Forbidden City Research Articles

Construction Forms and Seismic Performance of the Ancient Chinese Buildings Joined by Tenon–Mortise Joints

Zijincheng, also known as the Forbidden City, is the largest and best-preserved ancient palace-type wooden building in China, built without using a single nail. Since it was built in 1420, it has served as a palace where the emperor lives and works. Almost 600 years old, it has gone through two dynasties (i.e., the Ming and Qing dynasties (AD 1368–AD 1912)) and 24 emperors. It has survived more than 200 devastating earthquakes throughout its history, and it is still standing strong. In this paper, the authors introduce the construction technology of the ancient Chinese wooden structure as well as the greatest secret of the well seismic performance of the Forbidden City. The study found that the secret to the Forbidden City’s ability to withstand many powerful earthquakes lies in the flexibility of its timber structure, which is mainly reflected in the application of the tenon-mortise joints, energy-dissipation capacity of Dougong brackets and shallow-buried columns. The seismic responses of a 1:5 reduced-scale model of Shoukang Palace of the Forbidden City under different earthquake magnitudes are studied through a series of shaking table tests.

PXRF Data Evaluation Methodology for On-Site Analysis of Precious Artifacts: Cobalt Used in the Blue Decoration of Qing Dynasty Overglazed Porcelain Enameled at Customs District (Guangzhou), Jingdezhen and Zaobanchu (Beijing) Workshops

In a noninvasive determination, Raman and XRF analyses showed the possibility of identifying specific phases and elements characteristic of the use of recipes and ingredients imported from Europe, according to the information documented in Chinese and European archives. Two sets of objects, supposed to have been produced during the Qing Dynasty (1662–1912) at the Forbidden City (‘imperial bowls’ of the Baur Foundation, Geneva) and in the customs district of Guangzhou (Musée Ariana, Geneva), were analyzed with pXRF and also for some objects with Raman microspectroscopy also on-site. The heterogeneity of the colored zones, in three spatial directions, requires the development of a new methodology. We focused particular attention on the cobalt used in the colored areas and marks, drawn either on the body layer (standard underglaze) or on the glaze itself (overglaze). Comparison is made with previous data on Chinese and Vietnamese porcelains from the Yuan (1271–1368) and Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) periods. Combined data for objects attributed to Guangzhou from the Kangxi and Yongzheng periods indicates the use of the same raw materials containing cobalt, associated with arsenic, nickel, zinc, copper and bismuth, according to the European sources. Similarity of the glaze composition and impurities promotes the production of the glazed body with the same raw materials as those used at Jingdezhen. A consistent shift in data for Qianlong style items, which are significantly richer in manganese, is compatible with their partial mixing with Asian cobalt. The deliberate selection of conflicting objects—namely, examples belonging to the other places of production or different periods—are well-observed outside the ‘Guangzhou’ cluster. Some artifacts have anachronistic purity characteristics that support a production after ca. 1850. For instance, two objects on which certain attributions had been made concerning the stylistic analysis are definitive examples of ceramics using a refined ‘cobalt’, and therefore now may be assigned to the later production period of the first half of the 19th century.

Voyage of Ben Cao, Part II: Development of Chinese Medicinal Specimens in the British Museum

Voyage of Ben Cao, Part II: Development of Chinese Medicinal Specimens in the British Museum

Research on the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Intelligent Services of Museums

In many museums in China, the use of artificial intelligence for transformation has been a new path of development. At the same time, the use of artificial intelligence technology has broken through the limitations of time and space, allowing people to visit museums anytime and anywhere, to get the information they need, and to observe and experience all aspects of the museum's activities. The use of artificial intelligence technology for museum development has great relevance and value to the development of museums. This paper discusses the intelligent development path of the Forbidden City Museum from the perspective of several intelligent services, such as intelligent reception, intelligent exhibition and intelligent tourism, and makes relevant suggestions in this regard.

