In 1949, the state mobilized 70,000 people to clean up the Forbidden City in Beijing for nine months, and a total of 200,000 tons of domestic garbage were cleaned up in the past 40 years. I can't imagine what the Forbidden City was like at that time
This historic event caused a huge shock in Beijing, the country and the world at that time - this is the famous Forbidden City Purge.
Since mid-August, there have been rumors of a full clean-up campaign. It wasn't until early September, when a large number of workers poured into the gates of the Forbidden City, that rumors were confirmed.
The clean-up is carried out by 70,000 cleaners who collect garbage from all corners of the Forbidden City and transport it out of the city for disposal.
The amount of garbage is staggering, up to 250,000 cubic meters!These include not only the charred remains left by the British and French invading forces, but also some rotten and moldy antiquities such as white marble carvings and bronzes.
In this clean-up operation, not only cleaners participated, but also volunteers from all over the country spontaneously participated in the "Ten Thousand People Visit the Forbidden City" activity.
The volunteer couple is tasked with cleaning the exterior of the palace, while the couple of cleaners are tasked with cleaning up the rubbish that has accumulated inside the palace over the years.
In order to protect the safety of cultural relics, the armed police were dispatched to prevent theft. Appraisers and experts are also involved in the preservation of the cleaned cultural relics.
The clean-up took nine months to complete. A staggering 250,000 cubic metres of garbage has piled up in the Forbidden City, including garbage from royal life and precious discarded cultural relics.
This clean-up restored the old appearance of the Forbidden City, reproduced the historical charm of the World Heritage Site, and aroused people's interest in the protection of cultural relics.
The beginning of this era marks the old past, the birth of the new, the sweep of the Forbidden City, the beginning of a new era of new China, and the dawn of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.