Interesting facts about the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Beijing city

02.08.2023

The Forbidden City in Beijing is the largest palace complex in the world, with an area of 720 thousand square meters. In plan, it is a slightly elongated square (the length of the northern and southern walls is 753 meters, the western and eastern walls are 961 meters), almost correctly oriented to the cardinal points.

Getting to know Beijing:

The square in front of the Taihedian Hall (Hall of Supreme Harmony), the Taihemen Gate, behind them is the Wumen Gate

The full name of the palace is Purple Forbidden City, 紫禁城, Zijincheng. Currently it is called 故宫 - "Former Palace".

The Forbidden City was built from 1406 to 1420, during the reign of the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Zhu Di (朱棣, 1360-1424, on the throne since 1403; the motto of the reign was Yong-le 永乐, “Eternal Happiness”). It was Zhu Di who turned Beijing into the capital. All buildings are made of wood. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Forbidden City was burned and rebuilt several times.

According to legend, there are 9999.5 rooms in the Forbidden City. It is said that the emperor wished to have 10,000 rooms (“ten thousand”, 万 Van,- a significant number in Chinese culture). However, the angry Jade Lord appeared to him and declared that he had only ten thousand rooms in his palace in Heaven, so the earthly emperor, even (天子 tianzi, title of Chinese emperors), it is not proper to have as many rooms. Therefore, they made a little less - 9999 and another half of the room. In reality there are 8707 rooms.

The Forbidden City was built in strict accordance with the rules of Chinese geomancy - Feng Shui. The emperor was not only the ruler of a great country, but was also endowed with sacred status and priestly functions, mediating between Heaven and Earth, so every detail in Gugun has a certain meaning. The word "Purple" in the name refers to the North Star (Chinese: 北极星 beijixing), which was considered the abode of the Jade Lord. Just as all the stars in the sky make their course around the fixed Polar Star, so the emperor in the Forbidden City remains inactive and rules the Celestial Empire.

Entrance to the Forbidden City was limited to mere mortals. Foreigners were practically not allowed here. Therefore, naturally, the most fantastic legends were formed about what was behind the high walls of the palace.

Over a million workers and about 100 thousand different craftsmen took part in the construction of the Forbidden City. The rulers of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) spent less time in Gugun than their predecessors, living most of the year in or in. In total, 24 emperors ruled from behind the walls of the Forbidden City for almost 500 years - 14 emperors of the Ming dynasty and 10 emperors of the Qing dynasty. After his abdication in 1912, the last Chinese Emperor Pu Yi (溥仪, 1906-1967, Chinese Emperor 1908-1912, retained the title until 1924) lived here until 1924.

Gugong in Beijing and Gugong in Taipei

The first museum in the Forbidden City appeared back in 1914 - in the Hall of Military Glory (武英殿, Wuyingdian). In 1924, the entire territory passed into the hands of the Republic of China (1911-1949). On October 10, 1925, a museum was created here, which was called 故宫博物院 Gugong bowyuan— Museum “Former Imperial Palace”. According to an inventory carried out in the same year, there were about 1.17 million storage units. In subsequent years, Gugun's collection expanded significantly.

How to get to Gugun

Gugong is located in the very center of Beijing. On the map it looks like a huge square.

Metro: Tiananmen Xi Zhang Station 天安门西站 ( Tian'anmen West Station), "Tiananmen dong zhang" 天安门东站 ( Tian'anmen East Station), line 1.

Buses: 1路, 2路, 10路, 52路, 52路区间, 52路区间2, 59路, 82路, 90路, 99路, etc.

Gugun on the map

In China, in the very center of its capital, east of the Lake District, where the country's ruling residence is now located, the imperial palace complex has been preserved in all its splendor. From here, 24 rulers of the Celestial Empire ruled for 5 centuries. The Forbidden Palace in Beijing is the cradle of the ruling Chinese dynasties, representing enormous historical, architectural and authentic national value, the focus of centuries-old power, its personal residence and witness to the greatest moments in the history of the Celestial Empire.

Why is the Forbidden City called that?

Today, Gugun (literally, the former palace), as the modern Chinese call it, can be accessed by anyone who finds themselves in the center of Beijing during the opening hours of the palace complex. After the fall of the Imperial dynasty and the formation of the People's Republic of China, it was turned into a museum and open to the public. And before that, it was impossible to enter this territory or leave its borders without the highest permission. A higher level of the name, which sounds entirely in Chinese as Zijincheng, is the equivalent of the residence of the earthly Chinese ruler in the celestial sphere of Qiwei, which in the traditions of Chinese mythology was considered the highest dwelling of the earthly Ruler and his family.

