In front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City, Beijing (China), there is a pair of stone lions, with the male lion on one foot stepping on a ball, while the female lion remains beside it. Since its construction in 1420, the Forbidden City has stood for over 600 years, and this pair of stone lions has been relocated only once, after which no one dared to touch them again.
The story began several decades ago.
The Pair of Stone Lions Guarding the Hall of Supreme Harmony
In 1976, the Forbidden City underwent repairs to its stone steps, particularly in the area in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony as this hall is nearly the face of the Forbidden City. They moved the pair of stone lions to another location to clear space for the workers. Unexpectedly, as soon as the stone lions were relocated, underground water from the Jinshui River near the palace surged up as if a valve had been opened. Staff hurriedly reported this to the heritage management team at that time.
In light of this situation, scientific experts explained that this was entirely related to the underground water system beneath the Forbidden City. However, the people of Beijing did not think so simply.
Stone lions in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
It is known that during the Spring and Autumn Period, Beijing was named Yan Jing as it was the capital of the Yan state. However, the Beijing area was also referred to as Gǔ Hǎi Wū Zhōu because in ancient times, it was a vast sea region. It is said that the stone lions were placed in a position regarded as the “eye of the sea.”
Ancient Chinese believed that the land and sky could affect humans, and any major phenomenon or coincidence could also serve as a warning sign of impending disaster.
In 1976, a rare meteor shower occurred in Jilin Province. Although it caused no damage, people at the time linked the falling meteor with the water surging under the feet of the stone lions in the Forbidden City. Since then, the management of the Forbidden City has developed a superstition, no longer daring to move the stone lions.
Many tourists visiting the Forbidden City like to touch the stone lions for good luck. However, those from previous generations living in Beijing and the staff working in the Forbidden City understood that: everything in the Forbidden City is best left untouched and not to be moved.
In addition to the pair of stone lions standing guard on either side, there are also two extremely large bronze cauldrons in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Why are these bronze cauldrons placed in front of the hall?
The “Fire Extinguishing” Bronze Cauldron
The Hall of Supreme Harmony is one of the three largest and most important halls in the Forbidden City, serving as the coronation site for emperors. The white jade railing in this hall is also the most abundant in the Forbidden City. It is said that on the coronation day of the early Ming Dynasty emperors, clouds gathered in the sky above the Hall of Supreme Harmony more than anywhere else in the Forbidden City. At the same time, numerous incense burners surround the hall, with cypress wood burning inside, emitting white smoke. The drifting white clouds and scattered smoke, along with the sunlight shining down in a radiant golden hue, make the Hall of Supreme Harmony resemble “a celestial realm in the mortal world.”
Bronze cauldron used to quickly extinguish fires whenever the hall faced a fire hazard.
The golden bronze cauldron was cast during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Initially, it had a layer of gold, but this precious gold was removed during the chaotic times. The emperor had the large bronze cauldron placed in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which naturally had “mystical significance.”
The cauldron contains water, and its base touches the ground, corresponding to “Metal generates Water, Earth generates Metal, Water extinguishes Fire” in the Five Elements theory, used to extinguish fires quickly whenever a fire hazard occurred in the hall. Additionally, during winter in Beijing, snow often falls, and the water in the cauldron freezes. So how can they extinguish fires when the water has frozen? There is space under the cauldron to start a fire, meaning the water cannot freeze throughout the winter.
While other palaces in the Forbidden City also have large cauldrons for extinguishing fires, only the cauldron in the Hall of Supreme Harmony is gilded, while the others are not.
