"600 Years of Enduring Imperial Power - The Forbidden City Cultural Circle (Hebei Volume)" Selected as a Key Publishing Project for Hebei Province in 2024

On November 14, 2023, "600 Years of Enduring Grandeur – The Forbidden City Cultural Circle (Hebei Volume)", the first research outcome of the "Forbidden City Cultural Circle" series from the Hebei Cultural Industry Development Think Tank, was successfully selected as an outstanding publication topic for Hebei Province in 2024. This topic is based on Professor Du Hao's in-depth research on the "Forbidden City Cultural Circle" concept. The publication of this topic is of great significance for studying the excellent historical and cultural resources of Yan-Zhao, and it will also help achieve the spillover effect of the Forbidden City's brand, culture, elements, and channels, holding significant value in coordinating the inheritance of excellent cultural resources across different regions.

In recent years, under the strong leadership of the Hebei Provincial Party Committee, the entire provincial publicity and ideological front, especially the publishing front, has deeply studied and implemented Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. Focusing on the central tasks and serving the overall situation, they have organized the creation and launch of a series of original, high-quality works that are ideologically, artistically, and readable, possess strong Hebei characteristics, and are deeply loved by the public. To summarize the achievements in creating high-quality publications and planning outstanding publication topics in Hebei Province, the Hebei Provincial Publicity Department organized the application, review, and recommendation of outstanding publications for 2023 and outstanding publication topics for 2024. The research outcome of the Hebei Cultural Industry Development Think Tank, "600 Years of Enduring Grandeur – The Forbidden City Cultural Circle (Hebei Volume)", was successfully selected as an outstanding publication topic for Hebei Province in 2024.

The Palace Museum boasts the world's largest and most well-preserved ancient palace complex, housing over 1.8 million precious artifacts. It is one of China's first "World Cultural Heritage" sites recognized by UNESCO. The ancient architecture and rich collections of the Forbidden City carry the five-thousand-year civilization of China and are the crystallization of excellent traditional culture. The remarkable creativity, humanistic spirit, and values embodied therein, demonstrated by ancient Chinese ancestors, require our continuous and in-depth exploration.

Hebei and Beijing share close geographical proximity, historical ties, and cultural connections, maintaining a unique and close relationship with the Forbidden City compared to other provinces. The "Forbidden City" embodies the rich historical and cultural connotations of a comprehensive collection of Chinese traditional culture. Furthermore, a large number of cultural relics, including the Zhili Governor's Office, the ruins and vestiges of Qing imperial temporary palaces, Lianchi Academy, the Eastern Qing Tombs, and the Western Qing Tombs, as well as intangible cultural heritage of imperial craftsmanship such as Beijing embroidery, inner painting, and Ding porcelain in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, all demonstrate the historical origins between the Forbidden City and Yan-Zhao culture.

In recent years, Professor Du Hao, chief expert of the Hebei Cultural Industry Development Think Tank, has paid particular attention to the cultural origins and innovative inheritance of "the Forbidden City and Yan-Zhao." He pioneered the academic concept of the "Forbidden City Cultural Circle," publishing the cover article "Research Content and Value of the 'Forbidden City Cultural Circle' Concept" in the second issue of "Creative China" magazine in 2023. This article received widespread academic recognition, and Professor Du Hao has engaged in multiple reciprocal visits and research collaborations with experts from the Palace Museum. Under Professor Du Hao's leadership, the Hebei Cultural Industry Development Think Tank has established a doctoral research team for "the Forbidden City and Yan-Zhao" and created the Hebei University Palace Studies Research Center, the first top-tier domestic platform for applied research in cultural heritage in Hebei Province.

Cover and first page of the article in "Creative China"

Copyright certificate for the article

As a research outcome of the Yan-Zhao Culture Advanced Research Institute of Hebei University and the Hebei University Palace Studies Research Center, "600 Years of Enduring Grandeur – The Forbidden City Cultural Circle (Hebei Volume)" deeply explores the close cultural connection between the Forbidden City and Hebei, based on Forbidden City culture and from the perspective of cultural circles. The book comprises four chapters: figures, heritage, creations, and documents, comprehensively mapping the lineage of Forbidden City culture in Hebei and its resource system. The "Figures" chapter primarily introduces historical figures related to the establishment and development of the Palace Museum since its inception, as well as the deeds of representative intangible cultural heritage inheritors who preserve imperial craftsmanship, connecting history through individuals and depicting the close ties between Hebei and the Forbidden City cultural circle. The "Heritage" chapter, with geographical space as its axis, introduces cultural heritage related to the Forbidden City within Hebei, including the World Cultural Heritage sites of the Chengde Mountain Resort, the Eastern Qing Tombs, the Western Qing Tombs, and examples of the geographical distribution and genealogy of imperial handicraft intangible cultural heritage. The "Creations" chapter mainly introduces classic works created in the Hebei region during the inheritance of traditional imperial craftsmanship, narrating the historical stories and artistic value behind the artifacts. The "Documents" chapter compiles historical documents related to Hebei from the "Qing Palace Workshop Archives," meticulously extracting and organizing them to showcase the authentic records of Hebei and the Forbidden City cultural circle in historical documents.

Professor Du Hao's team actively practices General Secretary Xi Jinping's requirement to "write papers on the land of the motherland," emphasizing the use of field research methods. "600 Years of Enduring Grandeur – The Forbidden City Cultural Circle (Hebei Volume)" centers its research on the core concept of the "Forbidden City Cultural Circle." The team, composed of numerous experts, scholars, doctoral, and master's students, conducted in-depth interviews and on-site investigations at over a dozen research points throughout Hebei Province, yielding significant results.