My system is not decent

Chapter 1871 Less able to carry ships, more not flooded

According to records, the Forbidden City suffered a total of 13 lightning strikes in the Ming Dynasty, and the chi kiss was hit six times in the seven middle schools. The building was not damaged, and the chi kiss contributed a lot.

There are still many of these hidden dragon-shaped stone carvings that don't look like dragons in the Forbidden City.

For example, on the ridge of the Forbidden City building, there is another dragon child hidden on the roof, which is Suan Ni.

It looks like a lion and ranks fifth. It likes to be quiet and not to move all its life. It is easy to sit and likes fireworks. Therefore, the foot decorations on the Buddha seat and the incense burner are its portraits.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City is the highest-level ancient building, with 10 small beasts arranged on the horn ridge.

The sequence is: "One dragon, two phoenixes and three lions, seahorses, celestial horses, six fishes, suanni, Xiezhi, and nine bullfights, and the last act looks like a monkey."

These beasts symbolize the supremacy of the imperial power, so it is normal to appear here no matter how many.

There are some dragons like this, such as Chilong.

There is a chi head in the Forbidden City, which is the patron saint of the ancient bridge.

Recently, it has been reported that the Palace Museum has a "Beast Book" made by the imperial court in the Qing Dynasty.

"Beast Spectrum" was first painted in the 15th year of Qianlong. Emperor Qianlong attached great importance to it, and successively appointed eight military ministers including Fu Heng and Liu Tongxun to participate in the collation.

It was written by court painters Yu Sheng and Zhang Weibang, and was completed in the 26th year of Qianlong.

A total of 180 different portraits of auspicious, exotic, mythical and common animals are drawn in this book of animal illustrations, which is of great value in both academic and artistic aspects.

In fact, all kinds of mythical beasts not only exist on the map, they are also hidden in the corners of the Forbidden City today.

Not every kind of animal can find a place in the Forbidden City.

The mythical beasts sitting in different directions of the Forbidden City usually have a special meaning behind them.

Chi is a hornless dragon in ancient Chinese myths and legends.

Legend has it that it is the favorite son of the dragon. It lives by the water, is dangerous and brave, and is the patron saint of the ancient bridge.

Although the head of Chishou is a bit like a dragon, it is flatter than that of a dragon and closer to a beast.

It has a bit of a leonine appearance, with a pair of horns on top of its head.

The reason why there are horns is that it is inseparable from the feudal imperial power and is the product of power.

In reality, chi heads can often be seen in ancient Chinese classic royal buildings such as the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven.

If you can't remember the name Chishou, it has another name that is easy to remember, called Water-avoiding Beast.

In "Journey to the West", the bull demon king's mount is called the water-avoiding golden crystal beast. Although it is not explicitly stated in "Journey to the West", it looks very similar to this thing.

According to legend, a long time ago, Chi's ancestors were demoted to the earth for violating the rules of heaven, and were pressed under a huge and heavy tortoise shell to guard the canal for 1000 years.

Because of its good water nature, it can adjust the amount of water, so that the water in the Ming River "can carry boats less, and more will not flood the crops", which protects the safety of one side and is highly respected by the people.

Thousands of years later, Chi's ancestors were finally freed from the tortoise shell.

In order to commemorate and commend his family's meritorious service in protecting the river, people of later generations carved the head of this supernatural creature into a stone statue and placed it on the stone pier by the river.

In doing so, the ancients believed that the river could be calmed down, preventing floods from invading, and implying peace in all directions.

Chi heads often appear in ancient bronze decorations, tablet foreheads, and seals.

The Han Dynasty was the heyday of chi patterns, and the number of them is so large that they can be seen on many jade wares.

In ancient architecture, it is not known exactly when Chi heads were introduced.

It is generally a special component of royal buildings and is a typical representative of Chinese dragon culture.

The largest number of stone carvings in the Forbidden City is the chi head of white marble.

Chishou has been used in architecture for more than 1500 years.

After the vicissitudes of history, the shape and functional meaning of the chi head are slightly different.

The earliest surviving ones are the stone chi heads from the Southern and Northern Dynasties, which are flat and long. The entire chi head does not have too many decorative patterns, which is simple and elegant.

Chi heads in the Tang Dynasty had fierce faces and powerful expressions, and were endowed with the function of exorcising ghosts and evil spirits.

The Chi heads of the Yuan Dynasty were more solid and vigorous.

In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the chi head became a symbol of the absolute authority of the feudal emperor.

The current Chi head in the Forbidden City was left over from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

In the three main halls of the Forbidden City-the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Zhonghe, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, there are white marble railings around the base of Xumizuo.

Under the pillar with dragon and phoenix cloud patterns, there is a stone dragon head protruding out, which is the Chi head.

Among the many chi heads, the ones located at the corners of the high platform are larger, while the others are smaller.

Among them, the big chi head is carved with a forearm, showing a mighty and invincible demeanor, like a corner stone at the base of a pillar.

At one corner of a square base, it has carved forearms and a dragon's head.

The forearm is muscular, with protruding tendons in the dragon's claws.

The toes are embedded in the stone seat, the elbows are half bent, ready to go, and there is a great leap into the air;

The dragon head is more delicately carved, with teeth bared and jaws raised, mighty and ferocious, as if it could swallow mountains and rivers once it is born, fully showing the majesty of the royal family.

The carving process of the small chi head is not inferior to that of the large chi head. The chi head is slightly raised, the dragon horns reach the pillar, the round eyes curl the nose, and there is a small hole in the mouth for drainage.

It is said that Chi has no horns, but if you observe carefully, you will find that they have horns on their heads in the Forbidden City.

These are Dioceratops-shaped, slightly open mouth, baring teeth, not fierce.

This is because during the Ming and Qing dynasties, chi heads, like unicorns and Zheng kisses, were regarded as dragon sons, and dragons are a symbol of imperial power and have horns, so they were given new shapes.

There are a total of 1142 faucets on the three halls of the Forbidden City.

Except for the faucet protruding from the corner top of each platform base, there is a small hole in the middle of the teeth of other faucets, and the hole behind it is larger, so the pressure is formed.

When it rains heavily, thousands of dragon mouths drain water together, forming a magnificent scene of "thousand dragons spitting water".

Not only that, the winter wind is cold, covered with snow, and small water flows out from the small hole in the mouth of the beast, forming ice crystals, which is nicknamed "dragon saliva".

It has different scenery throughout the year. This design not only drains the water, but also highlights the grandeur of the royal family.

In addition to the Forbidden City, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the Temple of Heaven also has three platforms. The drainage components on the first platform are cloud heads, the second is phoenix heads, and the third is chisels.

It has thick eyebrows, round eyes, wide nose, big mouth, bared teeth, and has a powerful image.

Another famous hidden dragon location in the Forbidden City is the famous Nine Dragon Wall.

The Nine Dragon Wall is located outside the Huangji Gate in the Ningshou Palace District of the Forbidden City, which is the current Treasure Hall of the Forbidden City.

The wall is 29.4m long, 3.5m high, and 0.45m thick. It is a single-sided glazed screen wall built against the palace wall.

This Nine-Dragon Wall was fired during the reconstruction of Ningshou Palace in the 37th year of Qianlong.

Among yang numbers, nine is the extreme number, and five is in the middle.

The "Ninth Five-Year Plan" system is an important embodiment of the emperor's respect.

There is also a saying that the nine dragons on the Nine Dragon Wall represent the nine sons of the dragon.

In ancient Chinese myths and legends, a dragon had nine sons, and the nine sons could not become a dragon, and each had his own preferences.

(End of this chapter)