You Look Like a Beautiful Shaolin Kung Fu Monk
To start an article with a diction caution is rare but before imprecision and overuse dulled its impact there was iconic. And if anywhere owns that adjective it’s the Forbidden City, the world’s largest collection of ancient timber buildings. There are no fears of syntax slips with the highly audible and highly knowledgeable Mandy Wong, China’s leading travel expert, who’s about to condense several millennia of history into a four hour exclusive private tour.
But before a shallow dive into history, some governmental context. Purposeful sweeping change is no accident under the leadership of President Xi Jinping. While many factors have fuelled China’s economic success, his long term planning and a governance model combining strategic five year development plans with flexible adjustments remain among the key drivers, allowing policymakers to efficiently respond to emerging challenges. Western leaders take heed. Steady transformation is closely linked to the authoritative philosophy of President Xi’s The Governance of China. First published in 2014, the latest iteration is Volume V which has been translated into 40 languages.
The publication is a major theoretical innovation integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s national and cultural needs. Volume V is a compilation of 91 of President Xi’s spoken and written works from 27 May 2022 to 20 December 2024. The President delivered a parliamentary speech on 16 May 2024 on The Promotion of High Quality and Sustainable Tourism. He opened by noting since the launch of reform and opening up of the country in 1978 and especially following the 18th National Congress of 2012, China’s tourism sector has enjoyed burgeoning development.
“We should pursue innovation while leveraging the traditional role of tourism, improve the quality and efficiency of the industry, and integrate its development with that of other sectors,” he stated. “Efforts should be made to improve and modernise the industry and strengthen the sector so that it can raise the quality of life, boost our economy, develop our spiritual home, better present the national image, and facilitate mutual learning among civilisation.” President Xi urged central departments and provincial authorities to strengthen their commitment and dedication to fostering high quality sustainable tourism through intensive collaboration for tangible results.
On 28 October 2024, the President made a parliamentary speech on how to Build China Into a Cultural Powerhouse. “Cultural heritage is a compelling witness to the splendid Chinese civilisation and also a precious treasure bequeathed to us by our ancestors,” he explained. “We should have a profound respect for history and love for our culture. We will undertake the systematic protection of cultural heritage under unified supervision and prioritise protection, sound utilisation, and minimal interference.”
Nowhere embodies that diktat requiring unification of supervision, prioritisation of protection, sound utilisation and minimal interference in relation to a historic asset than the Forbidden City. In 1994 the Chinese Government gave workers a second day off each week and so the weekend began. There are 1.3 billion or so people in the Middle Kingdom and today, Saturday, it feels like they have all descended on the ancient heart of the Capital. “Aubergine”! Chinese people say “qiézi” when posing for a photograph. It’s easy to end up saying enough aubergines to fill a field such is the exchange of capturing captivating beauty. But with 74 hectares and close to 1,000 rooms, there’s space for everyone.
President Xi gave a speech on 17 July 2023 at the National Conference on Eco Environmental Protection as recorded in The Governance of China Volume V, confirming, “The blue skies initiative is a top priority in the battle against pollution.” Yesterday and today and the day after were and are and will be blue skyed. “I don’t like the greyness of London in winter. Beijing is like Spain in January!” says Mandy. Except for the minus degrees temperature.
“There were 24 generations in total of the Ming and Qing Dynasties!” she declares at the entrance to the Outer Courtyard. “This really is the forbidden place. Only royals and staff were allowed to enter: everyone else was kept out. The moat is frozen now but in summertime you will see people boating on it. In 1367 the first King built a Forbidden City in Nanjing but he was scared of losing Mongolia so started building the Beijing Forbidden City in 1406. It was very fast building. The whole place was completed 14 years later in 1420. The following year Beijing became the Capital of the Ming dynasty. 14 Ming 10 Qing!”
Mandy blazes through the Outer Court into the Inner Court. “The Imperial colours are red and yellow. Red is lucky; yellow is supreme power. Green is earth; blue is heaven. Symmetry is so important in Chinese culture. Man and woman. Light and darkness. Even the stone animals. We always like balance. There are no trees in the Outer and Inner Courts to make them super safe. Kung Fu fighters could jump very high or hide behind trees. There are 18 layers of bricks under the paving so no tunnelling. Look! There are baby dragons on the roof.”
“Look!” demands Mandy again. “There are also pixiu on the roof. The pixiu is a powerful Chinese mythical creature resembling a winged lion. This creature is revered in Feng Shui as a potent guardian of wealth. It has a big open mouth and a big belly but no bottom: it eats a lot but there is nowhere for the food to go. That represents money not being wasted. The dragon is man; the phoenix is woman. There are no phoenixes and there were no women in the Outer Court.”
