Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Palace of Heavenly Purity
乾清宫
乾清宫
Less grand than the Three Great Halls, the buildings immediately behind them were more
important in terms of the exercise of real power; a reflection of how in China power lies at
the back door, or gate. Thus, the
Palace of Heavenly Purity
was a residence of Ming and
early Qing emperors, and later an audience hall for receiving foreign envoys and high of-
ficials.
Hall of Union
交泰殿
交泰殿
Immediately behind the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the
Hall of Union
contains a
clepsydra - a water clock made in 1745 with five bronze vessels and a calibrated scale.
There's also a mechanical clock built in 1797 and a collection of imperial jade seals on
display.
Palace of Earthly Tranquility
坤宁宫
坤宁宫
As its name suggests, this hall was concerned with less high-minded pleasures. During the
Ming dynasty, it was the home of the empress. Later, it acted as the site where the emper-
ors got married and then as the imperial couple's bridal chamber. But that lasted for only
two days; after that the empress moved out and the palace harem moved in.
Palace of Gathered Elegance
储秀宫
储秀宫
The last emperor, Puyi, lived in the buildings on the western side of the Forbidden City
(as part of his efforts to bring the palace into the modern age, he installed a tennis court).
The
Palace of Gathered Elegance
was where he resided as a child and now contains
some interesting photos of Puyi.
Guardian Lions
石石狮
Pairs of stone lions guard important buildings around the palace, with two particularly
fine specimens in front of the
Gate of Supreme Harmony
. The male has a paw placed
on a globe (representing the emperor's power over the world). The female has her paw on
a baby lion (representing the fertility of the emperor's court).
Understand
