Prosperity, and even entire Gardens such as that of the Imperial variant were just some of the buildings throughout the Forbidden City.Thus the grand palatial complex of Ming and Qing can indeed be said to have been most relevant to Sino history, culture and civilization indeed, being the zenith of Traditional Chinese Architecture and all, and also one of China’s greatest contributions to Humanity as a whole, of that one can be sure.Sources IThe Palace Museum. (2005). Gugong. “II. Ridgeline of a Prosperous Age” (Documentary). China: CCTV.Sources IIhttps://learnodo-newtonic.com/ming-dynasty-achievementsMing dynasty - WikipediaHongwu | emperor of Ming dynastyYongle | emperor of Ming dynastyForbidden City - WikipediaHistory of the Forbidden City - WikipediaCHINESE EMPERORS, SEX, ISOLATION AND COURT LIFE IN CHINAForbidden City | History, Facts, & MapTransition from Ming to Qing - WikipediaHall of Supreme Harmony - WikipediaCentury of humiliation - WikipediaSecond Opium War: OverviewBoxer Rebellion - WikipediaThe Transition from Palace to MuseumPuyi | emperor of Qing dynastyJanuary 28 Incident - WikipediaThe Second Sino-Japanese WarThe Chinese Civil WarTiananmen - WikipediaThe Cultural Revolution beginsRed GuardsFour Olds | Chinese historyMeridian Gate, Forbidden City Meridian GateMeridian Gate, Wumen - Forbidden City, BeijingGate of Divine Might - WikipediaEast Glorious GateForbidden City Moat, Corner Towers, Gates of Palace Museum, BeijingCorner Tower - Beijing - LocalWikiGate of Supreme Harmony - WikipediaGate of Supreme Harmony, TaihemenHall of Supreme Harmony, TaihedianHall of Supreme Harmony - WikipediaHall of Military EminenceHall of Martial Valor, WuyingdianHall of Literary Glory, WenhuadianForbidden City Palace MuseumPalace of Heavenly Purity, QianqinggongPalace of Heavenly Purity - WikipediaImperial Garden, Yuhuayuan - Forbidden City, BeijingImperial Garden of Beijing Forbidden CityHall of Mental Cultivation, YangxindianPalace of Tranquil Longevity, NingshougongPalace of Tranquil Longevity - WikipediaChinese architectureArchitecture of the Forbidden CityArchitecture & Layout of the Forbidden CityI Ching - WikipediaImperial Ancestral Temple - WikipediaHall of Preserving Harmony - WikipediaSymbolism of colors - Chinese CustomsForbidden City of China, mystery of Chinese Imperial Architecture

This answer may contain sensitive images. Click on an image to unblur it.I have lived a sensible life by nature, but richly varied by choice and luck, and humbling through contact with worthy people from all walks of life and parts of the world.My first gay experience was in the “epicenter of AIDS”, San Francisco in 1980 around age 21 when I was there as a student on an exchange program from my British university. One of my family acquaintances turned out, unexpectedly, to not only be gay but lived in Castro and was highly sexually active. He must have guessed that I was gay since he took me to Twin Peaks Tavern, at the start of Castro Street. Although it was one of the most open, friendly gay bars I froze when I saw men kissing one another, repressed conflict welling up. My first sexual experience followed but it was very quick; I was thrown into a sense of guilt that almost paralyzed me. I was eventually diagnosed with depression, which, with hindsight, may have saved my life by preventing any penetrative sexual contact.I returned to Britain and was clinically depressed for about a year; this was before the advent of Serotonin agonists, a breakthrough in treating depression, with the launch of Prozac in 1988. After graduation, I decided to do practical training in Paris although my French was only passable at the time. However, it was a life altering decision.AIDS Shaped the Contours of My Youth i.e. Sex was a deadly risk.The stats or a “macro” view:The above data from the UK shows that a diagnosis of AIDS (green line) continues to mean death (purple line) in most cases. However, as of 1996 antiretroviral therapy inhibited HIV infection (orange line) from progressing to AIDS with improvements in therapy peaking in 2005 before plateauing. (However, in sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS is a huge and growing epidemic.)What the graph doesn’t show is that heterosexual transmission (sex, drugs and in utero) exceeded homosexual transmission from 1998–2011. While newer drugs prevent most HIV infections from progressing to AIDS, some 5–7% do (either due to lack of diagnosis or treatment, or to failure of therapy). In addition, with the advent of PreP, many young gays view, incorrectly, that HIV is no longer has any risk.My experience:Since I was, by nature/nurture, a rational, cautious person, I became as informed as possible about the then unfurling AIDS situation, and as of about 1983/4, I have rigorously practiced “safe sex”. I did not allow myself to engage in penetrative sex for the first few years and only did so after months of a relationship. There have been a few accidents but, on the whole, I have not lost my head either with alcohol or drugs.Since I tend to have similarly-rational friends, I have not had anyone close to me die of AIDS except two, a Swede and a Frenchman.The Frenchman was a pharmacist with whom I fell in love after one date in the early 1980’s with a ride on his motocycle though Paris at night; after a few passionate nights, he shortly after “dumped” me and I couldn’t understand why until later; he was diagnosed with AIDS and didn’t want to get close to me or anyone.Around 30, I had an affair with a Swedish post-grad student in the US in the late 1980’s. We parted ways as I returned to France and he