History of construction. Change of dynasties

The construction period dates back to the 15th century, more than a million builders and at least 100 thousand craftsmen of various creative professions (stone carvers, artists, artisans of wooden architecture, etc.) took part in it. Construction of the palace began after the fall of Mongol rule and the transfer of power to the Ming dynasty. The capital was moved to Nanjing, but the son of the Hongwu Emperor named Zhu Di remained in Beijing, who 40 years later usurped his father’s throne, took the name Yongle (“eternal happiness”) and again moved the capital of the Celestial Empire to Beijing. On his orders, epoch-making construction began, which lasted 15 years.

Raw materials for construction

The carved ornaments are made of solid stone, which was a big problem to transport to the construction site due to their weight. Along the way from the quarries to the construction site, wells were ordered to be dug, from which, with the onset of winter, water was obtained to cover the road with ice. Huge boulders of stone were dragged along this slippery track to the palace.

To pave the floors in the columned halls of the palace, so-called “golden” bricks were used, each of which took months to fire. As a result, they turned out to be perfectly smooth and so dense that hitting them made the sound of metal. Most of them have survived to this day and are about 6 centuries old.

Transfer of capital

After construction was completed, Yongle moved to Beijing, first under the guise of traveling for hunting, and then settled in the palace. The administrative center of the Celestial Empire was soon moved here. Beijing again became the official capital of China. However, less than a year later there was a fire that destroyed three main rooms, including the throne room. It took 23 years to restore the lost splendor, while some particularly valuable materials were replaced with more affordable analogues.

In particular, the huge columns were originally made from whole trunks of a precious tree - the Chinese laurel, which grows alone in the jungles of the provinces in the southwest of the country. After the fire, the columns were replaced with more readily available pine wood.

End of the Ming Dynasty

The imperial residence, like power in the country, was in the possession of representatives of the Ming dynasty until 1644, before the rebels seized power. Its last ruler was Chongzhen, who hanged himself during the uprising on Jinshan Hill. The rebel leader captured the Forbidden City and solemnly proclaimed his rule in the Hall of Military Majesty. But his reign was very short-lived, for soon he was already fleeing from the troops of the former Minister of War, finally starting another fire that affected a significant part of the buildings.

In the fall of 1644, the Qing dynasty was proclaimed the official successor to the Ming as a result of the victory of the Manchus, on the occasion of which an official ceremony was held in the captured government residence. The structure of the palace complex was largely preserved by the new rulers, with the exception of the basic names. If previously the dominant sign was “ji” (exclusivity, greatness, superiority), now preference was given to terms characterizing peace and highest harmony. For example, the Minsk name of the Hall of Imperial Supremacy was replaced by the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Moreover, all names were additionally duplicated in Manchu. However, the Qing emperors themselves preferred to live outside the city, visiting Zijincheng only for formal receptions.

Revolution

The Qing dynasty effectively ended in 1860 during the Second Opium War, when the city was occupied by the Anglo-French army, although official power still lay with the imperial family. The Empress fled the Beijing Palace in 1900, and 12 years later the last Chinese Emperor, Pu Yi, officially abdicated the throne.

From that moment on, Zijincheng lost its significance as a political center. However, the emperor himself was given the right (and in fact, ordered) to remain within the walls of the northern part of the city, his Inner Palace with adjacent premises. The outer palace came into the hands of the Republicans and 2 years later was turned into a museum.

After the revolution

The stay of the overthrown ruler in the palace caused growing discontent among the population of Beijing, which intensified after the fire of 1923. Suspicion of arson fell on the eunuchs, who tried to hide the fact that they were wasting the treasures of the imperial treasury. Having learned that they were secretly taking out jewelry to sell to antique dealers, Pu Yi ordered an audit of the imperial collections. On the eve of the scheduled audit, the Palace of Created Prosperity and the surrounding luxurious gardens (restored only in the 21st century) - the storage location of the main treasury - burst into flames. A year later, as a result of a coup and the military coming to power, the agreement with the ruling house was denounced, and the former ruler himself was expelled from the palace he occupied, which became another museum with an extensive collection of ancient Chinese art (over 1.1 million items).

Construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing

Today, a visitor to the complex enters its territory by passing only three gates, but in ancient times there were five. The entire internal arrangement and the name of the premises are permeated with deep philosophy and religion, the principles of which boil down to wisdom, justice and the highest harmony, which should be inherent in the majestic ruler of the country. Of great interest are the details of the arrangement of the interior and the life of the imperial families, for whom the Forbidden City was home for five centuries.

Heating of palaces

In terms of its heating system, the Forbidden City in Beijing is an ancient analogue of modern “warm floors”. There is not a single stove, and therefore a chimney going out onto the roof, in any building on this vast territory. Heating pipes are laid horizontally under the floor. The sources of heat supplied to them were located in hatches located under the verandas and were special braziers standing on 3 or 4 legs. The fuel was special high-quality coal made from wood pellets. When burning, it practically did not emit smoke and fumes, which could quickly smoke the palace halls. The rate of coal consumption was calculated for each member of the imperial family in accordance with rank, and its supply, consumption, condition of the furnaces and heat maintenance were monitored by a specially created Fuel Department headed by a chief who had special privileges.

The furnaces themselves were designed in such a way that the accidental release of burning coals outside the brazier was prevented; this was prevented by special caps. Considering the use of wooden building materials and the fire that happened in the first year, which was not the only one, this precaution is not superfluous. Wooden hatches covering the passage to the heating system can still be seen today.

Cooling the palaces

Most of the summer, no special cooling measures were required due to the high roofs and thick walls that retain coolness well. In case of extreme heat, special “refrigerator” boxes filled with ice were placed in the halls. A “sweet bowl” filled with candied lotus seeds and roots was placed on top of the ice. The boxes had holes in the walls and lid, which ensured air circulation and cooling. Ice was harvested in the winter, storing it in underground storage facilities.

Drinking water

There were 72 wells equipped on the territory of the complex, however, the rulers of the Celestial Empire and members of their families drank only water from a source on Mount Yuquanshan (the western outskirts of the capital). The choice in its favor was made by the Qianlong Emperor, who was supplied with water from all the surrounding wells and springs for testing. He called the spring "The First Fountain in the World", and from that time on it was used exclusively for the ruling house. The water was carried on a cart with a yellow flag, and it was supposed to give way. No exception was made even for princes. She entered the Forbidden City at midnight, for which the Gates of Divine Power were specially opened (all city gates were locked at night at 10 p.m.).

Layout

The territory of Gugun has a rectangular shape with an area of 720 thousand m 2, on which 980 buildings have been preserved. The most important of them are located along the north-south axis, which continues further, being the main vector of Beijing. On the northern side of Gugna, this axis has a deviation of approximately 2 degrees, apparently with the aim that the second capital of the Celestial Empire during the reign of the Yuan, Xanadu, would also be on it.

The Forbidden City itself is located inside another one, called the Imperial City and also surrounded by walls. Next comes another “matryoshka” - the Inner City, and on the southern side of this ring is the last one, called the Outer City. Gugun is formally divided into the Southern and Northern sectors. The first served for ceremonial purposes, the second was the residence of the ruling family. The layout of the buildings strictly follows the traditions of Li Ji.

Architectural symbolism

There are no trifles or accidents in the architecture of the Forbidden City and its design. Every smallest detail strictly corresponds to the ideas of philosophy, religion and imperial power.

The most notable of them:

Yellow is the symbol of the emperor. The tiles covering all the roofs, with the exception of two buildings, are painted with yellow glaze paint. The black roof of the Library, located in the Pavilion of Literary Depth, symbolizes water to prevent fire. The roof of the crown prince's residence is painted green, a color associated in ancient China with growth in life.
Red color is a symbol of greatness. The walls of the palaces are painted this color.
The most important halls of the palaces are oriented in groups of three (symbol of Heaven), and the internal residences are oriented in groups of six (symbol of Earth).
The figurines on the roofs indicate by their number the status of the building, from 3-4 on minor structures to 10 crowning the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Consequently, the 10th figure is the only and unique one in the complex. In addition to the sacred meaning, the figurines have a direct purpose - to keep the tiles from rolling off.
Six opposite-sex pairs of bronze lions in front of the gate represent high position. Only one of them is not covered with gold. Lions hold their paw on a ball (a symbol of power, wealth and peace), and lionesses hold a paw on a lion cub (a symbol of the continuation of the imperial family).
The number of cones decorating the lion heads had a direct indication of the rank of officials and ranged from 7 to 13. Those who had a rank of less than 7 were not supposed to have lion figures in front of the gates of their residences.

