72 precious wooden pillars support the largest palace in the Forbidden City

To build the Taihe Palace, the Ming Dynasty people exploited the yellow silk-tree Trinh Nam wood in the rugged mountains of the south and floated it down the river to Beijing.

The Forbidden City, now commonly known as the Imperial Palace, has a history of over 600 years and was the imperial residence of the Ming and Qing dynasties in Beijing, China. Covering an area of approximately 720,000 square meters, the Forbidden City is one of the largest palace complexes in the world with more than 980 buildings.

In 1403, Zhu Di, son of Zhu Yuanzhang, overthrew his nephew, the Minghui Emperor, and became the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, taking the reign name Yongle. He moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing and began construction on the Forbidden City in July 1406.

The largest palace in the Forbidden City is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, located on the central axis connecting to the Gate of Supreme Harmony, the main gate of the complex. The palace was the site of the emperor's coronation, the investiture of empresses, and other grand ceremonies.

Thai Hoa Palace once had 72 pillars made of golden silk Trinh Nam wood. The inner layer of the tree has a shiny golden grain, looking like golden silk threads. The wood has a fragrant smell, is difficult to deform and crack, and is a precious material for construction and high-end furniture.