Risk Assessment and Monitoring of Termites in the Forbidden City under Global Warming

ABSTRACT Historical heritage is facing enormous challenges as a result of global warming. Termites are a significant pest in ancient wooden buildings and their area of activity is also expanding. According to historical records, Reticulitermes chinensis Snyder and Reticulitermes speratus Kolbe are the main species of Reticulitermes present in Beijing. A 40-year record of meteorological data, termite damage information published by the Chinese government and indoor environmental data show that the risk of termite damage to the Forbidden City is increasing. In the first two decades of the twenty-first century, two termite infestations occurred in the Forbidden City. Monitoring and control systems were applied immediately, the risk to each object storeroom and other termite-susceptible area was classified and monitored, and the termites were controlled successfully. With the rapid development of information technology, an advanced termite monitoring system has been introduced that is based on non-closed-loop electromagnetic induction, is fully automatic and gives remote real-time monitoring. LoRa technology was used for signal transmission between the termite monitoring station and the information collection. This signal transmission technology can overcome the signal-blocking effect of the numerous walls inside the Forbidden City, ensuring that the signal can be transmitted quickly and accurately as soon as termite infestation is detected. The non-closed-loop design allows the electronic components to be fully encapsulated, improves resistance to soil moisture and salt erosion, prolongs service life and ensures accuracy. The risk assessment and remote real-time monitoring technology introduced in this paper are of great significance for protecting ancient buildings in the cities of northern China.

Russian Artists at the Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing in the 19th Century: Some Research Concerns

In 1830, a Russian painter named Anton M. Legashov (1798–1865) went to Beijing as part of the Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission becoming the first professional Russian artist in China. In total, four Russian painters visited China being included in the mission: A. M. Legashov, K. I. Korsalin, I. I. Chmutov, and L. S. Igorev. In Beijing, the artists were supposed to paint portraits commissioned by the Chinese and thereby establish useful contacts with influential Chinese officials; in fact, the painters acted as diplomatic agents. At the same time, they had to fulfill the task of the Imperial Academy of Arts, St. Petersburg, which instructed them to collect visual evidence about the life, customs and views of the distant eastern country. Upon arrival in China, Russian painters were introduced to a unique artistic scene of the late Qing Dynasty, where Chinese, European and Occidental art interacted. Thanks to that, the work of Russian artists acquired a very distinctive look. However, nowadays the heritage of these painters is practically not studied due to several issues connected with a small number of their surviving works, questionable attribution, unclear provenance, insufficient study of neighboring artistic phenomena, such as Chinese export art or the art of the followers of Giuseppe Castiglione and other Jesuit artists at the Chinese imperial court. The article is thus devoted to the analysis of the difficulties regarding the study of the work of Russian artists at the Russian Orthodox mission in Beijing. The identification and analysis of these research concerns will allow to further develop methodology for studying the work of these painters, whose unique oeuvre remains a noticeable gap in Russian art history, while the history of the Russian Ecclesiastical mission itself or the art of Western missionaries in China have been deeply analyzed by both Russian and foreign scholars.

Chinese Paintings from Western Museum Collections at the International Exhibition of Chinese Art in London, 1935: On the History of Collecting and Attributing Chinese Paintings

The International Exhibition of Chinese Art that took place in London’s Burlington House from November 1935 to March 1936 is recognised as the major exhibition of ancient and classical Chinese art of the twentieth century. Over two hundred collectors and institutions from 14 countries provided their objects of art to the exhibition. None of the previous exhibitions had had as many items: the number of objects was extraordinary with 3,080 entries in the catalogue of the London exhibition. Moreover, it was the first foreign exhibition presenting items from the former imperial collection of the Forbidden City (Gugun Museum since 1925). In addition to numerous porcelain and bronze items from private and museum collections, the exhibition contained about 300 paintings (monumental painting, scrolls, album sheets, and fans). While it is generally believed that western collectors only started being seriously interested in painting after World War II, the exhibition contained over a hundred paintings of non-Chinese provenance. Due to its scale, the International Exhibition of Chinese Art of 1935 could be considered a representative example of trends in the Chinese art collecting of the 1930s. For this reason, a close analysis of the catalogue may help enrich our idea of the formation of collections of Chinese art, the formation of taste, and its evolution over time. Data related to the paintings from the catalogue are analysed and then compared to the current descriptions from museum databases and catalogues.

Textual analysis on the perceived value of cultural tourists in Beijing’s old palace(Forbidden City)

본 연구에서는 상징적 상호작용 이론을 기반으로 베이징 고궁을 예로 들어 관광객 네트워크 리뷰 데이터를 기반한 TF-IDF 알고리즘을 통해 관광객이 인식하는 키워드를 추출하고 관광객 인식 요소를 요약하였다. 이를 기반으로 LDA 알고리즘을 사용하여 관광객의 인식 범주의 주요 가중치를 분석하고, 관광객의 인식 요소의 내부 요인을 연구하여 그들의 인식가치 생성 메커니즘 모델을 구축하고자 한다. 연구에 따르면 첫째, 관광객 인식 요소로는 주로 관광목적지 랜드마크, 관리 서비스 요소, 감성적 경험 요소, 기능적 인식 요소 및 관광비용 요소 등 5가지 범주로 요약되었다. 둘째, 관광객이 인식하는 시나리오의 가치, 서비스 품질의 가치, 감성적 경험의 가치, 인식적 가치 및 관광비용의 가치로 주로 구성되는 관광객 인식 요소는 상당한 층위성이 있다. 셋째, 관광객 인식 요소와 인식가치 내재적 논리는 관광 인식가치 생성 메커니즘의 모델을 구성하는 중요한 기반이다. 문화와 관광의 통합 혁신과 문화와 관광산업의 고품질 발전을 촉진하는 과정에서 정부는 시민 관광인식 가치 연구, 시민 관광경험, 관광시장 수요의 변화, 스마트 관광 건설을 중시해야 한다.