Interesting facts about the Forbidden City

Gugun is by far the largest palace complex on the planet. Its official name is the Palace Museum.
During its existence, 6 major fires occurred on the territory.
The beds of all city residents, including the simplest servants, were made of hollow bricks, which were heated from below during the cold season.
The amount of fuel corresponded to the status of the owner of the premises, regardless of age. Thus, Empress Dowager Qianlong had 60 kg of coal for heating her residence, and the ruler’s grandson only had 5.
The facades of all buildings face the south and the sun, and the rear northern walls are made thicker to retain heat.
All buildings are made of flammable material (wood), to prevent the fire of which boilers with water cast from bronze were placed everywhere.
Today, the complex houses the largest collection of paintings - 50 thousand paintings from Ancient China.

The Forbidden City covers an area of 720,000 square meters. Interesting fact for comparison: Topkapi Palace in Istanbul is 700,000 square meters, the Vatican is 440,000 square meters, and the Kremlin is 275,000 square meters.

The main part of the city was built over 14 years (1407-1420), using the labor of 200,000 workers. Building materials were shipped thousands of miles from all parts of China using a network of canals built in the 6th and 7th centuries.

All buildings are made of painted wood. To cope with the risk of fire, giant bronze cauldrons filled with water were placed throughout the palace.

At the end of the 18th century, approximately 9,000 people lived in the Forbidden City, its population consisting of guards, servants, eunuchs, concubines, civil servants and the royal family.

The interior of the sanctuary was forbidden to women except for the empress on her wedding day. The tradition of castration of male employees is more than two thousand years old. The Qing Dynasty began with 9,000 eunuchs. Fun fact, their testicles were mummified and kept in jars to be buried with them after their death.

Emperors had the right to several wives and many concubines. The concubines were well-educated women chosen from the best families. Every night the emperor chose who he would sleep with. The wife or concubine he chose had to walk naked from her room to the emperor's chambers. This was to make sure she didn't have a weapon. Her social status depended on the popularity of a wife or concubine with the emperor. Depending on their status, each rank accepted food from "colored" plates, cups and bowls. Only the emperor and empress had the right to use real gold or "shining yellow" porcelain. Ministers and officials had to fall prostrate on the floor before speaking with the emperor. No one was allowed to see the face of the lord except for a very few people. For violating this rule there was only one punishment - death.

An interesting fact: it turns out that palace women wore shoes set on 20-centimeter platforms, and their gait was considered seductive.

There were many transsexuals living in the Forbidden City. At one time, their number reached 70,000. They were not Men became transsexuals in order to get a job in the Forbidden City. Sometimes the boy's parents gave him into sexual slavery to earn money. During the time of the last emperor, the number of transsexuals dropped to 1,500 people.

The "Last Emperor", familiarly known as Pu, ascended the throne when he was three years old. He was forced to abdicate in February 1912, but lived in the Forbidden City until 1924. Thus the reign of a 2000-year-old dynasty was interrupted. Pu was jailed for a total of 15 years, first in Russia and then in China.

The Palace Museum has a collection of 50,000 paintings. Of these, more than 400 date back to before the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). This is the largest collection of paintings in China and includes some of the rarest and most valuable paintings in Chinese history.

The palace museum houses collections of bronzes dating back to the Shang Dynasty (founded 1766 BC). Valuables from the palace museum were hidden during the Japanese invasion of China in 1933. They were later returned and, according to authorities, not a single artifact was lost. The Palace Museum stores 340,000 ceramics and porcelain items.

The Palace Museum has one of the largest collections of 18th and 19th century mechanical clocks in the world, with more than 1,000 pieces. The first mechanical watch was given to the emperor by a priest in 1601.

The Forbidden City in Beijing is the largest and most mysterious. Home to 24 Chinese emperors for more than 500 years, the palace was closed to ordinary citizens. Anyone who dared to break this rule faced death. And despite the fact that most of the complex is open to visitors today, the history of the Forbidden City still remains a mystery.

Myths and facts

The Forbidden City took 15 years to build. According to legend, a million workers were employed, 100 million bricks, 200 million tiles and an untold amount of marble were used. The complex was completed in 1421.

The closed palace housed the royal families and servants, consisting of thousands of eunuchs and concubines. Entering the city without permission meant death for the offender, and the punishment was slow and painful. Despite this, many curious people wanted to see what was happening inside.

