Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang

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Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang: A Testament to Chinese History and Culture

The Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang are two significant architectural complexes that offer a unique insight into the rich history and culture of China. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, these palaces serve as priceless testimonies to Chinese civilization during the Ming and Qing dynasties, spanning over five centuries from 1416 to 1911.

UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Seat of supreme power for over five centuries (1416-1911), the Forbidden City in Beijing, with its landscaped gardens and many buildings (whose nearly 10,000 rooms contain furniture and works of art), constitutes a priceless testimony to Chinese civilization during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty in Shenyang consists of 114 buildings constructed between 1625–26 and 1783. It contains an important library and testifies to the foundation of the last dynasty that ruled China, before it expanded its power to the centre of the country and moved the capital to Beijing. This palace then became auxiliary to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. This remarkable architectural edifice offers important historical testimony to the history of the Qing Dynasty and to the cultural traditions of the Manchu and other tribes in the north of China.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (i): The Imperial Palaces represent masterpieces in the development of imperial palace architecture in China.

Criterion (ii): The architecture of the Imperial Palace complexes, particularly in Shenyang, exhibits an important interchange of influences of traditional architecture and Chinese palace architecture particularly in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Criterion (iii): The Imperial Palaces bear exceptional testimony to Chinese civilisation at the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties, being true reserves of landscapes, architecture, furnishings and objects of art, as well as carrying exceptional evidence to the living traditions and the customs of Shamanism practised by the Manchu people for centuries.

Criterion (iv): The Imperial Palaces provide outstanding examples of the greatest palatial architectural ensembles in China. They illustrate the grandeur of the imperial institution from the Qing Dynasty to the earlier Ming and Yuan dynasties, as well as Manchu traditions, and present evidence on the evolution of this architecture in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Encyclopedia Record: Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang

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