What is the significance of the decorations on the gates of the Forbidden City, quickly! ~

The decorations on the gates of the Forbidden City are nails, the significance of which is to symbolize the supremacy of imperial power.

The round nails placed on the gate are called "door nails". Originally, the purpose of the pegs was to reinforce them. In those days, a gate was often put together with several wooden boards. Over time, they would inevitably come apart. In order to avoid this phenomenon, people put wooden bands on the inside of the boards and added a row of wooden pegs from the outside to make the gate more solid.

Later, this row of pegs gradually aligned neatly, the material also changed from wood to iron, copper, play a role in fire prevention.

To the Ming and Qing dynasties, the rich and powerful people on the door using copper nails, but also in the copper distillation gold, showing a golden color, and the red door to reflect the interest, exceptionally good-looking. At this time, the door nail has a decorative significance, with the beautification function.

Prior to the Qing Dynasty, the number of door nails is not specified, you are willing to use as much as you want to use as much. But in the Qing Dynasty period, you can't do that. Qing Dynasty on the number and arrangement of door nails, there are clear provisions, illegal use of door nails, there is suspicion of overstepping, or will be punished. At this time, the door nail has the role of representing the rank.

Expanded:

Door nails of the number of grades:

And many common things like many ordinary things, the door nail was actually a decorative item when it was first invented. But in the feudal society, which was characterized by strict hierarchy everywhere, the door nail was also given the mission of distinguishing the social class. In order to show the different levels of status, the feudal ruling class to the door on the number of door nails to do the regulations, different status of the number of door nails is not the same.

The specific provisions are as follows: the palace door is nine hundred and ninety-eighty-one; the king's gate is seven hundred and ninety-six sixty-three; the duke's gate is seven hundred and seventy-four ninety-nine; the official is five hundred and twenty-five; the vast majority of the general public as the lowest level of existence of the door that is not permitted to have a door nail, so the people are also referred to as the "white ding child".

Baidu Encyclopedia - The Forbidden City in Beijing

Baidu Encyclopedia - Door Nail