Did Yao Guangxiao truly foresee the magnificence of Beijing from Dingdu Pavilion? We stand now where history and legend intertwine, at the foot of Dingdu Pavilion. It crowns Dingdu Peak, a hill named for the very act of deciding the capital’s location. Dingdu Pavilion itself is a relatively new addition to this ancient landscape, opening in May 2013. But its story reaches back to the Ming Dynasty, to the reign of Emperor Yongle. The emperor, desiring to move his capital from Nanjing to Beiping, tasked his chief architect, Yao Guangxiao, with a monumental undertaking. The Hall of Golden Chimes, the heart of the Forbidden City, must be positioned precisely where the sun rises. Yao Guangxiao climbed Niuxin Mountain, now known as Dingdu Peak, and gazed eastward. He pinpointed the sunrise, marking the spot for the Hall of Golden Chimes. This single act set in motion the construction of the Forbidden City, and indeed, the city of Beijing as we know it. The mountain was renamed Dingdu Peak to commemorate this pivotal moment. The six-story Dingdu Pavilion we see before us, with its three-story exterior, is a modern echo of this historical event. The pavilion offers breathtaking views, mirroring Yao Guangxiao’s gaze across the burgeoning city he helped create. Dingdu Pavilion stands as a testament to the vision of an emperor and his architect, a symbolic bookend to the Grand Canal on the eastern side of Chang’an Avenue.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to