called me from Stockholm a few months after we had graduated to say that he had AIDS; I was in shock and I never heard from him again.My 20’s in 1980’s Paris. A libertine Smörgåsbord in a cosmopolitan city that was mostly see but don’t touch due to concern about AIDS.At that time, there weren’t many gay-specific places in Paris as there were longing gazes everywhere, in streets, on bridges, at the gym, in stores, on airplanes, in buses, in metro, in gardens. The French sit in cafés and look around as part of everyday behavior; it was a cultural facet that allowed for fairly open “hook ups” for men and women. However, I was shy and only relaxed when I went to the biggest Temple of Sex, the late Continental Opera, filled with attractive French and foreign youth.The place was in a vast basement under an office building near Opera. It was decorated in a Greco-Roman style with classical statues and mosaics, fountains and plants; walls and floors were covered in tiles. On one side was a large bar and a dining area around a curved pool (if my memory serves me). It was had a restaurant and a fairly good one with views of naked men cavorting in the water.On the other side of the establishment was a circuit warren of cabins, dark rooms, showers, saunas and steam rooms. There was even a hair cutter at times.It was a place of great physical delight when those over 30 were “mature”. It was perhaps the biggest, best known gay sauna in Europe, popular with the after work local crowd and visitors. There were many pleasant encounters; the most memorable was with a cute young Frenchman who was deaf but exquisitely communicative through touch and facial expression. He lived in a small town to the north of Paris, Amiens, where President Macron would attend high school. There was no way to remain in contact in the days before cellphones and e-mail; he gave me his address but it was logistically doomed before the TGV.While there was the start of a “gay ghetto” in Le Marais, sexual encounters could occur anywhere in Paris so, from an encounter viewpoint, I didn’t see much point in having gay-specific retail or restaurant spaces. I can count on the fingers on my hands the number of men I met in a gay bar or club over the decades; there was little need to limit sexual encounters to a specific place. In addition, the long summer holidays in France often led to some men remaining for a week or two in Paris when the rest of the family left for the sea or mountains or overseas. Summer flings resulted with either closeted or somewhat bisexual men who were discreet or unadventurous outside of summer. In addition, people came out sunbathing on the banks of the Seine and at the now gone Piscine Deligny, a floating pool near the Assemblée Nationale.In Paris, capital of the country most visited by foreigners, you never know whom you would meet. I came across Frenchmen, other Western Europeans, Middle Easterners, North Americans, Latin Americans and North and South Africans of every hue and background. They were office workers, executives, diplomats, dancers, professional rugbymen, artists, retail employees, hairdressers, military, actors, singers, architects, a jazz musician, a meteorologist, journalists, postmen, teachers, TV & film directors, rich playboys, models, bankers, waiters, students, jewelers, fashion designers, a professional rugbyman, pharmacists, doctors, a pilot with Iberia, stewards with Air France and Air Inter (the then domestic French airline), turners, restaurateurs, pastry chefs, auctioneers, lawyers, engineers… I’ve read that the average American straight male has under 20 different sexual partners in life; I have had hundreds over the decades but not the thousands of more of some unbridled gay men.In short, there was no commonality in the profiles of the men I met. However, I began to generalize that French boys had good asses, sizable appendages but boyish bodies and great hair. If I could extrapolate from my experiences, I found that Spaniards to be handsome, sweet and passionate, Italians to be garrulous, sometimes gorgeous, vigorous but conflicted (All marry by age 35!). I’ve never clicked with many Northern Europeans even though I find that there is little more desirable than a hairy, well-shaped blond man. (The picture below is only a representation; if it is copyrighted, I’ll delete it.)I must have been fairly attractive as I was invited to Rome, London, Amsterdam, Venice, Madrid by successful men about 10 years older than I was. I was asked to live with a long-term Parisian couple in their early 30s’s who had been successful entrepreneurs in their 20’s. I think the term today is “thrupple”. (PS. I only accepted an internatinal invitation once, by my first gay love - to the hometown of an Italian I met in London and who is now married like all his contemporary gay Italian friends!)My 30’s - with partner, roving around Europe and muscled up.I took up body building in my mid 20’s and soon was exercising up to 5 times a week under the guidance of a sweet gym monitor, a competitive level French bodybuilder (“culturiste”), who was unfortunately fired after a suspected “’roid rage”. He taught me the methods of professional culturistes and I actually kept a tabular record of my exercises. The biggest chain was Gymnase Club (like LA Fitness) but I also joined Espace Vit’Halles in Les Halles for a time.With hindsight, I was an attractive youth (?