Ancient mechanical clocks and automatons are solid evidence regarding the evolution of technological development.At least four ingenious eighteenth-century clocks with pagoda automatons are preserved in the Palace Mus...Ancient mechanical clocks and automatons are solid evidence regarding the evolution of technological development.At least four ingenious eighteenth-century clocks with pagoda automatons are preserved in the Palace Museum in Beijing.Two were made in China,the other two in Britain.Although the internal mechanical components were maintained and recorded in the late twentieth century,their mechanism structure is mostly not made available to the public owing to the historical value of these artefacts.This study introduces feasible mechanism structures for the four pagoda automatons based on published works,along with considerations of mechanical design.Five subsystems of the clocks are analyzed,and two mechanisms of the pagoda automaton are illustrated.In particular,feasible mechanisms of the four pagoda automatons for raising their stories are explained.The analysis procedure presented in this paper expands the feasibility of reconstruction work on ancient mechanisms with unknown structures.展开更多
BERNARDO Bertolucci’s film, The Last Emperor, drew its Western audience into a mystic, grandiose, oriental palace that was the Forbidden City, leaving them awestruck at the
The main colors of the Forbidden City are Red and Yellow,which can represent rich cultural deposits.According to the Chinese traditional culture,the Red of the Forbidden City has always been regarded as a positive col...The main colors of the Forbidden City are Red and Yellow,which can represent rich cultural deposits.According to the Chinese traditional culture,the Red of the Forbidden City has always been regarded as a positive color of celebration,conveying dignity and happiness.The Yellow color is usually considered as a promising color,and represents a bumper harvest.Based on the principle of the Five Elements,Fire is red,which means breeding and encouragement,and shows prosperity and a solid foundation for the country.Yellow represents Winged Dragon,belonging to the Center of the Earth,and symbolizes the divine right of emperors.Therefore,the color of the Forbidden City(see Figure 1)is of great significance to the development of history and the revival of culture.We still need to work determinedly for the protection of the cultural heritages,so that more people can have the opportunity to understand the brilliance of Chinese civilization.展开更多
