Forbidden City story project
A man writing (Ming Dynasty China)
Read Kidi-pede's des-cription of the Ming Dynasty Forbidden City very carefully. Then write a story that takes place in the Forbidden City, where the people move around in realistic ways from room to room and from building to building. Is your story a mystery? Is it about children playing in the palace? Maybe someone new to the court has arrived? If you need more information, there's a complete plan of the Forbidden City here:
Ming Dynasty Forbidden City
Plan of the Forbidden City
Another project: visit a Chinese garden
Why did people want to punch Socrates?
Where did Egyptians bury your liver?
How old are the Rocky Mountains?
What does a half-timbered house look like?
How do you spin wool?
(a project)
Ming Dynasty History
Ming Dynasty Art
Main Chinese Architecture page
Main China page
To find out more about ancient Chinese architecture, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:
The British Museum Book of Chinese Art, by Jessica Rawson and others (1996). Rawson is a curator at the British Museum, and she uses the collection of the British Museum to illustrate this book. Library Journal calls it "easily the best introductory overview of Chinese art to appear in years".
Art in China (Oxford History of Art Series), by Craig Clunas (1997). Not specifically for kids, but a good introduction to the spirit of Chinese art. Warning: this one is not arranged in chronological order. Instead, it has chapters on sculpture, calligraphy, and so on.
