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===Forbidden Palace===

===Forbidden Palace===

The Hall of Supreme Harmony (太和殿, Tàihédiàn) is the largest building within the complex, and it was here that a variety of official state rituals were enacted, including the offering by officials and others (including foreign embassies) of formal New Year's greetings to the emperor. The Hall is essentially an audience hall, consisting primarily of a three-story white marble dais upon which the Emperor could stand to survey the officials gathered before him. The Hall stands roughly 36 meters high, 35 meters deep, and 64 meters wide, and has been described as one of the largest and most magnificent palaces in the world.<ref>Maehira Fusaaki, ''Ryûkyû shisetsu no ikoku taiken'' 琉球使節の異国体験, ''Kokusai kôryû'' 国際交流 59 (1992), 64.</ref> The Hall of Supreme Harmony faces south across a plaza, accessed by the Gate of Supreme Harmony (太和門, Tàihémén) on its southern side. Beyond this is the ''wǔmén'' 午門, the main southern gate of the palace. To the east and west of the Gate of Supreme Harmony stand the Dōnghuámén (東華門) & Xīhuámén (西華門) gates respectively.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony (太和殿, Tàihédiàn) is the largest building within the complex, and the largest wooden palace building extant in China today, covering an area of 2,377 square meters.<ref>''Ryûkyû kokuô hyôbun sôhon ten'' 琉球国王表文奏本展, Okinawa Prefectural Archives (2000), 11.</ref> It was here that a variety of official state rituals were enacted, including the offering by officials and others (including foreign embassies) of formal New Year's greetings to the emperor. The Hall is essentially an audience hall, consisting primarily of a three-story white marble dais upon which the Emperor could stand to survey the officials gathered before him. The Hall stands roughly 36 meters high, 35 meters deep, and 64 meters wide, and has been described as one of the largest and most magnificent palaces in the world.<ref>Maehira Fusaaki, ''Ryûkyû shisetsu no ikoku taiken'' 琉球使節の異国体験, ''Kokusai kôryû'' 国際交流 59 (1992), 64.</ref> The Hall of Supreme Harmony faces south across a plaza, accessed by the Gate of Supreme Harmony (太和門, Tàihémén) on its southern side. Beyond this is the ''wǔmén'' 午門, the main southern gate of the palace. To the east and west of the Gate of Supreme Harmony stand the Dōnghuámén (東華門) & Xīhuámén (西華門) gates respectively.

To the north of the Hall of Supreme Harmony stands another large palace building, the Hall of Preserving Harmony (保和殿, Bǎohédiàn), where large banquets were often held. Beyond this was a further enclosed area, accessed by the Qiánqīngmén (乾清門), and containing the emperor's private residential quarters. Just to the west of this, outside the gates of that enclosure, stood a building known as the ''Jūnjīchǔ'' (軍機処), which housed the highest administrative organs of the Qing state.

To the north of the Hall of Supreme Harmony stands another large palace building, the Hall of Preserving Harmony (保和殿, Bǎohédiàn), where large banquets were often held. Beyond this was a further enclosed area, accessed by the Qiánqīngmén (乾清門), and containing the emperor's private residential quarters. Just to the west of this, outside the gates of that enclosure, stood a building known as the ''Jūnjīchǔ'' (軍機処), which housed the highest administrative organs of the Qing state.