ART 1303 The Forbidden City

Review the attached video and respond to the following questions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHypO2ISPas 1. Emperor Zhu Di, known as the Yongle Emperor, meaning "perpetual happiness", inaugurated what important construction projects during his reign? 2. How many emperors of China called the Forbidden City home? 3. Although the Forbidden City was constructed from approximately 1407-1420, how many years were spent gathering construction materials and workers for the massive undertaking? 4. To drain the marble terraces of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, what was the number of dragon spouts that were carved and installed? 5. As sacred symbols, dragons representing the emperor were depicted in what manner? 6. How was the massive stone slab for the Hall of Middle Harmony moved into place? Describe the technology that was employed. 7. Having developed a burgeoning bureaucratic system, the emperor had exams administered to create the world's first meritocracy. For those who took the exams, what was required to succeed in this capacity? 8. The most private part of the palace ground was the Inner Court where the emperor and his family resided. What philosophical principle governed its layout? And what is the meaning behind this principle? 9. The selection process for an empress and consorts of an emperor was not based on love but on what context or contexts? 10. Due to political upheaval, in what year was China's last emperor Puyi expelled from the Forbidden City?