Some received this opportunity in 1644. Emperor Ming lived in luxury when new taxation literally starved the population. An uprising broke out and broke into the Forbidden City. The Ming Emperor is said to have been in a drunken stupor when the rebels arrived. To protect his harem from desecration, he killed all the women and cut off his daughter's hand. Then he hanged himself, thereby opening the way for the Qing Dynasty.

Tradition says that the emperor placed a curse on the Qing family: “The Qing house will fall by the hand of a woman.” However, in 1644, the Qing Dynasty settled in the Forbidden City and its secrets became even more intriguing. The eunuchs of the palace, of whom there were about three thousand, began to prepare their own conspiracies and recruited spies from the concubines. There are many scandalous stories about this, in which it is impossible to distinguish fact from fiction when describing the Forbidden City.

In 1853, a seventeen-year-old girl, Cixi, was brought to the palace as a concubine. Over time, she became the most powerful woman in the country and many believe that she led to the destruction of not only the Qing Dynasty, but Imperial China as a whole. Cixi broke tradition and became empress dowager. She ruled the country until her two-year-old nephew Pu-Yi succeeded her. Pu-Yi was the last owner of the Forbidden City in Beijing. In 1912, at the age of five, he abdicated the throne, but was allowed to remain in the palace.

A major fire in 1923 destroyed the city's warehouses. Many believe that it was set on fire by eunuchs to hide thefts from the royal treasuries. In 1925, Pu-yi, the last twenty-fourth emperor of China, left the Forbidden City. Twenty-four years later, the complex was opened to the public.

What to see

The main entrance to the Forbidden City is on the south side through the Midday Gate. The entire complex is divided into the Inner and Outer Palaces. The main premises of the Outer Palace, where the emperor held state events and ceremonies: the halls of Supreme Harmony, Complete Harmony and Preservation of Harmony. The northern part, the Inner Palace, was occupied by the emperors' families and concubines. Here are the halls of Heavenly purity, Peace Unification and Earthly tranquility. They are surrounded by three imperial gardens: Longevity, Kindness and Tranquility. Behind them is the elegant Imperial Garden with gazebos and picturesque rock formations. The entire city is divided by an eight-kilometer central axis. In the center of this axis is the Throne, symbolizing imperial power.

The gate has five doors - three in the center and two doors on the sides. The side doors were used by maintenance personnel and are now closed. Of the three central doors, the right one was used by officials, the left by members of the imperial family, and only the emperor himself could pass through the central large door, but there were two exceptions.

The first exception was made only for the empress and only once - on her wedding day. The second exception was made once every few years for the winners of the imperial examination. We recommend that tourists go through the central door. Feel like an emperor.

Tourists should pay attention to the rivets on the doors. In total there are 9 rows of rivets and 9 columns (you can count it yourself in the photo in the gallery on the right). 9 is the emperor's lucky number, and you will see him constantly in the Forbidden City.

The Midday Gate is stunning in its size - it is 35 meters high, which is equivalent to an 11-story building. At the top there are 5 towers called “Phoenix Towers”. The whole structure really resembles this mythical bird.

The main bells and drums of Beijing were installed at the edges of the central tower. Bells rang every year, announcing the departure of the emperor to the Temple of Ancestors, and drums beat when the emperor departed for the Temple of Ancestors. During the most important ceremonies, bells and drums sounded simultaneously, announcing the coronation or wedding of the emperor.

The noon gate was a place of “communication” between power and peace. Here new laws were officially declared, the emperor greeted his subjects on holidays, hosted parades and looked at the punishments of guilty officials.

Gate of Supreme Harmony (Taihimen) (2)

After the Midday Gate you will come to a large square - the Outer Court of the Forbidden City. There is a water canal called the Inner Golden River, with five bridges across it. The rules for passing through these bridges were completely similar to the rules for the doors in the Midday Gate.

This channel had several functions. The first is a source of water in case of fire, the second is a natural barrier for attackers in the event of an attack on the Forbidden City. Tourists should pay attention to the balustrades of the bridges, decorated with figures of dragons and phoenixes - symbols of the emperor.

Another interesting thing to notice about this square is the bricks of the pavement. These bricks are made using a special technology; they produce a pleasant ringing sound when you step on them. This property of covering an area has almost disappeared, but in some places this sound can still be heard.

