Four Seasons of the Forbidden City

Li Shaobai

Li Shaobai （Alon） is a famous photographer. He has worked as the editorial board member of Popular Photography， Chinese Photography， and Photo amp; Video， as well as visiting professor in many institutions of photography， such as the School of Modern Graphic Arts of Minzu University of China. Furthermore， his photographs regarding the Great Wall and the Forbidden City have been exhibited in Germany， Japan， Estonia， Switzerland， the United States and other countries for many years.

Like a book， the Forbidden City combines the oldest， wisest and most wonderful architecture and history of China. It seems that each brick and tile narrate the emperors’ luxurious lives in the Ming and Qing dynasties， reminding us of governmental and aulic lives in the two dynasties. This picture album not only shows the Palace Museum in different seasons and the most beautiful scenery at dawn and dusk， but also introduces each season with concise texts. Altogether， the book offers readers a different perspective on the Palace Museum， which can rarely be witnessed by ordinary visitors.

Four Seasons of

the Forbidden City

Li Shaobai

CICC Press

October 2020

388.00 （CNY）

More than 30 years have passed since I first photographed the Palace Museum. In this period， my camera and I have entered the museum hundreds of times reaching the Three Great Halls （the Hall of Supreme Harmony， the Hall of Central Harmony， and the Hall of Preserving Harmony）， the Inner Court， the East Six Palaces， the West Six Palaces， and the Imperial Garden ... Having repeatedly visited every place that allowed visitors， I have taken thousands of photographs of the great palace. Moreover， I published more than a dozen books and picture albums after sorting and editing the said photos.

As I repeatedly visited the Palace Museum， new thoughts and ideas occurred to me. Now that the Imperial Palace was built for the Chinese emperors， why did people call them Sons of Heaven？ Owing to the status of being the Son of Heaven ， the emperor was undoubtedly entitled the rights from God！ Hence， Chinese culture’s core is the “harmony between man and Heaven”！ The construction of the Imperial Palace also obviously shows the above thoughts.

The Palace Museum is also known as the Forbidden City because ancestors divided the sky into different regions， and the center is the Polaris， which prominently located in the top of the sky， so it is also called" the “Purple Star”， representing tenacity and dignity with bright luster and symbolizing the emperor in the world. Accordingly， where the Son of Heaven on earth dwells is known as the “Forbidden City”. Surrounded by tall and thick walls， the only place unprotected in the Forbidden City is the sky except for the four heavily guarded gates connected to the outside world. Surely， the Son of Heaven can’t lose touch with Heaven. So， honorable as an emperor， he is still at the mercy of Heaven. Meanwhile， the aspects where Heaven shows its presence are the celestial phenomena， the climate， the seasons， the sun， the moon， the stars， the clouds， the day， the night， the rain， the snow， the wind and the frost. Chinese people conclude all these as the 24 Solar Terms， differentiating our Chinese culture from other nationalities and cultures of other countries. Compared with other countries and peoples， we understand the existence and function of Heaven and the relationship between Heaven and human beings in a more detailed and accurate way. Hence， we do not simply divide the changes of celestial phenomena into four seasons like other countries， but name them as the 24 Solar Terms.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period （770?221 B.C.）， predecessors found the changes of celestial phenomena and weather were primarily caused by the sun which was continually moving in the sky. A shadow would be formed when the light from the sun fell on the ground. And the length of shadow could show the change of the sun’s positions. Therefore， our ancestors used a bamboo pole to measure the shadow’s length. When the shadow was the shortest， it was called the Summer Solstice. When the shadow was the longest， it was called the Winter Solstice. Other solar terms are determined by the shadow’s length， too.

Realizing this， when I entered the Forbidden City again with my camera， I specially focused on the 24 Solar Terms！ The 24 Solar Terms are determined by sunlight’s length on the ground while every photographer is informed of the importance of the sunlight. To determine whether a photo is successful or not， the change and combination of light and shadow are also important factors.

Conscious of this， I arranged to visit the Forbidden City as close to the Winter Solstice as possible. During this period， as long as it’s a clear day， the sun rises from the southeast in the morning and sets from the southwest in the evening. In the evening， the sun casts its longest shadow on the earth， implying that the sun enjoys the lowest incidence angle. As all the buildings in the Forbidden City are facing south， the sun can illuminate the front of all the buildings only around the Winter Solstice. Morever， only during this period， the sun is able to go through the doors and windows at a low angle to lighten the interior of the building. Then we can observe the furnishings and the structure inside the palace clearly. Otherwise， during the period before and after the Summer Solstice， if it is sunny， I will always try to climb the Wanchun Pavilion on the top of the Jingshan Hill in the north of the Forbidden City. At that time， the sun rises from the northeast in the morning and sets from the northwest in the evening. Therefore， it can be seen from this position that the back of nearly 10，000 rooms in the Palace Museum are lightened by the sunlight. Under the sun， the golden glazes on the countless roofs of the Forbidden City reflect light layer upon layer， resembling rolling waves in the golden ocean. This is the breathtaking wonder–the" Sea of Palaces！

The Forbidden City in a special solar term is also particularly fascinating. The line of a Tang Dynasty poem “a drizzling rain falls like tears at the Qingming Festival” is familiar to us. It rains more before and after Qingming （around April 5）， and various flowers are in full bloom in the palace. Among them， the most captivating and sentimental are the pear flowers in the Chengqian Palace. They bloom in the rain silently just as an innocent and distinctive girl. “Her jade-white face crisscrossed with tears in the lonely world like a spray of pear blossoms in spring rain impearled”， which was written by Bai Juyi in the Everlasting Regret， will also instantly remind you of the feelings after hearing the sad and beautiful love story between concubine Dong E and Emperor Shunzhi in this palace！

Thanks to my continually in-depth understanding of the 24 Solar Terms， I obtained some new ideas and clues in my photography for the Forbidden City. Consequently，" I tried new ways to explore and express Chinese culture reserved in the Forbidden City from different aspects and at different levels through my photography.