The Hall of Imperial Peace (Qin'an Dian)

The Hall of Imperial Peace is the main building in the Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City. Built to worship Lord Xuanwu, the god of water in Taoism, it is one of the few Ming-dynasty buildings on the central axis that has never suffered a fire.

Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty believed in Taoism and often held Taoist ceremonies in the Hall of Imperial Peace. In 1535, a wall was added around the hall, forming an independent courtyard. The Gate of Heaven's Primacy (Tianyi men) was built in the south, which derived its name from the sentence "Tianyi gives birth to water" in The Book of Changes, echoing with the god of water enshrined in the hall. Guarding the outside of the door are a pair of Xiezhi, a mythical animal believed to have the ability to judge between right and wrong and wipe out the wicked by biting or goring them.

The Hall of Imperial Peace features a rare type of roof known as luding, a flat roof surrounded by four ridges. A gilt copper treasure bottle is in the middle of the roof, which contains scriptures.

Lord Xuanwu enshrined in the hall is the god in charge of the north. Xuan, meaning "black", stands for water in the Five Elements, so the north corresponds to water in Chinese culture.

Most of the buildings in the Forbidden City are composed of wood, so fire prevention was crucial. Enshrining the god of water in the center of the Imperial Garden reflected ancient reverence for nature and hope for peace and good fortune.

欽安殿

欽安殿為紫禁城御花園中的主體建筑，里面供奉道教水神玄武大帝，是中軸線上為數(shù)不多的從未遭受火災(zāi)的明代建筑。

明代嘉靖皇帝篤信道教，常于欽安殿舉行道教儀式。嘉靖十四年（1535）欽安殿周圍增設(shè)圍墻，形成獨(dú)立院落，南端正中加蓋“天一門”，取自《易經(jīng)》“天一生水”，與殿內(nèi)供奉的水神相呼應(yīng)。門外立有一對(duì)獬豸，據(jù)傳專噬奸佞之人，守護(hù)著這座宗教殿堂。

欽安殿殿頂為罕見的重檐盝頂，即由四條脊圍合而成的平頂，屋頂中間有銅胎鎏金寶瓶，內(nèi)藏經(jīng)書。殿中供奉的玄武大帝，也是掌管北方之神。“玄”即黑色，在五行中對(duì)應(yīng)水，北方亦屬水。紫禁城中多為木結(jié)構(gòu)建筑，防火至關(guān)重要，御花園中心供奉水神，體現(xiàn)了對(duì)大自然的敬畏、對(duì)平安美好的祈盼。