Visiting the Palace Museum 参观故宫博物馆

徐于捷

The Spring Festival is approaching. A long-awaited moment-the 600th anniversary marking the Forbidden City's completion reminds me of my visit to the Palace Museum in winter vacation last year.

The Palace Museum， also known as the Forbidden City， where once lived 24 emperors from the mid-Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Its construction was finished in A.D.1420. The main entrance to the Palace is theMeridian Gate. Pass through the Front Gate， and then in front of me appear many rooms，all with golden roofs and red walls. It's said that there are 9999 rooms here. The palace is divided into two parts： the outer court and the inner court. The inner court is the place where the emperor lived with his family members. Once， no one could enter here without permission. Six great halls are the main buildings， one following the other， all facing south. Among the wholecomplex， which impressed me mostis the Hall of Supreme Harmony， the grandest hall here. Without a single tree， its beauty and brilliance are breathtaking. Standing in front of it， I bathe in the breeze， listening to the history from the bottom of my heart， sensing the wisdom of the ancient Chinese.

The museum also tried to stay with "being trendy". During my stay there， the Palace Museum hosted “Lantern Festival night in the Forbidden City" featuring Chinese traditions， attracting thousands of people from all walks of life and presenting a unique， fantastic gala to the general public. The entire Forbidden City was decorated with palace lanterns， paintings and spring couplets to create an immersive festival experience. This visit helps me find my roots and inspires my confidence as well.

The Palace Museum has survived countless wars and social upheavals over the past few centuries. Just the existence itself is a miracle. Over the past 12 months， the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc around the world. china has brought it under control. Although Chinese culture and tourism authorities have tightened up protective measures to prevent the COvID-19 epidemic from bouncing back as the New Year's Day holiday approaches， the Palace Museum has witnessed the country's impressive recovery and its economic bounce back， drawing many visitors. Looking back on 2020 as it slips away， hopefully that 2021 actually will start with no previous year's scars around and help bring in a new dawn for Bejjing.

The Palace Museum is well worth visiting， my knowledge enriched and my horizon broadened.