北京故宮英文導(dǎo)游辭

　　(In front of the Nine-Dragon Screen)

　　this is the Nine-Dragon Relief Screen .Erected in 1773,it is 3.5 meters in height and 29.4 meters in width. Underneath is a foundation made of marble .The surface of the screen is laid with a total of 270 colored, glazed tiles in the design of 9 dragons ,some rocky mountains ,clouds and the sea. It was meant to ward off evil spirits The ancient Chinese regarded 9 dragons, some rocky mountains, clouds and the sea. It was meant to ward off evil spirits .The ancient Chinese regarded 9 as the largest numeral and the dragon as a auspicious beast .The 9 dragons are different in color and posture and all are made of glazed tiles. Interestingly a piece of the third dragon from the left is made of wood. It is believe that when the Nine-dragon Screen was almost finished ,a piece of glazed tile was damaged .Emperor Qianlong was scheduled to inspect the work the following day .Using quick wits, the craftsman in question molded the missing piece with clay and sailed through the imperial inspection. Later ,he asked a carpenter to carve a wooden one to replace the one made of clay.

　　(Approaching the Imperial Garden)

　　Behind the Palace of Earthly Tranquility and trading the north-south axis is the imperial Garden. There are old trees, rare flowers and exotic rock formation in this garden .It cover a space of 11,700 square meters, or roughly 1.7 percent of the Forbidden City. Most of the structures in the garden are symmetrically arranged . However, each is different in terms of parrern and decoration. Woods clumps of bamboo screen off the garden and strengthens its deep and serene atmosphere.

　　There main structure of the Imperial Garden is the Qin` an Hall. Positioned in the central-northern part of the garden ,this hall is flanked by other halls and pavilions on the east and west. The hall sits on a marble pedestal. The Taoist deity of Zhenwu is enshrined here and emperor would pay homage here a quarterly basis. Taoist rites were held during the reign of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty. In front of the hall there is a cypress that is 400 years old .In all there are a dozen such rare trees in the garden, and most of them are cypresses or pines. To the northwest of the hall , there is the Yanhui(Sustaining Sunshine) Pavilion and to the northeast there lies the Duixiu (Accumulated Refinement )Hill. This Hill was built over the foundation of the long- pershed Guanhua (Admiring Flowers) Hall of the Ming Dynasty. It is 14 meters in height and made of al kinds of rocks quarried in jiang su province. At its base stand two nstone lions, each carrying a dragon shooting water 10 meters up into the air from its mouth. There are meandering paths leading to the hilltop. At the top of Duixiu Hill sits the Yujing (Imperial Viewing)Pavilion. Traditionally, On the day of the Double Ninth Festival (the ninth day of the ninth lunar month ), the emperor ,his consort, and his concubines would climb up to Yujing Pavilion to enjoy the scenery.

　　At the southeastern corner of the Garden is Jiangxue(Crimson Snowy) Verandah. Nearby to the southwest lies Yangxing Study (study of the cultivation of nature) .The yangxing study was used as a royal library during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. The last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi once studied English there. In front of the Jiangxue Verandah some Chinese flowering crabapples grow. The structure got its name from the crabapples who blossoms trun from crimson to snowy white. In front of the Verandah, there grows a rare flower that was brought from henna Province under the order of Empress dowager Cixi. In the northest is Chizao Tang (Hall of Using Flowery Language), once used as a library where rare books were stored.

　　There are also specific pavilions symbolizing the four seasons .The halls of Wanchun and Qianqiu ,representing spring and autumn respectively ,are square in shape and are coupled with multiple eaves and bell-shape and are coupled with multiple eaves and bell-shaped ridges. The halls of Chengrui and Fubi,dedecated to winter and summer, are characterized by two verandahs and bridges at their bases .Paths were paved with colorful pebbles and arranged in 900 different designs.