Bridgewater Review
Volume 29 | Issue 2 Article 7
Dec-2010 Calligraphy Tablets in the Forbidden City Jianrong Wang Bridgewater State University
Recommended Citation Wang, Jianrong (2010). Calligraphy Tablets in the Forbidden City. Bridgewater Review, 29(2), 11-14. Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/br_rev/vol29/iss2/7
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CalligraphyTablets in the Forbidden City JianrongWang
The Forbidden City irst built in 1406, the Forbidden City witnessed orthodox described in Rites of Chou, one of the Confucian classics, first pub- three dynasties’ imperial administration work lishedin the secondcentury BC.The and royal family life for about five hundred buildings in the palace, therefore, were F mainly divided into two groups: the years before Chinese feudalist history ended in 1911. front one for court work andimportant Locatedin the very center of Beijing, the 7.8 million- ritual ceremonies andthe rear one square-foot palace complex houses within its 980 occupied as residential quarters for the royal family.From Kuai Xiang’s surviving buildings some 1.17 million items of artwork blueprint, we can see every building in andartifacts. the Forbidden City had a calligraphy tablet hanging above to designate its The calligraphy tablets hung over each political ideals, advocating academic specific function. main gate and building, although often achievements, expressing goodwishes neglectedby visitors,actually are special and depicting charming sceneries. The three great front halls usedfor embodiments of traditional Chinese work andceremonies, for example, The Forbidden City was designed by concepts either well known or maybe have inscriptions of “Hall of Supreme Kuai Xiang (1398-1481), an architect unexpected by their readers. Besides Harmony,” “Hall of Central Harmony,” master of the Ming Dynasty (1368- explaining architectural functions, the and“Hall of Preserving Harmony” 1644). He strictly appliedto the layout tablets also can be readas means of on the tablets, since the emperor was of the royal palace the classical ritual decorating the architecture, conveying believedto be enthronedto rule the
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Hall of Supreme Harmony
people as son of Heaven. His highest Chinese traditional architecture, and are to meet with the outer appearance of goal was established to achieve harmony found on almost every main gate, wall a specific architecture (for example, among Heaven, the Earth and the and building of those historic palaces, when the space between the roof and human being.Thus harmony was mansions, temples and gardens.The the purlin above the gate is not wide repeatedly emphasized on the tablets to tablets in the Forbidden City distinguish enough) and also avoid the visual dull- idealize the effectiveness of the court. themselves also with magnificent deco- ness of too many repetitions of vertical On the other hand, the three main rear rations. Gold-gilded wood frames, flying ones.The decorations on the tablets are halls have tablets bearing words convey- dragons in relief, and gold characters in sometimes changed to create a friendly ing different functions.“Palace of blue backgrounds are widely applied and intimate feeling. So-called volume- Heavenly Purity,” “Hall of Union,”and here, for such elements as gold and drag- tablets above a study look like an open “Palace of EarthlyTranquility” express ons were regarded as symbols unique to scroll book, with neither heavy color the marital significance of the emperor. imperial authority.These elements nor intricate patterns, to imply the aca- According to the dualist principle of match the luxurious paintings of the demic isolation and quietness within yin and yang, all life and phenomena can complex with perfection. both the place and the owner. be attributed to the interaction of the To achieve the best decorative effect, the In practice, the extents and functions two opposite elements.Yin is feminine tablets take horizontal shapes sometimes of tablets have gone far beyond Kuai and absorbing.The Earth is yin.Yang is Xiang’s original design.The popularity thought of as masculine and penetrating of tablets throughout the long, recorded and also associated with the Heaven. history of China has been deeply rooted The Palace of Heavenly Purity was the in one of the five essential Confucian dwelling place of the emperor and the concepts “the rectification of names.” Palace of EarthlyTranquility of the The concept first appeared in The empress. Between them lies the Hall Analects by Confucius.To keep a sound of Union.This was a place to hold the social order, Confucius argues for the wedding ceremony for the emperor. priority of rectification of names. “Union” means the harmony between Without a proper name, rank cannot yin and yang, and the unity of the obtain its supposed power, the expres- Heaven and the Earth.The auspicious sion in language does not sound reason- effects were heightened by the power able and the action though taken is of language embodied in the tablet. always subject to failure. Convinced Calligraphy tablets can always enhance by this basic concept, people believed the aesthetic charm of architecture as a tablets taking the solemn form of public whole, which can explain why they communication were an effective means have developed as a common feature of Hall of Cultivating Minds tablet to help rectify names.
