When visiting the Forbidden City, it is not difficult to find that many palaces have plaques on them. So what do these plaques mean? Ancient plaques are usually an art form used to reflect the name and nature of a building, thereby expressing people's emotions and principles about it. It is the eye of ancient architecture and an integral part of ancient architecture. The plaque almost contains poetry, calligraphy, and architectural art. It is no exaggeration to say that it is the artistic expression of the culmination of Chinese national culture.
Speaking of the Forbidden City, we have to mention the "Upright and Bright" plaque, which is located in the Qianqing Palace where the emperor handled daily affairs. The four words "upright and bright" come from Zhu Xi's "Collected Works of Zhu Wengong, Volume 38, Reply to Zhou Yigong" by Zhu Xi, a master of the Song Dynasty: "If Fan Gong's heart is upright and upright, there will be no old grudges, and the meaning of "Happiness" is real. Country." The plaque was personally inscribed by Emperor Shunzhi to warn himself and his successors to be frank and honest in their words and deeds. There is another story to tell about this "upright and upright" plaque: the battle for the throne of the Qing Dynasty was quite fierce. In order to alleviate this contradiction, Yongzheng began to adopt a secret method of establishing a heir, that is, the emperor did not publicly appoint a prince during his lifetime, but secretly wrote out the documents of the chosen heir in two copies, keeping one by his side; "Behind the plaque. After the emperor's death, Minister Gu Ming took out two suicide notes and announced the heir to the throne after verification. The four emperors Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng all ascended to the throne according to this system.
Another more famous one is "Imperial Construction Youji", which was written by Emperor Qianlong. Canonical source: Jizi's "Hong Fan" "The emperor's construction has its extremes". Its meaning is to declare that the emperor will formulate and establish the highest standards of justice in the world, which means to emphasize the imperial power.
Everyone has watched "Kangxi's Private Interview" when he was young, and the "Jinluan Palace" was mentioned in the background music. It is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which is the essence of ancient Chinese palace architecture and one of the three great palaces in the East. It is the largest and highest-level building in the Forbidden City and is used for holding various grand ceremonies. The plaque of the temple reads "Jianji Suiyou", but the whereabouts of the original plaque are unknown, and what we see now is a copy.