For a limited time, new subscribers to Learning Through History
magazine will receive two free e-books in PDF format,A Tale of Ancient Egypt by Herodotus and Japanese
Fairy Tales.
The mysterious sounding Forbidden City of China, pronounced "Zijin
Cheng" in English, is located in the very heart of the capital
city, Beijing. The building of the Forbidden City began in 1406
during the Ming Dynasty under Emperor Wen Di. He had decided moved
the capital of China back to Beijing in order to protect Northern
China against further incursions by the Mongols.
In fact, the site he
chose for the Forbidden City was the location of the former palaces
of the Mongol Kublai Khan, who had ruled China during the Yuan
Dynasty more than a century prior. It took 200,000 men close to
fourteen years to complete it. The City got its name from the
fact that only the emperor's household was allowed entrance. And
following its completion, the emperors and their families would
live behind its walls in palaces for the remainder of the Ming
Dynasty, all the way through to the Qing Dynasty, until the last
emperor abdicated the throne in 1912.
The Forbidden City, including the palaces of former Chinese emperors
(now preserved as museums) is a top tourist attraction. The Gate
of Heavenly Peace (Tiananmen) stands at the entrance to the City
and overlooks Tiananmen Square. Today, the residences of China's
Communist leaders can be found just
outside the Forbidden City. Although no emperors are in residence,
the Forbidden City is a reminder of the grandeur that was Imperial
China.
In this mini unit study, you can: read about the history of the
Forbidden City and what it is like today, read about the Ming
and Qing Dynasties on an interactive timeline of China, take a
guided tour through the City, look at
stunning photographs, watch videos, find it on a map of Beijing,
see what the city looks like from a 360-degree virtual reality
perspective and make fun projects celebrating one of its key architectural
themes.
Reading
Read about the Forbidden City as you take this tour.
Dragons are a key feature
in Chinese architecture, including the Forbidden City. Make a
colorful dragon costume to celebrate Chinese New Year in style
(or Halloween!) and create a dragon puppet of origami.
While learning about the history of China, why not learn how to
make Chinese food on your own? Cooking Chinese is far less expensive
than Chinese take-out, and a lot more fun for kids.
The Young Chef's Chinese
Cookbook has fifteen easy recipes suitable for late elementary
ages and up, including: spring rolls, fried rice, egg tarts, red
bean soup and more. Each recipe (never more than eight steps!)
includes step-by-step photos. The book also has a wonderful section
on the Chinese New Year, including directions to make a New Year's
Cake.