The main attraction of the square is two giant bronze lions. The right lion holds a sphere under its paw, symbolizing the power of the emperor, which extends to the whole world. The left lioness holds a lion cub under her paw, symbolizing the well-being and fertility of the imperial family. The Chinese believe that such lions protect the house from evil spirits and attract good ones. Naturally, these lions are the largest in China.

Behind the lions is the Gate of Supreme Harmony itself. The name “gate” is a convention; in fact, it is a real pavilion. It was used in all cases when someone was not allowed to continue, but a meeting with the emperor was necessary. For example, receptions of foreign ambassadors or the imperial court.

Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihidian) (3)

Once you pass through the Gate of Supreme Harmony, you will enter the largest square in the Forbidden City - 30,000 square meters. Behind it rises the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the main building of the Forbidden City.

This is the “heart” of the Forbidden City. It was here that the emperor received officials and generals, and all the most important ceremonies and celebrations were held here. The hall is located on a marble base in three tiers. Two large staircases lead upstairs. In the center there is a marble slab weighing 250 tons, which we have already described above, decorated with bas-reliefs of phoenixes and dragons.

The height of the building is 37.5 meters, and for a long time the Hall of Supreme Harmony was the tallest building in Beijing. The law prohibited the construction of buildings above it. When you look at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the thought does not even occur to you that this building is the height of a 12-story building.

Traditional Chinese architecture has never strived for gigantism. Harmony of size, shape and content was the main goal of ancient Chinese architects. And, to be honest, they did it great.

Some websites on the Internet write that the Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest wooden building in the world. Of course this is not true. The Odate Jukai Dome Stadium in Japan is 52 meters high and covers an area of 25,000 square meters. Compared to it, the Hall of Supreme Harmony is small.

Even in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, tourists will see a lot of interesting things. Pay attention to the huge water vats - another fire safety measure. The main sundial in the Forbidden City is also located here. Also here you can see very interesting stone columns, similar to lanterns, which served as a repository for standards of weights and measures.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony is 64 meters wide and 37.2 meters deep, with an area of 2381 square meters. The roof is supported by 72 columns - 6 rows of 9 pieces. Note that the number 9 is also used here - a symbol of imperial power.

Inside is the main imperial throne. It is called the Throne of Supreme Harmony. It can be difficult for tourists to see it because it is dark inside. In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, more than four doors are rarely opened, and there is not enough light. The central door is opened very rarely, and you have to look at the throne at an angle. In addition, from this angle the throne is blocked by columns. In the photo on the right you can see how sad it looks.

There are a lot of people who want to see the throne, and you still need to “break through” to the open doors. On weekdays this is quite possible, but on a weekend it is an epic feat. Hence the conclusion: do not go to the Forbidden City on weekends and holidays. On weekends in Beijing, it is better to go to the markets or or walk around the shopping centers of the area. Cultural attractions are always crowded with visitors these days.

In addition to the throne, inside you can see six gilded columns decorated with bas-reliefs of dragons. These columns are visible a little better (see photo on the right). On the roof directly above the throne is a large golden dragon playing with a pearl. There is a legend that if someone usurps the throne, this pearl will fall on him and crush him to death. This dragon is very difficult for tourists to see, and even more difficult to photograph.

Hall of Central Harmony (Jonghedian) (4)

This is a small building with a pyramid-shaped roof. This hall served for the emperor to rest and change clothes before ceremonies. There is also a throne inside, but it is much more modest than the Throne of Supreme Harmony. The hall was often used as a place for conversations between the emperor and his close ministers and generals.

The inscriptions near the throne read: “The path of Heaven is deep and mysterious, but the path of humanity is difficult. Only if you draw up an accurate and unified plan and follow it, you can rule the country well.” These words were left here by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. He knew what he was talking about, because he ruled the country for 60 years.

Hall of Preserved Harmony (Baohedian) (5)

This is the last building of the “outer palace” - the working part of the Forbidden City. After it you will find yourself in the “inner palace” - the residence of the emperor and his family.

The Hall of Preserved Harmony had many functions. During the Qing Dynasty, it most often served as a banquet hall. During the Ming era, it served as a place for the empress and princes to prepare for ceremonies.

In appearance, it is similar to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, but smaller in size. There is also an imperial throne inside, and also of a smaller size.

All these three halls stand on a single base of three tiers. If it rains during your visit to the Forbidden City, don’t be upset right away. This is a good opportunity to look at the amazing drainage system. Tourists notice stone dragon heads at the base, and it seems that these are just decoration, but these are the exits of pipes that lead water down. There are a total of 1412 of these dragon heads.