Kuai Xiang

Kuai Xiang (Chinese: 蒯祥; pinyin: Kuǎi Xiáng; 1398–1481) was a Chinese architect and engineer widely known as designer of the Forbidden City and originator of the Xiangshan Carpenters. He was born in Xukou (Xiangshan), Wu County, Suzhou during the Ming Dynasty.

Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang had many sons, and he had originally chose his first son, Zhu Biao, to be the next emperor of China. Neverthless, because of sickness, his son died early. However, he had left a son of himself. So, instead of choosing his other sons, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to choose his grandson, whom was named Zhu YunWen. By that time, he was only a teenager.

Yun Wen's ministers had bad influence on him. They persuaded him to kill his uncles, including Zhu Di. But Zhu Di didn't allow it and battled against Yun Wen, and won it, all the way to Nanjing. Even if he defeated Yun Wen, Zhu Yun Wen managed to escape.

Zhu Di didn't like Nanjing as much as Beijing, which he missed. That's when Zhu Di decided to transfer the capital from Nanjing to Beijing in 1407. They needed a royal palace, so Kuai Xiang was ordered to design and construct the Forbidden City for him.

Kuai Xiang was in his early thirties when Zhu Di commissioned him to design the Forbidden City. Kuai used the Imperial Palace in Nanjing as a model. He included features of palaces built during the Tang and Song dynasties into his design. He also drew from Confucian, Taoist, and traditional astronomical systems. This took Kuai several years, and the first palace and walls of the City were completed only after 13 years.

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