+8/10 physically) and with an increasingly muscular body by the time I was in my early 30s, I would get “looks” in the gym and, on occasion, in unexpected places (like supermarkets and restaurants); I had my pick. Temptation was daily and varied in a major European city in my 20’s and 30’s, and since I traveled internationally for work in Western and Northern Europe, in most major cities in Western Europe.On rare trips to Asia, I have encountered Chinese, Americans, a Frenchman, a Philippin, an Italian, Thais and an Australian. They were very brief and not very memorable, more of a matter of exploring different flavors than being specifically drawn with a language/cultural barrier and the unlikelihood of continued relationship curtailing any expectation.The Dampening Effect of AIDS (20’s - 40’s)Since not much was known about AIDS in the 1980’s, except that it was sexually transmitted, disfiguring and deadly, I was an early adopter of “Safe Sex”. When acquaintances started passing away, I deliberately curbed casual encounters - usually only in environments like gay saunas where one could see the person’s entire body and “safer sex” was expected (by most). I then met my life partner just in the mid 80’s and my sexual life has been a lot less “promiscuous” than if I had been single.Since I engaged in “unprotected” oral sex (except when I have mouth ulcers), I did have regular HIV tests - that remain negative to this day.In some ways, I chose a life of a couple partly motivated by the unknown of AIDS and the emptiness of a life of sexual adventures with no tomorrow.My 50’s - Sexual desire is no longer ever-, or even frequently, present in mind.My sexual desire has greatly diminished with age and, as I have become less physically attractive, I also have fewer opportunities. (“When you’re young, you have your pick and say; when you’re old, you can’t give it away.”)My primary goals in life are now professional, altruistic and familial.Even today, with the availability of Truvada (PreP), I still would use “protection” as I am aware that a) other STD’s, some difficult to treat, still exist and b) every drug has failures and, unseen long-term consequences (Remember Thalidomide that had side effects show up in the children of users?)My cautious, rational nature, combined with the decision and luck of having a compatible life partner has kept me from HIV infection as well as kept my sanity. Even my youthful tendency to depression has served to keep me “safe”; so, I never look back with regret.If I could speak to my younger self, I would tell him:a) Live each day as if it could be your last, but plan for the long-term.b) Youth have an irrational sense of invincibility and self-delusion but you may be around into old age so bear that in mind in your life choices,c) If you are mentally stressed, don’t turn to drink or drugs but to professional help and medication; it will be cheaper, more effective and mentally fulfilling than “self-medication”; I had witnessed the futility and spiral of destruction due to alcoholism in my family and I swore as a child that I would never turn to drink or drugs in dealing with any issues.d) Sex is free floating as a youth and newbie but don’t let desire overrule rationality, Don’t engage in unprotected sex, even with long-term partners.e) Keep your head when all around are losing theirs. In particular, don’t get involved with anyone at work or in a small, important social circle; the risk to your career is too great.f) Anything we do has risk, but when the risk is irreversible or severe, now matter how unlikely, be very cautious when one accident or mistake can have lifelong or fatal consequences. Weigh risk with reward and our ability to recover in the event of a poor outcome.g) When we are young we are unable to objectively judge ourselves. In my case, I was very attractive but felt average to slightly above average in looks. Perhaps, I could have had more “adventures” if I were not so inhibited; however, perhaps my youthful shyness saved my life.HindsightI was propelled by my gay nature to look outside of my narrow-minded birth society despite my inherently cautious, unadventurous nature as a youth.Despite the spectre of AIDS, my youth was one of self-discovery, peeling away at pre-judgments (prejudices) through contact with a much wider range of socio-economic, cultural and linguistic groups than had I been an unadventurous straight male. This freedom has had costs; I look to older age without children and am concerned that, should I ever be in a group home, I would face discrimination at my most vulnerable.I was most fortunate in having the education and resources to choose where I lived as a young adult. I came of age in perhaps the most accepting of societies and cities in the 1980s. That was Paris before the age of the Internet and cell phone culture but at the dawn of the AIDS epidemic.I have traveled far and wide in my youth and now, as I am more senior, I have no “bucket list” of places to visit and hate visual tourism where there is zero contact with locals due to the barrier of language. From Beijing to Chiang Mai, from Bergen to Taormina, from Quebec City to Buenos Aires, from Lake Ontario to the Lago di Garda, from Honolulu to the Azores, I have visited innumerable places to the point that some are a vague memory. I have little desire to travel just for tourism any more. The only places that would have drawn me were the ancient civilizations in modern day Syria, Iraq and Iran (but all now destroyed or unwise a destination); further afield, I would have liked to visit more of Indochina (but with a bilingual native).If I had moved to the US at a young age, my life experience would have been less enriching; with 5 weeks of holiday per year in Europe, one travels a lot and inexpensively to different countries.