|
 The
Imperial City was constructed in 1804
and is square in shape, with a perimeter
of nearly 2.5 km. It has four entrances:
the Noon Gate that is opposite the flag
tower, the Gate of Humanity on the left
side, the Gate of Virtue on the right
hand side, and the Gate of Peace at the
rear. The city is surrounded by the
Golden Waters pond that flows into the
lakes at the northern corner of the
city. Each gate has a bridge spanning
the Golden Waters, whilst the Noon Gate
has three bridges. In imperial times,
the centre bridge was for the use of the
Emperor alone, whilst the other two
bridges were for the use of his
entourage.
Once you
enter via the Noon Gate, separating you
from the Great Rites Court is the Thai
Dich Lakes (Great Liquid Lakes). These
were dug in 1883 and are spanned by a
central bridge, the Trung Dao (Central
path) Bridge. The bridge has two
ornately designed gateway, carved with
dragons slithering up and down them.
The Great
Rites Court (also known as the Esplanade
of Great Salutation) consists of two
paved terraces. The upper was reserved
for high ranking civil and military
mandarins, whilst the lower was for
village officials and elders. The steles
on each side of the court indicate where
each official’s designated place was. At
the two corners of the court stand two
bronze Kylins, which are believed to
bring peace.
Beyond the
Great Rites Court there is the Throne
Palace. This was used on meetings.
During these meetings, the Emperor would
sit on his throne whilst only four top
ranking officials were allowed in the
palace. The remainder of officials had
to stand outside according to rank. The
palace was seriously damaged during the
Tet Offensive.
Behind the
Throne palace is where the Great Golden
Gate once stood, marking the entrance to
the Forbidden Purple City.
The
imperial City was not destroyed to the
extent of the Forbidden Purple City and
there are number of temples still
standing, although some are locked up
due to their instability. These include
Trieu Temple, Thai Temple (a
reconstruction), the Residence of
Everlasting Longevity, Phung Tien
Temple, Mieu Temple, and the Hung Temple |