Inspection and evaluation of wood components of ancient buildings in the South-Three Courts of the Forbidden City

Ancient architectural wood components were evaluated in terms of mechanical properties, material color expression, ultrasonic shape, chemical components, and deformation of shape and position by comparing them with new red pine materials. The results showed that the deterioration of the surface material properties of wood components was very serious, mainly caused by weathering. The attenuation degree of the inner layer of the wood component was relatively low, and the color change of the wood was obvious, which was mainly caused by fungi. Ultrasonic nondestructive testing technology was used to detect the internal damage of ancient wood components. According to the test results, it was speculated that the root defects of pillar components were serious. Three components of wood after long-term weathering changed significantly, and lignin had been seriously damaged. This damage was reflected in the degradation of the number of aromatic groups and the changes in the nature of the group. The main wood beams in the main halls of the three yards were bent at 0 mm offset scale and unit offsets of the pillars of the four courtyards were within the safe range.

The Contribution of Animal-Based Cultural Ecosystem Services to Tourist Well-Being at Cultural Heritage Sites

This article explores the contribution of animal-based cultural ecosystem services to tourist well-being within the authentic cultural heritage experience. We assess the construction of tourists’ cultural ecosystem services through their cocreation of animal-based experience and its integrative direct links with objective authenticity, existential authenticity, and well-being. The objective is to provide empirical evidence of the cross-category tourist experiences of interactions with animals at cultural heritage sites within the context of those with the cats of the Forbidden City, China. Building on this relationship model, the study further examines and identifies the significant and important parallel mediation effects on the relationship between the cocreation experience and the well-being of the three combinations of (a) attention and objective authenticity, (b) involvement and existential authenticity, and (c) cultural ecosystem service and memorability. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided along with a discussion of research limitations and suggestions for future study.

문화유산 리얼리티 예능프로그램 콘텐츠 특성이 역사·문화성 인식, 콘텐츠 만족도, 행동의도에 미치는 영향: 중국 BTV <상신료, 고궁(故宫)>의 사례를 중심으로

The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of cultural heritage reality shows on destination tourism behavior intention. The research object was the Chinese cultural heritage reality show "Upped new, Old palace," which is produced by the Forbidden City of China. And 348 responses were collected from Chinese viewers of the show. It was analyzed that the historical and cultural perception was influenced by informationality, contents satisfaction was influenced by attractiveness of the cast, historical and cultural perception, behavioral intention was influenced by historical and cultural perception and contents satisfaction. This research complements the relevant research academically and provides some empirical data for the development and utilization of cultural heritage contents in regional tourism strategy.

Reconstruction of unknown mechanisms of a pagoda clock in the Forbidden City

The ancient European mechanical clock with automata is one of the indicators of manufacturing technology, and the clocks exported to Asia offer evidence of cultural exchange at that time. The Gilded Copper Rising and Falling Pavilion Clock Inlaid with Gemstones is one of the ingenious mechanical work made in Britain and exported to China in the 18th century. Although it's well preserved in the Forbidden City in Beijing (Palace Museum currently), the internal mechanical structure is not open to the public, because of its historical value. In order to reconstruct the pagoda automaton attached to the clock, structural analysis is presented according to the text records of the other four clocks with similar automata. A systematic design approach is proposed herein. The feasible mechanisms are synthesized by going through generalization, specialization, and particularization. As the result, nine, three, and four feasible mechanisms with linkage, gear, and cam are generated, respectively. One of the feasible designs with the largest output motion range is selected, and dimensional synthesis is made to achieve the motion characteristics. Its performance is verified through prototype testing.

