1、Ladies and gentlemen,Here we are at the former Imperial Palace! This was the center of the ancient city of Beijing, and once home to 24 emperors from the Ming dynasties and the Qing dynasties.It is now known as the Palace Museum, the largest palace complex(建筑群) in the world. It covers about 72 hecta
2、res (720,000 square meters). It is surrounded by a 6-meter-deep moat(护城河) and 10-meter-high walls.Inside the walls, there are many halls and 9999 rooms. Each wall has a gate. It is 750 meters between the gates of the eastern wall and western wall. There are unique and beautiful towers on the four co
3、rners of the palace.These afford views over both the palace and the city outside. (From there you can have a good look/birds eye view of the palace and the city).It was used as an imperial palace for about five centuries, and it still preservers many rare treasures and curiosities (古董 ) (many precio
4、us things).Today, the former Imperial Palace is a public museum, listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1987.When we enter through the gate, we may go up one of the four towers and then we can see the overall layout.Rectangular(长方形) in shape, it is divided into two parts, the Outer Co
5、urt and the Inner Court.We are now standing in the southernmost part of the Outer Court. In front of us stands the Gate of Superme Harmony.The gate is guarded by a pair of bronze lions, symbolizing imperial power and dignity. (尊严).These lion statues (雕像) are the best and the largest of their type. T
6、he one to the east is male, playing with a ball. That represents unity of the state.The other is female, having a young lion beside her. That is a symbol of lasting(永久的) imperial succession(延续).The Outer Court includes the Hall of Supreme Harmony(太和殿), and the Hall of Central Harmony(中和殿), and the H
7、all of Preserving Harmony(保和殿).In the Outer Court the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the grandest and most important hall in the palace complex. It used for most important activities: the Spring Festival, the emperors birthday and enthronement.The
8、 Inner Court was the living place for the the emperors and empresses once resided,and includes the Palace of Heavenly Purity(乾清宫), the Hall of Union(交泰殿), the Palace of Earthly Tranquility(坤宁宫), the Imperial Garden(御花园) and the Six Western and Eastern palaces(东西六宫).We can see the familiar hangings o
9、ver the throne,and a tablet reading right-to-left script with Zhengdaguangming(正大光明), over the throne in . The palace of Earthly Tranquility was used as the residence for empresses during the Ming and early Qing dynasties. This palaces was also a place for offerings(牺牲品，祭祀品 ) and ceremonies, and a w
10、edding chamber for the emperor.You may notice that color yellow is often used for the buildings as well as for the emperors costumes(服饰). Since yellow was a symbol of the royal family, it is the main color in the former Imperial Palace. The roofs are built with yellow glazed tiles(琉璃瓦) , and palace
11、decorations were painted yellow. However, there is one exception: Wenyuange(文渊阁), the imperial library, has a black roof, because black symbolizes water, the enemy of fire. The former imperial Palace preserves a great number of historical and culture relic as well as precious works of art. Therefore, it is a great museum of culture and art in China.Lets go inside and and enjoy your visit here. We will meet at the Gate of Divine Might, the northern side of the palace at 11:40.
