Dharma Documentaries

Dharma. Culture. Ecology.

Menu
  • Dharma
  • Culture
  • Ecology
  • Archives
  • About
Menu

The Chinese Emperor’s Secret Garden

Posted on April 25, 2014April 25, 2014 by Anandajoti

Emperors-Secret-Garden

The Chinese Emperor Qian Long ruled at the height of the Qing dynasty for 60+ years during the 18th century when China was a bigger empire than it is today.

Besides ruling over a great empire the Emperor was a highly cultured patron of the arts and crafts of his time, and commissioned many works of art.

Having made a vow not to rule for longer than his Grandfather he planned his retirement carefully and built an annex in the Forbidden City, decorated with the finest art and crafts of his day.

He never did get to enjoy his creation, and after his death the uninhabited living quarters started falling into decay, until by recent times they were a shambles.

The film tells the story of the restoration of this section of the buildings by the conservators at the Forbidden City together with International help from the World Monuments Fund.

The restoration was begun in 2002 and took almost 6 years to complete, and employed some of the rarest craftsmen and women in China, in arts such as brocade, bamboo work and hand made paper, that seemed doomed to die owing to modern means of production.

Eventually the restoration was complete and one nice touch is that they took at least some of the people who had worked on the project from their often rural abodes to the Forbidden City to see their work in situ.

 

if this video is no longer available please leave a comment so I can update the page
(the comment is not published)

 

to see an album of stills click here

 

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Shortlink

[wpbitly]

QR

Donations

there are many expenses involved in this work: scholarly materials, travel, equipment, software, multiple website costs and maintenance

choose amount:  

Subscriptions

Follow our Facebook Page Follow our Tweets Subscribe by Email Subscribe to our Feed

Top Ten Tags

Theravada

Mahayana

Vajrayana



India

Silk Road

China

Tibet



Arts

Lectures

Rights

Popular Posts

  • The Freedom of being a Buddhist Nun
  • Bright and Shining Mind in a Disabled Body
  • The Leshan Giant Buddha Statue
  • The Silk Road Series 7/16: Khotan-Oasis of Silk and Jade
  • David Eckel: Buddhism 3-4 of 24
  • The Tibetan Oracles
  • Indian Roots of Tibetan Buddhism
  • Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar: The Untold Truth
  • The Journey of Xuanzang: An Introduction
  • The Chinese Emperor’s Secret Garden

Recent Posts

  • Luang Prabang, Laos (Expoza)
  • A Zen Life, D. T. Suzuki
  • Banteay Srei Temple, Cambodia (Expoza)
  • A Force More Powerful 06, Chile
  • A Force More Powerful 05, Poland
  • Lingyin Temple, Hangzhou, China
  • A Force More Powerful 04, Denmark
  • Yu Garden, Shanghai
  • A Force More Powerful 03, South Africa
  • Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai

Related Posts

  • Chinese Treasures in Japan: Ink Art
  • Japan: Ink Painting, Landscapes of the Mind
  • Art of Faith, Buddhism
  • The Golden Age of Arts in China, 2
  • The Golden Age of the Arts in China, 1
  • Mogao Caves (World Heritage China)
  • Sashimono Woodwork in Japan
  • Jewel Garden, Tibetan Arts and Crafts
  • Introduction to Buddhist Art
  • Palace Museum in Taipei: How Chinese National Treasures were moved to Taiwan
© 2019 Dharma Documentaries | WordPress Theme by Superb WordPress Themes