Why did the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City burn down four times?

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, commonly known as the Golden Throne Hall, is the essence of Han Palace architecture and one of the three major halls in the East. The largest existing wooden hall in China.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the most distinguished hall, was burned down four times in the history of Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The first time was the first day of the 19th year of Yongle in Ming Dynasty (142 1). A grand court meeting was held in Fengtian Hall (Hall of Supreme Harmony) to celebrate the official opening of Beijing Palace. Emperor Yongle summoned Dr. Ai Hu, the timekeeper in Qin Tian, and asked him to perform divination for the Three Halls. After Ai Hu was ordered to divine, he knelt down and said, "At noon on a certain day of a certain month, the three halls will be destroyed!" In other words, in the 19th year of Yongle (142 1), at noon on the eighth day of April, the Fengtian Hall, the Gaihua Hall and the Golden Body Hall will be burned. When I say noon, I mean from 1 1 to 13, which is exactly 12.

Emperor Yongle flew into a rage and ordered Dr. Hu to be put in prison. After the first month, February and March, all three halls are safe! On the eighth day of April, Emperor Yongle quietly waited for noon. The timekeeper reported: It's noon! Emperor Yongle was happy and angry-happy that the three halls were safe, angry that Ai Hu's nonsense disturbed the hearts of officials, troops and people, and also disturbed my heart. At this time, the jailer reported that there was no fire at noon, and Ai Hu died of poison in prison! But just after noon, I suddenly received a report: Fengtian Temple was struck by lightning and caught fire! All three halls are on fire! Ming Chengzu deeply regrets that Dr. Hu committed suicide in prison.

The second time was after the reconstruction of the three halls. In the thirty-sixth year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1557), on April 13th, lightning set fire to the three halls, all of which were burnt down. This is the second time that the three halls have been destroyed by lightning. Why were the three halls burned down by thunder and fire twice in a row? At that time, the ancients did not understand the scientific knowledge of lightning rods. There are many thunderstorms in summer and autumn in Beijing, and the palace is tall and wooden, so it has been burned by thunder and fire many times.

The third time was on June 19th, the 25th year of Wanli of Ming Dynasty (1597), when Guijimen (Xihemen) caught fire, the fire spread and the three halls were destroyed again. These three halls were only used for 40 years in Jiajing, Qin Long and Wanli Dynasties.

The fourth time was on the third day of December in the eighteenth year of Kangxi (1679), and the Hall of Supreme Harmony caught fire. ("Records of the Holy Father of Qing Dynasty", Volume 81) The imperial kitchen caught fire, and the fire took the wind, and the Jinxi Hall turned to scorched earth. Four men in charge of the palace prison were hanged. This year, Wu Sangui Rebellion, Beijing Earthquake and the Hall of Supreme Harmony caught fire.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony in Beijing Palace was burned four times in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This is because:

First, it is mainly wood structure;

Second, high-rise buildings are easy to cause thunder and fire;

Third, there is no scientific knowledge of lightning rod;

Fourth, human factors inadvertently caught fire and extended to the main hall;

Fifth, fire-fighting equipment cannot be matched.

Therefore, once a fire breaks out, it will burn completely. The magnificent Hall of Supreme Harmony is time-consuming and expensive to build. Because it costs too much, it takes many years to rebuild after each burn. As a result, at least three emperors in the Ming Dynasty never saw the Fengtian Hall (Imperial Palace) intact.