In many countries the preservation of the past is something that can be hard to maintain, especially when it refers to buildings and the architecture that was used to build them. Taking this trip to China has shown how possible it can be to preserve the past while moving forward in the present. Buildings are one major aspect of this, but it also refers to the preservation of artifacts and historical sites. These places and things play a part in how the country has become what it has become. By doing this it has provided me with a better understanding and makes seeing the historical sites and artifacts in person even better.
Content:
History of Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City are both located in Beijing, China right beside one another. With Beijing being the capital of China, it holds many different aspects of China's history that has shaped it into what it is today. Tiananmen Square is home to many significant cultural and political events in history. Some of these events are the May 4th Movement and the 1989 protests. The May 4th Movement happened in 1919 and were due to the Chinese government wanting to sign the Treaty of Versailles, which enraged students due to it allowing Japan to keep ahold of a part of China. With the Forbidden City next to the square it holds even more meaning because of the end of imperialism in 1919. The students then protested at the square which then spread throughout China. The 1989 protests were also student-led which wanted more democracy in China. Tens to thousands of individuals were protesting and was ultimately halted by the government by what is now called the Tiananmen Square massacre. These protests have impacted China both politically and culturally into what it is today.
Preservation of Forbidden City and Similarities of the two
The Forbidden City was constructed in 1406 and was apart of the Ming dynasty. After the end of imperialism it later became what is now called the Palace Museum. With millions of people visiting the palace preservation is crucial to make sure that history isn't lost. To make sure nothing is lost they restrict access to certain areas and replace worn out stone. With knowing the history of these two historical sites, it was amazing to see them in person. They both play very important parts in China's history and showcase different points in time of how politically far they have come. Even though one comes from the past and one from the present there are some similarities that are shown. An example of this is the use of space. Both places value large open spaces that can be used for events for gatherings.
Preservation of architecture
While traveling through a number of different cities in China one thing that really stood out to me was the breathtaking architecture. A lot of the historical sites showcased very similar architecture styles but at the same time varied by location. Some of the very distinct characteristics would be the style of roofs. While they were mainly all tiled, some locations display a more curved up end which is shown in the bottom photo of the page. They also tend to display symmetry and incorporate nature in some way.
An example of one of the many places that we visited was the Summer Palace. It is located in Beijing and was built by Emperor Qianlong who built it for his mother, Empress Dowager Chongqing in 1750. A photo of the Summer Palace is on the left and shows a part of its corridor which is the world's longest corridor. Seeing in person how intricate the palace was made me feel amazed because of how beautiful it is. The use of color and symmetry on the palace and walking through the garden and realizing how old it was while still being in good condition was fascinating. The preservation of the vibrant colors and structure of the buildings in incredible. There were places that were restricted which is important to preservation because if you have that many people visiting somewhere it can get to a point where you can't properly keep something preserved. Another place we visited is a famous garden in Suzhou called The Humble Administrator's Garden. This garden was built in 1509 and was during the Ming Dynasty. The curved up roof is to represent a phoenix. Walking through the garden, the architecture of the buildings also incorporate nature to make it feel as though you are outside. This garden is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site so there are things that are in place to make sure that it is preserved.
Silk embroidery
Silk embroidery is famous in Suzhou, China and there is a lot of history when it comes to silk in Suzhou. The preservation of silk embroidery and how much it ties into the history of this city was amazing to see in person. Embroidery requires skill and patience and they have their own technique, which is when the design is able to be seen from the front and back. What shocked me the most is that when embroidering they only use the natural light so that it doesn't ruin the vibrant colors.
terracotta Warriors
Being an anthropology major and being really interested in archeology I was looking forward to seeing the terracotta warriors. They are life size depictions of the armies of the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Each sculpture has its own different set of characteristics that make them all unique from one another. They were discovered in 1974 and were buried around 210 BCE with the emperor. When being uncovered they were discovered to be painted vibrant colors, but do to being exposed to air they lost their color. To this day they are still uncovering more in the site and expect there to be around 8,000 in total. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the many protections placed on the site is that no one is able to build around the mausoleum.