How long did it take to build the Hue Imperial Citadel, and why is it purple?

Within the Hue Imperial Citadel, there are hundreds of architectural structures of varying sizes, divided into many different areas.

According to historians, the third wall of the Hue Imperial City, located behind the Thai Hoa Palace, was begun by King Gia Long in 1804 and was called the Imperial Citadel.

In 1822, Emperor Minh Mạng renamed the Imperial Citadel to Forbidden City, meaning "The Forbidden City of Purple" - the residence of the emperor and the Nguyễn dynasty's royal family.

The construction period of the Forbidden City

The imperial city of Hue, once magnificent and opulent, has preserved many ancient structures despite significant historical upheavals. The most regrettable loss, perhaps, is that the Forbidden City is no longer intact for posterity to admire. Nevertheless, people today still understand its architectural scale, significance, value, and regulations through the Nguyen Dynasty's archives.

The document "Dai Nam Thuc Luc" records that: In the year of Gia Long (1804), in the summer, in the 4th month, on the day of Ky Mui, the Palace Citadel and the Imperial Citadel were built. The Palace Citadel was 307 trượng 3 thước 4 tấc long on all four sides, built of brick, 9 thước 2 tấc high, and 1 thước 8 tấc thick.

In front are the Left Gate and Right Gate, to the left is the Hung Khanh Gate, to the right is the Gia Tuong Gate, behind are the Tuong Lan Gate and the Nghi Phuong Gate... Nguyen Van Truong and Le Chat were assigned to oversee the work. The officials serving here were rewarded with additional money. Rewards and punishments were determined based on speed and efficiency.

The Imperial Citadel and the Royal City were started on the same day, the Kỷ Mùi day, in the 4th month of the 3rd year of Gia Long (1804). Thus, the construction took exactly 3 years to complete. In the 6th year of Gia Long (1807), the king ordered: The gates of the Imperial Citadel and the Royal City were marked with signs, and regulations for guarding them were established.

According to the Nguyen Dynasty's archives, the two high-ranking officials directly in charge were Nguyen Van Truong and Le Chat. Several important palaces and temples within the Imperial Palace were entrusted to high-ranking officials Nguyen Duc Xuyen, Le Van Duyet, Phan Van Duc, and Le Cong Nga.

Under the Nguyen dynasty, administratively, this Imperial Palace system was the heart and most important location in the capital city of Hue. It was the highest concentration point for the government's administrative apparatus, so the palaces had to be magnificent and splendid in appearance and needed to be meticulously protected. This explains why there were layers of inner and outer walls built here.

The Imperial Citadel has a rectangular layout, measuring 622m in both the front and back. The left and right sides (East and West) are 604m long. The ramparts are built of brick, 4.16m high and 1.04m thick, with a foundation depth of 0.66m. The citadel's crest is in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid. Each side of the rampart has a gate for entry and exit.

To the south was the Ngo Mon Gate, to the north the Hoa Binh Gate, to the east the Hien Nhon Gate, and to the west the Chuong Duc Gate. In the middle of each side of the citadel was a protruding fortress, topped with a square watchtower. At each corner of the citadel were staircases leading up to it.

Outside the citadel was a system of moats surrounding it, known as the Ngoai Kim Thuy moat. The moat was 16 meters wide and 4 meters deep. Between the citadel and the moat was a 13-meter-wide strip of land – a defensive area in case of attack. If the citadel collapsed, bricks and stones would fall into this area, preventing the moat from being filled.

With its high walls and deep moats surrounding the Imperial Citadel, and the constant guarding of soldiers at the city gates, ramparts, fortresses, and watchtowers, this area became impenetrable.

The Forbidden City is located within the Imperial Citadel and has a rectangular floor plan. Both the front and back sides are 324 meters long. The left and right sides are 290 meters long. The city wall is built of brick, 3.72 meters high and 0.2 meters thick, with no moat surrounding it. The front wall has a single gate in the center called the Great Palace Gate. The back wall has three gates: the Tuong Loan Gate, the Nghi Phung Gate, and the Van Phong Gate.

A remaining section of the old wall of the Hue Imperial Citadel.

The citadel forbids the color purple.

The Nguyen Dynasty's official records state that in the 3rd year of Minh Menh's reign (1822), the king ordered the Imperial Citadel to be repainted yellow and renamed Tu Cam Thanh - meaning the forbidden citadel in purple.

However, why is yellow paint sometimes referred to as purple? Scholars of Sino-Vietnamese studies suggest that the Chinese character "Tử" means both "Son of Heaven" and "Purple," based on the mythology of the Zi Wei Yuan constellation. Zi Wei Yuan, located in the heavens, is the abode of Heaven; the king, being the Son of Heaven, is also called Tử (Purple). The Forbidden City is a fortified area where ordinary people are forbidden from entering.

Documents from the Imperial Archives also indicate that during the reign of Emperor Bảo Đại, after the construction of the Imperial Office building, the Office Gate was added. On the east side were two gates, Hưng Khánh and Đông An; later, Đông An was closed, and Duyệt Thị Gate was added to the east of Duyệt Thị Đường. On the west side were two gates: Gia Tường and Tây An. All the city gates on the three sides were built of brick and mortar, with multi-layered roofs resembling tiles.

