Monday, May 5, 2008Beijing
In the next several posts, I’m going to walk you through the Forbidden City, beginning with the five marble bridges crossing the Jinshui Creek (better known as “Golden Waters”). The creek runs from west to east, in a gently curving path that mimics the jade belts worn by court officials.
Why five? To symbolize the five cardinal virtues of Confucius:
Jen - Benevolence, sympathy and perfect virtue in personal interactions
Yi - Sense of duty or responsibility
Li - Manners, propriety, good form, and the rituals governing social relationships*
Chih - Wisdom, reflected in a sense of right and wrong
Hsin - Good faith, trustworthiness, and loyalty
* Also known as the Emily Vanderbuilt Virtue (well, at least in my world)
That big building in the background? Our next stop, the Gate of Supreme Harmony. We can’t go inside, since it’s under renovation, though. Now through 2020, each of the palaces and gates are being buffed and polished, so it’s gonna be a while before all the construction walls and tarps are gone.
Hey, no sweat. It would be different if the entire thing was under plastic. Still looks gorgeous to me.
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