Monday, May 3, 2008Beijing
Flanking either side of the Hall of Supreme Harmony are enormous bronze cauldrons. These, along with dozens of others like them, were kept filled with water in case of fire—pretty important, since the neighboring hall is the largest wooden structure in the China, the center of the Forbidden City, and home to the Imperial Dragon Throne, the seat of the Chinese Empire.
To prevent the winter from freezing in the cold Beijing winters, cauldrons were lined with cotton pads, covered with lids, then heated by open flames from below.
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