Inside the Forbidden City are hundreds of architectural structures of varying sizes. Some of the main structures include the Can Chanh Palace, the Can Thanh Palace, the Khon Thai Palace, and the Kien Trung Palace. Because it is the central hub, the Forbidden City is frequently renovated and repaired.

The Ministry of Public Works' memorial (1906) regarding the allocation of funds for purchasing materials to repair the roads within the Forbidden City. Photo: archival material.

The Ministry of Public Works' memorial dated October 12th, 1906 (the 18th year of Thanh Thai) recorded: On the 10th of last month, the Ministry submitted a petition requesting the repair of roads at the three gates of The Nhan, Southeast, and Chinh Nam to present to the Emperor. The Emperor approved: The roads within the Forbidden City have always been built using salvaged lime and tiles; no mountain stone has ever been purchased. Therefore, the Ministry is instructed to allocate approximately 1,000 dong from the Inner Construction Fund to purchase stone, pile it outside the Nghi Phuong gate, and instruct the various offices within the Inner City to take it in turn to build the roads.

The Ministry of Public Works' memorial dated December 15th, the 3rd year of Duy Tan (1909) stated that: In the Imperial Citadel and outside the Forbidden City, there are 12 sections of road that, due to rain and floods, have had their soil and sand washed away, leaving only rough, overgrown stone pavements, lacking elegance. Soldiers have been dispatched to clear the weeds. Now, it is necessary to hire workers to dig up the roots of the weeds, fill in the road surface, and then level it with soil.

The memorial from this department dated December 24th, the 3rd year of Duy Tan (1909) states: The Lunar New Year is approaching, the brick walls surrounding the Forbidden City, the left and right temples, the Phung Tien Palace, the two Tho Ninh and Ninh Tho palaces, the Kham Van Palace, the Ministry of Interior, the left and right side gates of the Can Chinh Palace... both sides of the inner and outer walls are whitewashed, but due to the passage of time they have turned gray and black. Now, we request that all walls be whitewashed and redecorated to restore their elegant appearance.

Despite being one of the most important complexes in Hue, the Forbidden City has been devastated by historical upheavals, with most of it leveled, leaving behind only poignant ruins of a golden age of opulent palaces and pavilions.

Thai Binh Pavilion - where the king read books. Photo: archival material.

Life in the imperial harem

Historical records show that the lives of the imperial consorts in the Forbidden City were quite leisurely, but their status depended on the emperor's favor. Upon entering the palace, they had to learn all the rules of etiquette and prohibitions. Those fortunate enough to be favored by the emperor could be promoted to the highest rank, while those who were not would be relegated to the neglected Six Courtyards.

The Forbidden City was the residence of the Nguyen Dynasty emperor and royal family, and its basic details are meticulously documented in the imperial archives. According to these records, the emperor worked in the eastern wing of the Can Chanh Palace. Inside, the wing was floored with wooden planks and covered with floral mats, surrounded by glass doors.

The king worked alone, with a few maids attending him to grind ink, light incense, serve tea, or deliver orders. If the official documents submitted were not important, he would instruct the relevant officials to simply approve them; if they were important, they would draft official documents or be given the drafts for the emperor to annotate.

Researcher Ton That Binh recorded that: Normally, the Emperor ate three meals a day, with food prepared by the Imperial Kitchen. The menu for each main meal consisted of 50 different dishes... According to precedent, the Emperor ate alone with five palace maids serving him. However, Emperor Duy Tan broke this rule by allowing his wife to eat at the same table, while Emperor Bao Dai ate with Empress Nam Phuong and the princes and princesses.

Every day, 30 palace maids served the Emperor, taking turns guarding the imperial harem, while only five remained by his side, taking turns caring for him… When the Emperor rested, these five would fan him, massage him, prepare betel quid, and roll his medicine; one maid would be on standby to give orders; and another would sing softly to lull the Emperor to sleep.

At its peak, the Forbidden City boasted dozens of magnificent palaces and opulent pavilions, housing a large royal family of hundreds of members. Among them, the Khon Thai Palace was the residence of Empress Thua Thien Cao. After Emperor Hiep Hoa brought his mother, Truong Thi Than, to reside there, no other Nguyen Dynasty empresses or consorts stayed there.

The Forbidden City was also a place for the emperors to relax during their leisure time. Tu Duc often played the zither at the Can Chanh Palace, while Duy Tan played the lute with the concubines' sisters. Minh Mang enjoyed traditional opera, so he had Duyet Thi Duong built in the Forbidden City in 1826 – the largest theater in the Imperial Palace.

Eunuchs of the Nguyen Dynasty. Photo: archival material.

Eunuchs also left their mark in the Forbidden City, serving the emperor in matters related to intimacy, arranging the order of concubines, and scheduling meetings with the emperor.

They kept a record of the eunuchs' schedules so that if the concubine had a child with the emperor, it would be confirmed later. The eunuchs were given robes made of blue silk embroidered with flowers on the chest. While alive, they served in the Forbidden City; when they grew old and weak, they had to leave or retire to the Eunuch's Palace.

Source: https://danviet.vn/tu-cam-thanh-hue-xay-trong-bao-lau-vi-sao-co-mau-tia-20230922135020824-d1119350.html