This year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Palace Museum. I am 9 years younger than her and was born in a small village in the fairyland of Penglai, which is half mountain and half sea. My father and brothers worked in Beiping and returned home to visit relatives during the Spring Festival. Since I can remember, I have been listening to them tell stories about the Forbidden City. On January 31, 1949, Beiping was peacefully liberated. 100 days later, I arrived in Beiping. On the second day of coming to Beiping, my father took me to visit the Forbidden City. The magnificent atmosphere and magnificent palace of the Forbidden City have left a deep impression on me, a rural child. This fulfilled a childhood dream of mine. That summer, I was admitted to No.6 Middle School to study. On October 1st of the same year, I attended the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China held in Tiananmen Square. This is a day of transformation in my life. It is for my heavenly connection with the Forbidden City. I am in Beijing, living on the south side of West Chang'an Avenue, and my school is on the west side of Nan Chang Street. There is only one street between my home, school, and the Forbidden City in the north, south, and east respectively. This allows me to visit the Forbidden City to read classics, search archives, observe cultural relics, meet friends, discuss and seek advice. The journey is very close and very convenient. For a period of time, almost every day (excluding Sundays), I would bring my wowotou and rush in before the opening of the West Gate of the Forbidden City. I would enter as soon as it opened and only leave in the evening when it closed. Day after day, year after year. I remember a reporter once asked me how many times I had been to the Forbidden City? I said, 'Over 1000 times.' It's because of my connection to the Forbidden City. Later on, I studied Qing Dynasty history, Beijing history, and Manchu studies, often visiting the Forbidden City for on-site inspections and academic discussions. After the reform and opening up, I participated in the establishment of the Qing Dynasty Palace History Research Association of the Palace Museum and the Chinese Forbidden City Society. Later, I served as the vice president of the Chinese Forbidden City Society and witnessed the resumption of the Palace Museum Journal and the launch of the Forbidden City magazine, becoming their author. At the same time, we have met many experts and scholars who study the Forbidden City both inside and outside, and we maintain close academic friendships. It's for my friendship with the Forbidden City. Due to research needs and with the permission of the Palace Museum, I once inspected the shamanic sacrificial pot of Kunning Palace in the Palace Museum, measuring the diameter and depth of the pot; Carrying a tape measure, he measured the actual distance (only 1.8 meters) that Emperor Yongzheng walked from the sleeping quarters behind the Hall of Mental Cultivation to the front hall when he went to work; It was also tested that the actual area of the interior of the "Sanxi Hall" was only 4.8 square meters. For decades, due to various reasons, I have visited or inspected the palaces and pavilions of the Forbidden City. It is for my learning connection with the Forbidden City. In 2004, CCTV's "Hundred Lectures" invited me to talk about the "Qing Palace Mystery Case" series, and later on to talk about series such as "The Ming Dynasty's Decline and the Qing Dynasty's Rise 60 Years" and "The Great Forbidden City". To commemorate the 600th anniversary of the completion of the Forbidden City, "The Six Hundred Years of the Great Forbidden City" was narrated on Himalaya Audio, and "The Six Hundred Years of the Forbidden City" was published. Sharing academic research results with a wide audience through platforms such as television, radio, books, and the internet has not only had a large audience in China, but also generated strong reactions among overseas Chinese. Looking back, the Forbidden City has not only been an academic topic and resource treasure for my research on Ming and Qing history, but also a good teacher and friend, as well as a broad classroom for me to promote excellent traditional Chinese culture. The Preface to the Tongzhou Annals of Ming Jiajing states: "To accomplish the affairs of the world depends on opportunity, while to accomplish the affairs of the world depends on understanding." This is a once-in-a-century opportunity that I am fortunate to have encountered. It's for my connection with the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is not limited to the Forbidden City itself, but should also have the concept of a 'Great Forbidden City'. I have integrated the study of the Forbidden City and its related disciplines into Ming Qing history, court history, Beijing history, Manchu studies, cultural relics studies, calligraphy and painting studies, and other subjects. The extension of the concept of the Forbidden City includes the ruins of the royal palace, princess palace, altar temple, government office, garden forest, and mausoleum in Beijing, the Chengde Mountain Resort and the Outer Eight Temples and Mulan paddock outside Beijing, the ruins of the Ming Palace in Nanjing, the ruins of the Ming Zhongdu in Fengyang, the Shenyang Palace Museum, the three capitals outside the Qingguan Pass - Xingjing (Hetuala), Tokyo (Liaoyang), Shengjing (Shenyang), and the three tombs - Yongling, Fuling, Zhaoling, etc. I also inspected the cultural relics of mainland China's relocation to Taiwan at the Wufeng Air Defense Cave underground warehouse site in Taichung and the cave warehouse of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, as well as the sites and relics of cultural relics collected during the southward relocation of cultural relics during the Anti Japanese War. I have visited 31 provinces, regions, and municipalities to introduce and promote excellent traditional Chinese culture represented by the Forbidden City. I have visited the National Palace Museum in Taipei multiple times for academic exchanges, and there are two things that I remember deeply and will never forget. One thing is that the First Historical Archives of China contains half of the "Kangxi Dynasty Daily Life Registration", which was later discovered to be hidden in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. If it can be combined and published, it will not only benefit fellow scholars, but also be a cultural achievement. Through my connections across the Taiwan Strait, in 2009, 54 hardcover photocopies of "Qing Dynasty Household Registration: Kangxi Dynasty" were published in collaboration with the same format, binding, layout, paper, and time. I was fortunate enough to receive half of the gift from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and the four responsible persons from each side signed on the front page of the first volume as a souvenir. This has become a cultural story of exchange and cooperation between the Palace Museum on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Another thing is that in his later years, Emperor Kangxi built palaces and royal residences in Zhenggezhuang, Changping, Beijing. However, the buildings have been demolished, the ruins have been cleared, and there are no records of Chinese books and archives. This has become an academic gap of over 200 years in the history of the Qing Dynasty, Beijing, and architecture. I went to the National Palace Museum in Taipei to check the Manchu language archives and found the complete Manchu language project completion archives of this architectural complex, but the isolated evidence was not established; I went to the First Historical Archives of China again and found the Manchu language archives for the commencement of this project. As it is a project of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there are no records in Chinese archives or literature. The combination of these two Manchu archives suddenly solved the problem. From the above, I have a natural connection, geographical connection, friendship, academic connection, and opportunities with the Forbidden City, which is a great blessing in my life. Therefore, I am particularly grateful to the Palace Museum! The Palace Museum is the largest existing classical palace complex in the world. Its grandeur, magnificence, wealth of treasures, and essence of collections make it a collection of 5000 years of Chinese cultural relics and a treasure of human civilization. I deeply realize that only a great China, a great people, a great history, and a great wisdom can have a great Forbidden City. This is a vivid and powerful testament to cultural confidence. (The author is a researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences) (News Agency)