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Published: July 13th 2008
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Main Gate
This is the main gate in the palace walls. Originally there were three gates, but two have been bricked up. You can clearly see that on the right side of the photo. Guilin's Imperial Palace
Few visitors to Guilin know that During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Guilin was an imperial city, a government center, home to the provincial level of imperial examinations and has its own imperial palace which pre-dates the forbidden City in Beijing
I recently took a trip to Guilin's Imperial Palace. Located in the center of the city, the palace is now home to the art departments of Guilin's Guangxi Normal University. I love the palace and have been there many times in the past four years. It is a beautiful place. Although lacking in the splendor of Beijing's Forbidden City, Guilin's Prince's Palace is still a lot of fun to visit. I like to go there early in the morning when the elderly can be seen there chatting, dancing, or practising Taiqi, while students between classes practise their traditional musical instruments outside in pavilions or under ancient trees. It is a really peaceful place.
To enter the palace, I first had to go through the main gate of the palace's protective wall. Now there is just one opening, but originally there were three. Two have been bricked up. guarding either side of Stone dog guarding the wall's main gate
This is one of a pair of stone dogs that guard the wall's main gate. They were building in the later half of the Qing Dynasty the entrance are two stone dogs. Similar to the stone lions seen at most imperial palaces, the stone dogs became popular in the later part of the Qing Dynasty.
After entering the wall's main gate, I headed straight to the palace compounds main gate. It is very beautiful and bright yellow. During the Japanese occupation of Guilin, all of the original buildings in the palace were burnt to the ground. The ones visible now were built during the 1940's on the original's foundations. Although nothing like the originals, they are very cool and are all yellow with tiled roofs.
After entering the main gate I could see a large courtyard with a building built in the center of ancient stone balustrades. The palace is split down the middle by a pathway. The guide called it the Prince's pathway. It was only allowed to be used by the Prince. Now however anybody can walk on it. After crossing the courtyard I came to the stone balustrade. It is similar to the ones found in the Forbidden City, but with some major differences. First, it is nowhere as big. Secondly, there is not a dragon to be seen.
The inside of the main gate
This is the interior of the wall's main gate. It originally had a guard house on top of it. This gate was only used by the royal family, and the leading scholar. The dragon was the symbol of the emperor, and only he was allowed to use it. Since the Prince, was second to the emperor, he was allowed to use the clouds that the dragon flew through as he symbol, so the balustrades have cloud decorations all over it. The balustrades have three main staircases. The center one, reserved for the prince, is covered with cloud carvings. The right staircase was reserved for government officials, and the left for military officers. There are other staircases on the sides for everyone of less importance. Located in the center of the balustrades is a big yellow building. Originally it was the building where the prince oversaw official business, and awarding of the top scholars who passed the provincial level imperial exams. In imperial China the only way to become an official was to take a series of imperial exams. First was local, followed by provincial, then the imperial exams in Beijing. The provincial level exams were held in the palace, and there have been some of the examination booths built on the grounds to show visitors what it was like.
Inside the building is the palace's museum. In the museum are
Main Interior Gate
This is the main gate leading into what were the living and working quarters of Guilin's Imperial Palace many artifacts related to the palace, and Guilin's history. There is a scale model of what the palace would have looked like during the Qing Dynasty. It is really neat to compare the model with what exists now. There is also a performance of one of Guilin's traditional operas. The actors in the operas large wooden masks.
Behind the first main building, is a well located under a tree. It is said to be a lucky well, and all of the students participating in the exams would drink from it before beginning. there are several ancient trees in the area and they are very bizaarly shaped. They an banyian trees and the roots that drop down from their branches take on strange shapes. After the well, is another large courtyard and another large yellow building. Originally the building would have been the living quarters of the prince, but now it is the theatre of the univesity. I have seen many performances put on in it.
Behind the second large building is a mountain. The palace was built around the mountain, so the prince had a mountain in his backyard. The mountain is called Solitary Beauty peak.
A stone lion
This is one of a pair of stone lions that guard the main interior gate. Stone lions in different parts of China are all unique. The ones in Guilin all have this flat face. The mountain is covered with ancient calligraphic carvings. Solitary Beauty Peak has a couple of caves in it. The big cave has many carvings carved into the walls. There is a series of carvings of different gods that are supposed to protect people born under their year. My guy was a warrior bedecked in armor, and looking pretty angry. To leave the cave visitors have to pass through a gift shop. I thought that the prices were way too high, so I didn't get anything there. After leaving the cave, the guide and I climbed to the top of the mountain. The views of Guilin were astounding. from that vantage point, I could see all of the mountains scattered throughout the city. This city must have been absolutely amazing when all of the buildings were small.
Behind the mountain is a crescent shaped pond. It was built so the prince could have a water feature to walk around and relax by. In the middle of the pond is an island with little bridges leading to it. There are two pavilions located next to the pond. One is on the island, and one is on the shore. The pavilions are
Inside of the main gate
This is a view of the inside of the main interior gate. The path in the center of the photo was only allowed to be walked on by the prince. really nice places to sit and relax. When I was there, there were some students practising their instruments. It added a really wonderful ambiance to the quietness of the place. I sat in the shade of the mountain and listened to them play for quite a while.
After relaxing for a while I strolled around the palace. There is an exhibition center for students to showcase their paintings, I found them to be really excellent. There is also a couple of shops selling snacks, tea, and artwork. It is a very quiet place and a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of Guilin City. I go there often, and will continue to do so.
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