A sign along a stone terrace states: “Usually filled with water, these bronze and iron vats were used to protect the Imperial Palace from fire. Between Xiaoxue (Light Snow) and Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects) in solar terms, the vats were wrapped in cotton cloth and covered with a lid. When necessary, charcoal would also be burnt underneath to prevent the water from freezing. The earliest vat now preserved in the Forbidden City was cast during the Hongzhi reign (1488 to 1505) in the Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644). Ming vats are simple yet elegant, with plain iron rings on the sides and a wider upper body with a tapered base. Qing dynasty (1644 to 1911) vats feature rings held by side knobs with the faces of beasts, a large belly and a smaller mouth. At present there are over 200 bronze and iron vats in the Palace Museum, including 22 gilt bronze vats flanking the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihe dian), the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohe dian), the Gate of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing men) and the Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing gong).”
She relates, “The Emperor had one official wife and hundreds of concubines. He would take a private tour around Shanghai and south China looking for beautiful versatile young ladies who were talented at calligraphy and music and bring them to live in the Imperial Palace. The East Palace in the Forbidden City was where the concubines all lived.” Beyond the red roofs the 21st century raises its head on the skyline. Citic Tower designed by New York practice Kohn Pederson Fox and London practice Farrells in collaboration with the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design is just over half a kilometre in height making it the tallest building in the Capital. There’s a historic link: its gently curving shape increasing in area to the base and top is based on a zun, an ancient Chinese wine holder.
A sign inside one of the pavilions states: “Hetian jade is the central pillar of Chinese jade culture. It comes from the vast and geologically complex terrain of Xinjiang, where archaeological evidence shows that jade has been used for over 4,000 years. Its earliest known use was in artefacts such as jade axes unearthed at the ancient Loulan site in Ruoqiang County, marking the initial phase of jade culture in the region. After the mid western Han dynasty, jade from Hetian began flowing into central China. It would dominate jade craftmanship for the next 2,000 years. From the 26th year of the Qianlong Emperor’s reign (1761) onward, Hetian jade began entering the Qing court as yearly tributes in both spring and autumn, and became the main source of jade in the Imperial Palace. The production and use of Hetian jade wares made an unparalleled advance, sparking another development boom in Chinese jade culture. The collection of the Palace Museum bears witness to over 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation and stands as a testament to centuries of cultural exchange and integration. In celebration of the Museum’s centennial, this exhibition selects representative pieces of Imperial Hetian jade wares of the Qing dynasty (1644 to 1911) from the Museum’s collection. Divided into five sections – Origins of Jade, Ritual Jade, Elegance of Jade, Ingeniously Crafted Jade, and Jade Ornaments and Dining Wares – the exhibition aims to illustrate the rich jade culture of the Qing dynasty, while highlighting historical interactions, exchanges and integration among China’s diverse ethnic groups, strengthening awareness of their shared national identity.”
“That red door has 81 knobs on it,” observes Mandy. “Nine knobs across by nine knobs down. Nine is for longevity in Chinese culture. Nine by nine is 81 is eight plus one is nine. We like the number eight: it means food fortune; you’re gonna get a lot of money. The number six means your life will flow easily like water.” Beyond the Outer and Inner Courts lies a tranquil garden. “This is an outdoor museum not a park,” she corrects. “That’s a young boy talking to a bird using bird noises. It’s a Red Flanked Bluetail – that’s a lucky bird. That brings luck! This is a very special occasion. You’re very lucky!”
Chinese cultural official and scholar Xheng Xinmiao served as the Director of the Palace Museum (as the Forbidden City is now formally called) from 2003 to 2012, shaping the preservation and display of the architecture and collection for future generations. In 2005 he said, “The collection of the Palace Museum primarily consisting of artefacts from the Qing Imperial Palace is both a historical testament to the ancient civilisation of China and a shared treasure of humanity. From 1945 to February 2005, a total of 682 donors contributed more than 33,400 items from their personal collections to the Palace Museum. Their generosity reflects their deep love for this land and exemplifies the noble virtue of serving the public. Among these donations are national treasures that have significantly enriched the Palace Museum’s collection, making its range of artefacts more systematic and complete. On the occasion of the Palace Museum’s 80th anniversary, the Jingren (Great Benevolence) Honour Roll of Donors was established in the Palace of Great Benevolence (Jingren gong) to engrave the names of these donors to display their finest contributions, highlighting their deeds and promoting their spirit. May this tradition of generosity endure as a profound blessing for the Chinese nation.”
On 19 January 2026 seven Chinese Government Departments including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism released a national plan to systematically promote the country’s cultural and linguistic heritage, setting clear targets for 2030 and 2035. Local governments, schools and institutions are encouraged to incorporate language and cultural development into regional planning, urban management and campus activities. Universities are urged to offer public cultural courses such as in Chinese calligraphy. The exquisite hand painted signs over the entrances to the buildings in the iconic Forbidden City are the ultimate symbol of China’s cultural and linguistic heritage.
