Hall of Great Harmony (Taihe Dian)

We stand now before the Tye-huh Dyen, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the most important and architecturally significant building in the entire Forbidden City. This structure is not merely a palace; it was conceived as the very…

The square before the Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest interior court in the world, a space designed for public performance rather than private life. When a new emperor was crowned, such as the eight-year-old Shuan-yeh in…

The Tye-huh Dyen is a triumph of wooden architecture, but its survival has been fraught with disaster. Because it is the tallest building in the complex, it was a frequent victim of lightning strikes and catastrophic fires. …

At the heart of the Hall of Supreme Harmony sits the Dragon Throne, the most important chair in China for half a millennium. This throne is made of gilded rosewood and sits on a seven-tiered platform, elevated so that the emperor…

Everywhere you look in the Hall of Supreme Harmony—on the roofs, ceilings, pillars, and even the emperor's dishes—you will see images of dragons. However, the emperor's dragons are special. …

Directly behind the Hall of Preserving Harmony, which sits on the same terrace structure, is one of the true marvels of the Forbidden City—a massive ceremonial stairway carved from a single block of stone. This slab is heavily…

As we conclude our examination of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, we are left with a sense of the profound isolation and immense responsibility of the men who sat on the Dragon Throne. The last emperor, Poo-yee, was only a child…