Palace Concerto Poem by William He

'Palace': The Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, lies in the city center of Beijing, and was once the Chinese imperial palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1911) . It was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1987 and is the largest, best-preserved ancient timber-built palace complex in the world. "Harpyia': The species name 'harpyja' and the word 'harpy' in the common name Harpy eagle both come from Ancient Greek 'harpyia'. They refer to the Harpies of Ancient Greek mythology. These were wind spirits and were said to have a body like a vulture and the face of a woman. 'Nirvana': Sanskrit: "becoming extinguished" or "blowing out". Pali nibbana, in Indian religious thought, the supreme goal of certain meditation disciplines. Although it occurs in the literatures of a number of ancient Indian traditions, the Sanskrit term nirvana is most commonly associated with Buddhism, in which it is the oldest and most common designation for the goal of the Buddhist path. 'Grotto': Mogao Grottos or Mogao Caves. The Grottos situated at a strategic point along the Silk Route, at the crossroads of trade as well as religious, cultural and intellectual influences, the 492 cells and cave sanctuaries in Mogao are famous for their statues and wall paintings, spanning 1,000 years of Buddhist art. 'Hall of Mental Cultivation': The Spirit Culture Pavilion (Yangxin dian) is the place where the emperors of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) rested. The Hall is a particularly significant building in the inner courtyard of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Built originally in the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty, it was here that from the time of Yongzheng Emperor in the 18th century the Qing Emperors lived and ruled the Chinese Empire. "Pedrini": Teodorico Frederico Pedrini was born June 30 1671 and died in Beijing, China in 1746. He was a member of the Congregation of the Mission in Italy. In 1702 he was sent to China by Pope Clement XI to evangelize the son of the Emperor. Teodorico Pedrini was admitted to the Congregation of the Mission in 1698. Pedrini is the sole 18th century composer of which we know that wrote European compositions in China. 'Tchaikovsky'：Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is widely considered the most popular Russian composer of all time. He wrote many very popular classical works including the 1812 Overture and three ballets - Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker. His works include symphonies, concertos, operas, ballet and chamber music. 'Dante': Dante Alighieri. Dante's Divine Comedy, a landmark in Italian literature and among the greatest works of all medieval European literature, is a profound Christian vision of humankind's temporal and eternal destiny. On its most personal level, it draws on Dante's own experience of exile from his native city of Florence.