|
BEIJING - Ancient Observatory
Initially built in the Ming Dynasty (around
AD. 1442), Ancient  Observatory
has already had a history of more than 500 years. It is one
of the oldest observatories in the world.
Initially, a Watching Star Platform was built on the top of
a hill in Nanjing, which was the capital of the Ming Dynasty
(1368 - 1644) at that time. Later, an observatory was built
on the city wall of Beijing in the Ming Dynasty and was also
called Watching Star Platform. In the Qing Dynasty (1644 -
1911), the name "Watching Star Platform" was changed
to "Observatory". And after the Revolution of 1911,
the name Ancient Observatory was changed to be Central Observatory.
In 1979, the north-east corner of Ancient Observatory fell
as it was washed by days of heavy rain and its south-east
corner was seriously split. Then, Ancient Observatory received
three-year of careful repair. The Observatory was opened to
the public with the name of"Beijing Ancient Astronomical
Instruments Display Hall" in 1956. After around 1959,the
Observatory was used as offices. In 1983, Ancient Observatory
was opened to the tourists again as a museum. Ancient Observatory
now is located at the south-east corner of a bridge in Jianguomen
of Beijing City and it has been constructed to be Beijing
Ancient Astronomical Instruments Display Hall. You can go
to the Ancient Observatory by bus No.1, No.4, No.122 and No.9
or by subway.
Ancient Observatory covers an area of about
10,000 square meters. It consists of a ten-meter high brick
Watching Star Platform and some  buildings,
which are under the platform. Eight huge bronze astronomical
instruments are displayed on the platform (the pictures show
three of the instruments). Some of them can still be used
to do the measurement work now. These eight huge instruments
have the Chinese traditional features in their decorations
and appearances but reflect the European accomplishments in
their scales and structures. On the platform, which is 18
meters high, 24 meters long and 20 meters wide, three huge
bronze instruments of the Ming Dynasty were initially display,they
are made according to some Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368)'s instruments.
In the Qing Dynasty, they were moved to be under the platform
as eight huge instruments were displayed on the Platform.At
the end of Qing Dynasty, when Allied Forces of Eight Powers
invaded Beijing, French and Germans robbed some of the instruments,
but after the World War 1, the instruments were returned to
China.Heads of many countries, government officials and famous
scientists from all over the world ever came here to visit
this astronomical palace.
|
