The Hall of Supreme Harmony

         The Hall of Supreme Harmony used to be the place where emperors received high

officials and exercised their rule over the nation, as the heart of the Forbidden City, the

so-called Golden Carriage Palace, .

      Grand ceremonies would be held here when a new emperor ascended the throne.

      Celebrations also marked emperors' birthdays, wedding ceremonies and other important

occasions such as the Winter Solstice, the Chinese New Year and the dispatch of generals

into fields of war.

        It is the largest surviving wooden structure in China, yellow glazed roof tiles and

decorations on the roof.

        The Hall of Supreme Harmony has the highest level of the roof with ten mythical animals

at each of its roof corners, which shows the superiority. These mythical animals are

characteristics in Chinese architecture, which have special purposes. The animals on the

ridge of the ancient buildings include Chiwen, the kissing dragon, the phoenix, the lion,

the heavenly horse and the sea horse, Suanni - the lion-like dragon, Yayu - the fish dragon,

Haetae, Douniu - the bull-like fighting dragon and Xingshi, the flying monkey.

The kissing dragon is said to be one of the nine sons of the dragon to watch fire;

the phoenix is to bring happiness and good luck to the building;

 the lion indicates the power of the owner;

 the horses show their ability to reach both heaven and the sea;

Suanni, also one of the sons of the dragon, is the king of the animal kingdom;

Yayu, the fish-like dragon, is able to collect clouds and extinguish fire;

Haetae, a unicorn, stands for justice and upright;

Douniu, the bull-like fighting dragon, fights for peace;  

Xingshi, the flying monkey, is an animal for prevent the destruction by thunder.

      All these animals on the ridge come from the evolution of the nails or something heavy

for the stability of the eaves when stuck by wind. This is their practical role in the ancient

Chinese architecture.

      The Hall of Supreme Harmony has the highest level of the building and was used by the

emperor, so it has ten mythical animals on the ridge.

                                                                     ------  reprint news of China Royal Gardens