The Boxer Rebellion in Siberian Pre-Revolutionary Press (The Eastern Review as an Example)

The article is devoted to the content analyses of materials covering Boxer rebellion in China, they were published in Irkutsk newspaper The Eastern Review, 1900–1901. Authors’ choice was motivated with three reasons. First, the newspaper covered Eastern Russian regions’ issues, as well as Russia’s policy in the Far East, where these regions were being involved. Secondly, Boxer rebellion was one of most important events at the turn of the XX century; it defined Russia’s strategy on its Eastern borders in terms of competition with Western European countries and Japan for economic and political influence in the Celestial Empire. Thirdly, Boxer rebellion in the Siberian regional press’s point of view was not studied properly, so it needs further research to understand a provincial newspaper activities process, never having experience in military operations coverage, these activities quite surprisingly required a new way of operation. We analyzed hundreds of texts on military actions in China, Chinese Imperial Court position, contradictions between allied powers, which took part in the suppression of the rebellion in view of of post-war establishment in the East. The main focus of the research was the transformation of the newspaper’s conception to meet the needs for military information; genres of published materials about the Boxer rebellion; information obtaining technology; the degree of its authenticity and objectivity. We also examined how editorial staff created Russia’s positive image as a disinterested peace-maker, though Russian geopolitical interests had been having lasting position on the Chinese territory. Mass-media development, usage of various methods to obtain information, inclusion of opinions of conflicting sides; responsibility before readers for coverage of events allowed the newspaper not only to display objective description of current events in China but also to forecast post-war development of the Far East.

Virtual restoration of the colored paintings on weathered beams in the Forbidden City using multiple deep learning algorithms

The colored paintings on the surfaces of ancient Chinese buildings have suffered from the wind and the sun and produced many defects such as paint loss, blurring, and color distortion. Previous methods have not been able to virtually repair them well. Therefore, this paper proposed a virtual restoration method for the weathered beams in the Forbidden City using multiple deep learning algorithms. Instead of using only one technology to restore paintings, this paper divided the painting into 3 parts, i.e., the background, the golden edges, and the dragon patterns, and restored them in different technology. For the background, this paper transformed the problem of unrecognizable color restoration into a semantic segmentation problem using U-Net MobileNet. For the golden edges, this paper used traditional image processing technology to obtain them from the color maps generated by the semantic segmentation algorithm. For the dragon patterns, after sketching the skeletons according to the dragon patterns, the image translation algorithm Pix2pix was applied to generate a realistic dragon pattern. Finally, the three repair results are superimposed to complete the repair. The virtually restored paintings can provide reference and guidance for traditional manual restoration and help the restorers to imagine what they looked like before oxidation, thus alleviating some repetitive work and reducing the complexity of restoration. Besides, each step of the method could form a layer, so that the restorers could overlay or modify them as they wish.

Regularity in distribution, and control, of pests in the hall of mental cultivation, the Forbidden City, Beijing, China

Pests can seriously threaten the safety of organic relics and historic buildings. Every year, the Palace Museum spends a large of money and time preventing and controlling pests, but there is still no a better systematic and targeted method. The Hall of Mental Cultivation is a representative and essential building in the Forbidden City. Through three years of pest monitoring, the species, quantity, and occurrence regularity of the major pests were investigated. During this time, more than ten species of insects were trapped. These included carpet beetles (Anthrenus picturatus hintoni Mroczkowski, 1952 and Thylodrias contractus Motschulsky, 1839), silverfish (Ctenolepisma longicaudata Escherich, 1905), powder-post beetles (Lyctus brunneus Stephens, 1830), booklice (Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel, 1931), spider beetles (Ptinus japonicus Reitter, 1877 and Gibbium aequinoctiale Boieldieu, 1865) and the case bearing clothes moths (Tinea pellionella Linnaeus, 1758), among which the Anthrenus picturatus was the primary pests. Abundant resources of organic relics, suitable temperature, humidity, and light environment, and cypress existence are favorable factors for the occurrence of pests, and analysis of these factors is helpful for further integrated pest management (IPM). The period with the most significant number of active pests in the Hall of Mental Cultivation is July and August, and April and May are the rapid growth period. Carpet beetles are the key pests that can affect the overall change trend significantly. It should combine with their living habits, the ideal treatment time and methods, to give them a better control. Fumigation should be done in July and August, while chemical spray should be done referring to the florescence of outdoor trees (March to June), and used of pheromone is reasonable preventative measures.

