Hall of Supreme Harmony 太和殿

When I got back from Beijing and I was showing my photos to my friends, someone commented on how my photos would always contain temples, mountains and stuff which doesn’t interest him. While that may be true, looking back at my photos of the Forbidden City, one would be forgiven if these structures were mistaken for temples. To the outsider, temples and palaces look almost the same. As for me, I won’t even be able to tell the difference, unless I look at what is inside the building.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony is another one of these temple looking structures but it is undoubtedly more grand that the other gates that I have passed. For one, the Hall of Supreme Harmony is built on an elevated marble terrace to signify its importance. And true enough, the Hall of Supreme Harmony plays host to very important ceremonies, specifically the coronation of a new emperor or imperial weddings. It also happens to be one of the largest wooden buildings in China.

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