− | By the time of the Qing Dynasty, the city was divided largely into three sections. The Imperial City (皇城), containing the Imperial palace compound, also known as the [[Forbidden City]], was surrounded by the Inner City (内城), where the houses of the [[Eight Banners]], and other [[Manchu]] nobles and court officials were located. This meant the most loyal warrior houses were located in a prime position to defend the Palace from either invasion or rebellion, as was also the case in Edo and other warrior cities. To the south of this was the Outer City (外城), where [[Han Chinese]] nobles and commoners were relocated.<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> Though this forcible relocation caused some initial consternation and economic hardship for the Han Chinese residents of the city, they soon built the Outer City into a bustling center of urban life and commercial activity. | + | By the time of the Qing Dynasty, the city was divided largely into three sections. The Imperial City (皇城), containing the Imperial palace compound, also known as the [[Forbidden City]], was surrounded by the Inner City (内城), where the houses of the [[Eight Banners]], and other [[Manchu]] nobles and court officials were located. This meant the most loyal warrior houses were located in a prime position to defend the Palace from either invasion or rebellion, as was also the case in Edo and other warrior cities. To the south of this was the Outer City (外城), where [[Han Chinese]] nobles and commoners were relocated.<ref name=maehira64>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> Though this forcible relocation caused some initial consternation and economic hardship for the Han Chinese residents of the city, they soon built the Outer City into a bustling center of urban life and commercial activity. |
− | The Imperial City and Inner City were organized along the cardinal directions, with notable gates built into the city walls on all sides. The Palace, for the most part, was arranged along a north-south axis, such that the emperor sat in [[North Star|the north]] and faced south. The Hall of Supreme Harmony (the chief audience hall) faced south directly through a number of other buildings and gates to the Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace), at the center of the southern wall connecting the Forbidden City to the Inner City. Directly south of this stands the Zhengyang Gate, the central gate connecting the Inner City to the Outer City. A bustling "downtown" area lay just north of this gate (in the Inner City); within that neighborhood was a notable bridge called the Jade River Bridge (''Yùhéqiáo'', 玉河橋), and a shared lodging for visiting envoys from foreign courts, called the [[Huitong-guan]].<ref>Maehira, 62-63.</ref> | + | The Imperial City and Inner City were organized along the cardinal directions, with notable gates built into the city walls on all sides. The Palace, for the most part, was arranged along a north-south axis, such that the emperor sat in [[North Star|the north]] and faced south. The Hall of Supreme Harmony (the chief audience hall) faced south directly through a number of other buildings and gates to the Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace), at the center of the southern wall connecting the Forbidden City to the Inner City. Directly south of this stands the Zhèngyángmén (正陽門, also known as Qiánmén 前門), the central gate connecting the Inner City to the Outer City. A bustling "downtown" area lay just north of this gate (in the Inner City); within that neighborhood was a notable bridge called the Jade River Bridge (''Yùhéqiáo'', 玉河橋), and a shared lodging for visiting envoys from foreign courts, called the [[Huitong-guan]].<ref>Maehira, 62-63.</ref> |
| The [[Temple of Heaven]] (''Tiāntán''), originally built in [[1530]] on the southern outskirts of the city, is now located in the southeastern part of central Beijing, following the city's extensive growth in the modern period. | | The [[Temple of Heaven]] (''Tiāntán''), originally built in [[1530]] on the southern outskirts of the city, is now located in the southeastern part of central Beijing, following the city's extensive growth in the modern period. |