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Many influential literati would keep the frequent marriage ties among those tablets around their working or/and tribes. In court,however, either Man or dwelling places to exalt to the public Han was acceptable as the working lan- their highest moral or behavior princi- guage for many years. In 1657, Emperor ples.Those poetic words and handsome Shunzhi (r. 1644-1661) decreed to pre- handwriting could always win audi- serve only Man and Han versions on the ences’ hearts.Following those great tablets in the palace, so only a couple of examples, emperors also occupied the trilingual ones can be found now.Those small yet influential communicative bilingual tablets are commonly known platforms to promote their governing as the “combined jade of Man and Han,” ideologies. Chinese people categorize with Man words always taking the right this kind of influence as “to educate position to prove the language’s superior with non-verbal actions.” The influence position.With time passing, more and intended, or maybe unintended, more Han people were working for the thus began to work out silently from empire.At the same time, Man language the tablets. was gradually receding away.The tablets show that many inscriptions written by The tablets also contributed to the regu- Hall of Supreme Harmony tablet the emperors themselves are only in lation of the official languages in the Chinese characters. explicitly expressed in their handwriting Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). After the on the tablets and tried to exert their conquest of China in 1644, the Manchu Actually,the Qing Dynasty’s experience influence on their ministers and citizens. emperors endeavored to balance was a gradual process of sinolization. between Man, their native language, Though the Qing despots must answer The “Non-Action” tablet in the Hall and Han, the Chinese dominant lan- for the final fall of China’s feudalist of Union is the handwriting of Kangxi. guage.The emperor ordered the former empire, at least three of them were Non-action is the essential philosophy tablets of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) enlightened ones with quite high politi- ofTaoism.When applied to government, with only Chinese characters changed cal awareness and achievements. Good non-action asks a sage ruler to govern into trilingual ones — in Man, Mongo- government under Kangxi (r.1622- the world with no interference in its lian, and Han. Manchu people only had 1722),Yongzheng (r. 1723-35) and own way.Instead of deserting the world, oral language at the very beginning. Qianlong (r.1736-95) gave China a the ruler should understand that the When Nurharchi ordered a written prolonged period of peace and stability. truth lies inTao, the way of nature. Man language system, Mongolian There was expansion in the empire’s Keeping a sympathetic heart open to written language was used as a stereo- territorial reach, population and general his people and avoiding turning into type. In private, some royal family level of wealth.Their governing ideolo- a trouble-maker, the ruler is likely to members also used Mongolian due to gies and working guidelines were grasp the essence of non-action and to create a harmonious society. Yongzheng also left his own handwrit- ings in the Hall of Mental Cultivation and the Hall of WestWarmth. One is “Mediocre, Upright, Benevolent, and Harmonious.”The other is “Diligent in Governance and Intimate with the Sages.” These admirable moral and behavioral principles could have inspired the emperor himself and his officials to work better. Meanwhile they could have been dangerous when used as criteria to evaluate an emperor and his empire.Well known for his extreme diligence and strictness,Yongzheng is believed to at least deserve the latter.
Hall of Supreme Harmony
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Qianlong had a more lively and roman- tic character than either his grandfather or father. He secretly visited many famous scenic places around China. There are many stories about his experi- ences disguised as a common traveler around his enormous land. As a collec- tor and connoisseur, he yearned to be identified with the great artists and literati of the past whose works he admired. Calligraphy on many tablets in the Forbidden City was contributed by him. Outside the palace, he also left a large number of works. He even set up a small studio and workshop in the Forbidden City to appreciate those collections of extraordinary value and also to turn out his own poems, paint- ings and calligraphy works.The tablet within this room is inscribed with “Hall Gate of Divine Prowess tablet of Three Rarities” in his handwriting. In Chinese literary tradition, almost all are not exceptional. Happiness, longev- Attentive visitors will notice the charac- the master calligraphers were at the ity and tranquility are the frequent ter “door” does not preserve its original same time highly accomplished scholars words to note, especially in the rear form “門”with a small hookat the right or poets. People believe “one’s hand- quarters.The themes are exemplified foot. It is believed that there was a severe writing is like one’s person.”All his in the tablets as “Hall of Peaceful fire in the Imperial Palace. Because of its personalities, accomplishments and Longevity,”“Hall of Eternal Longevity,” dominant wood structure, there seem- cultivation can be reflected in this “Gate of Great Happiness” and “Garden ingly would be no end until every mirror.This metaphor does support of the Palace of BenevolentTranquility,” building was burned to nothing. Before the fact that the three emperors did among many other similar ones. it jumped to a next hall, an experienced better than their successors. minister arrived and instantly pulled Traditional Chinese artists hold the down the tablet with “門”above the Expressing good wishes is one of the belief that poetry and painting are of door and threw it into the merciless fire. common themes conveyed in Chinese the same root.The aesthetic spirit is The fire finally died just in time. Since tablet inscriptions.The imperial tablets echoed also in architectures.As poetry then, in addition to the necessary fire- is colorless painting and painting is fighting facilities such as big bronze jars colored poetry,so architecture has its in front of each building, the “fire-hook” beauty embodied in the subtle combi- in the character was totally avoided as nation of its man-made structures and taboo on the tablets.A famous calligra- natural surroundings to evoke inner pher was put to death for his ignorance intoxication and purification. Poetic of this imperial superstition. language of the tablet inscriptions helps enhance the aesthetic effect of Jianrong Wang is a Visiting Scholar from the whole architecture due to its brevity Beijing Jiaotong University, China. in poetic expression and weight in pertinent meaning. Many calligraphy tablets in the Forbidden City win the visitors’ notice in this way,especially “Pavilion of Rain of Flowers,”“Palace of Concentrated Beauty” and “Lodge of Fresh Fragrance.”
“Mediocre, Upright, Benevolent, and Harmonious”
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