STUDY ON DETERIORATION OF HISTORIC MASONRY IN THE FORBIDDEN CITY IN BEIJING AIDED BY GIS

Abstract. The Forbidden city in Beijing is one of the first culture heritage to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage in 1987. The mass and complexity of this imperial palace brings challenges to scientific surveys and documentations. This graduation project adopted the technology of GIS to record, evaluate and analyze historic masonry and their deteriorations across the palace. Aided by ArcGIS, the deterioration degree of every accessible masonry element was accurately and efficiently evaluated and recorded, as well as connected to its precise location among the Forbidden City. All accessible masonry elements in Forbidden City were divided into different types as buildings, walls, foundations, and stairs. The common deteriorations of masonry in Forbidden City were defined and graded according to their degree of severity so that the deterioration was quantified, and a database was established. Before the survey, the mechanism of masonry deterioration in the Forbidden City was presumed to be related to several possible factors. Adopting ArcGIS to set up a database enabled to visualize the distribution of masonry deterioration in the site and lead to a preliminary conclusion, as well as a further mathematic analysis of the data to better understand the cause of deterioration.

EXPLORATION OF DIGITAL HERITAGE STRATEGY BASED ON PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION THEORY

Abstract. The frequent occurrence of heritage disasters highlights the necessity of digital preservation of heritage. There are two technical difficulties in Digitization: one is the high cost, the other is the poor applicability of the achievement. This is because the emphasis is only on data volume and accuracy, but neglecting the demand for conservation in the process of digitalization. Preventive Conservation has become the mainstream of heritage conservation. Based on this theory, this paper takes the digitization of several stone tablets in the Forbidden City as an opportunity to explore the strategy of digitization of heritage. Through the assessment of the values and state of preservation, the key points of digitization are obtained. By comparing the collection efficiency, achievement accuracy, expression characteristics, workload and cost of the various technologies, the authors draw a conclusion.

REFLECTIONS ON THE INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING SYSTEM OF THE HERITAGE BUILDINGS IN THE PALACE MUSEUM – A CASE STUDY OF THE MERIDIAN GATE EXHIBITION HALL

Abstract. The indoor micro-environment monitoring system of the Forbidden City aims to explore the thresholds of environmental indicators under the presence of coexistence of multiple cultural relics through the analysis of environmental monitoring data and the deterioration of cultural heritiges, and to develop the optimal strategies for the protection and utilization of cultural heritiges. The objects of interest include historic buildings with modernised interior or those used for the storage of movable cultural relics. Several environmental indicators are employed to quantify the dynamic changes of the indoor environment. In order to meet the requirements of 24-hour data collection, real-time data transmission, and easy management and maintenance, the indoor micro-environmental monitoring system has been continuously upgraded and the "LoRa-based Hybrid Self-Organising Network System Deployment Solution" was deployed to satisfy the demands of high precision, low energy consumption, constant stability, and low cost. Taking the Meridian Gate exhibition hall of the Forbidden City during the exhibition "Splendor Forever: Six Centuries of the Forbidden City" as an example, we discussed the relationship between temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and visitor volumes, and the results provide a basis for optimizing the management of the exhibition. Future improvements to the indoor environment monitoring should focus on strengthening the in-depth mining of data and multi-factor correlation analysis, so as to gradually form a systematic and comprehensive monitoring management system.

Museum as multisensorial site: story co-making and the affective interrelationship between museum visitors, heritage space, and digital storytelling

ABSTRACT The museum in the digital age is not only a storyteller telling a fixed story to visitors through curatorial design, but a story co-maker in collaboration with visitors’ experience in the space. Building on the understanding that the co-production of stories lies in the interrelationship between museum visitors, museum space, and digital storytelling, this research is interested in the construction of affective stories, specifically the question of how the affective environment for such storytelling is understood and formed. By examining the Palace Museum, the heritage museum located on the heritage site of the Forbidden City, Beijing, we consider how the heritage space becomes a performative event, and how the virtual space acts as an extension of the physical site. We explore the quality of this heritage museum experience, which has implications for how heritage museums can harness and make practical use of the affective interrelationship within the designed museum space.

Bodily Changes: Castration as Cultural and Social Practice in the Space of the Forbidden City

This article examines the Chinese imperial body as “simultaneously part of nature and part of culture” and considers the interactions between the cultural body and physical body in sociological terms. The examination elaborates on the physical body as the manifestation of the demands of society mediated by cultural meanings. Bodily changes, such as castration, which Peng Liu argue is a trade between the physical body and cultural body in meeting the demands of Imperial Chinese society, affect the cultural embodiment of the body. This article examines the bodily actions of head eunuchs and how they interact with the emperor in the space of the Forbidden City during Imperial China. Eunuchs have undertaken an invasive physical operation to not only survive but thrive in imperial society. This reflects the constraints, struggles, and disciplining of the physically castrated and culturally embodied being.