Where is the Manchu?
Yesterday while taking a group around sections of the Forbidden City, one sharp-eyed observer noticed that the signs on the three main ceremonial halls in the outer court: The Hall of Supreme Harmony, The Hall of Complete (Middle) Harmony, The Hall of Preserving Harmony, as well as major gates such as the Meridan Gate (Wumen) have signs only in Chinese.
The absence of Manchu on many of the signs, particularly in the Outer Court, raises all kinds of questions and is a delicious topic for a future posting. In the meantime, for those who are interested in some possible leads, check out Jeremiah Jenne's article 'The Mystery of the Missing Manchu: Monolingual Signage at the Forbidden City,' at his blog 'Jottings from the Granite Studio' http://granitestudio.org/2008/11/14/wheres-the-manchu-script/
The absence of Manchu on many of the signs, particularly in the Outer Court, raises all kinds of questions and is a delicious topic for a future posting. In the meantime, for those who are interested in some possible leads, check out Jeremiah Jenne's article 'The Mystery of the Missing Manchu: Monolingual Signage at the Forbidden City,' at his blog 'Jottings from the Granite Studio' http://granitestudio.org/2008/11/14/wheres-the-manchu-script/
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