The Forbidden City

Dragon Pavement

The "Dragon Pavement" behind Pao Ho Tien is the largest stone carving in the Palace Museum. It was carved in the Ming Dynasty and recarved in 1761 (26th year of Ching Emperor Chien Lung's reign). A whole slab measuring 16.57 meters long. 3.07 meters wide and 1.7 meters thick and weighing 250 tons. The stone was quarried from Tashihwo, Fangshan County (about 50 kilometers from the city of Beijing). It took 10,000 men to cut and transport it. The transportation was done in the winter, when the crated stone was pulled over the road frozen with water drawn from wells which were dug specially for this purpose at the interval of 500 meters.