Chinese and World History

The Forbidden City was started by Emperor Yongle (1403-1424) of the Ming Dynasty. Emperors ruled from there until the Revolution of 1911. Drum & Bell Towers lie directly north of the palace. Behai Park is northwest & features a Tibetan-style White Pagoda. Jingshan Park (Coal Hill), directly north of the palace, was made from dirt removed to form the moat. The emperor performed the yearly sacrifice to insure a good harvest at the Temple of Heaven to the south. The city wall dates to the early Ming. Only the southeast corner remains. Most photos from summer 2007 or 2006 while many of the subjects were under repair in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. Some photos date from 1991 and are digital copies of the original slides. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/leefoxx1949/BeijingForbiddenCityDrumBellTowersBehaiParkTempleOfHeavenCityWall#