Palace of Heavenly Purity

The Palace of Heavenly Purity, one of the three palaces behind the inner court, is located on the inner court middle road of the Forbidden City in Beijing. It was first built in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1420). It was burned down several times during the Ming and Qing Dynasties and was rebuilt. The existing building was built in the 3rd year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty (1798). The building area is 1,400 square meters.

The Palace of Heavenly Purity is the essence of Chinese palace architecture. It was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties handled daily government affairs in the Forbidden City. It is the first of the three palaces at the back of the palace and is located inside the Gate of Heavenly Purity. "Qian" means "sky" and "qing" means "thorough". First, it symbolizes a clear sky, which is neither muddy nor turbid, and symbolizes the stability of the country; second, it symbolizes that the emperor's actions are as open as the clear sky, and he has not done anything shameful.

The Palace of Heavenly Purity is the main palace of the inner court, which is the first palace among the so-called "Three Palaces in the Back Palace" (Palace of Heavenly Purity, Palace of Jiaotai, and Palace of Kunning). The Palace of Heavenly Purity is 9 rooms wide, 5 rooms deep, 20 meters high, and has a double-eaved hip roof. There is a throne in the middle of the palace, and there are warm rooms at both ends. It is the sleeping palace of 16 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties: 14 emperors of the Ming Dynasty and two emperors of the Qing Dynasty, Shunzhi and Kangxi, all used the Palace of Heavenly Purity as their sleeping palace. They lived here and handled daily government affairs. During the Shunzhi and Kangxi periods of the Qing Dynasty, the Palace of Heavenly Purity had a close relationship with government affairs. The emperors studied, reviewed memorials, summoned officials, received foreign envoys, and held inner court ceremonies and family banquets here.

The Palace of Heavenly Purity is one of the three palaces in the inner court. It was first built in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1420). It was rebuilt several times during the Ming and Qing dynasties due to being burned down. The current building was built in the third year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty (1798). The Palace of Heavenly Purity is a double-eaved hip roof with yellow glazed tiles. It is located on a single-layer white marble platform. The corridor is 9 rooms wide and 5 rooms deep, with a construction area of ​​1,400 square meters. It is more than 20 meters high from the platform to the main ridge, and there are 9 ridges on the eaves.

In the main hall of the Palace of Heavenly Purity hangs a plaque with the words "Zhengda Guangming" written by Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty. Behind this plaque is the "Success Box" that determines the fate of the crown prince.

On the spacious platform in front of the Qianqing Palace, there are a bronze turtle, a bronze crane, a sundial and a Jialiang on the left and right.

The iconic building of the Forbidden City is not open to visitors.

The Palace of Heavenly Purity is the main hall of the inner court, that is, the first palace of the so-called "Three Palaces at the Back (Palace of Heavenly Purity, Palace of Jiaotai, and Palace of Kunning)" in the folk.

The Palace of Heavenly Purity is the main palace of the inner court, which is the first palace among the so-called "Three Palaces at the Back" (Palace of Heavenly Purity, Palace of Jiaotai, and Palace of Kunning). The Palace of Heavenly Purity is 9 rooms wide, 5 rooms deep, 20 meters high, and has a double-eaved hip roof. It was the sleeping palace for the 16 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The Palace of Heavenly Purity is the first of the three palaces at the rear of the Forbidden City. It is located inside the Qianqing Gate and is the essence of Han palace architecture.

On the spacious platform in front of the hall, there are bronze turtles, bronze cranes, sundials, and Jialiang on the left and right. There are four gilded incense burners in front, and the hall is paved with gold bricks.

This was once the bedroom of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty and the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties handled daily government affairs. It is now a display of the original state of palace life.

The residence and daily office of the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties, after Emperor Yongzheng, the palace was moved to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. It is also the largest hall in the inner court of the Forbidden City.

When the emperor dies, what will become of the country? The most reliable way to pass on the throne has been to uphold justice and be upright since the Yongzheng Emperor until the fall of the dynasty. In a sense, uprightness and openness is the symbol of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Qian Dao becomes a man, Kun Dao becomes a woman, and in the middle is the Jiaotai Hall that connects heaven and earth.

The principle of yin and yang is to create and restrain the five elements, and they rotate organically in the layout and positioning of the building.

The Qianqing Palace is the first palace among the "three palaces at the back" of the inner court, that is, the main hall of the inner court. There is a throne in the middle of the hall and warm rooms at both ends. It was the sleeping palace of fourteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty and the two emperors Shunzhi and Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. It was where they lived and handled government affairs.

The Palace of Heavenly Purity is the main hall of the inner court and the emperor's bedroom. It was first built during the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty. It was burned down several times during the Ming and Qing dynasties and was rebuilt. The current building was built during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty.

The first of the three palaces at the rear of the Forbidden City, located inside the Qianqing Gate, is the essence of Han palace architecture and was also the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties handled daily government affairs.

Yangxin Gate is next to Qianqing Gate, and behind it is Qianqing Palace, where the emperor once lived! The three back palaces are not as well-renovated as the three front halls, and the traces of history can be seen more clearly.

Friends who often follow historical dramas, costume dramas, and time-travel dramas must be familiar with the name "Qianqing Palace", especially the "Zhengda Guangming" plaque hanging high in the main hall.

How many stories, conspiracies, treacherousness and cruelty are hidden behind this plaque that symbolizes positive energy? Hahaha, the truth behind the above-board is really not so above-board.

The emperor's bedroom was burned down several times according to historical records and was rebuilt in the third year of Jiaqing's reign.

Going north from the Hall of Preserving Harmony, you will enter the "Inner Three Halls". The first gate is called the "Gate of Heavenly Purity". Entering this gate is the emperor's inner palace. The next three halls from south to north are the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union and Peace, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. Friends who are familiar with Qing Dynasty palace dramas know that the Palace of Earthly Tranquility is the queen's bedroom. At this point, the tour of the Inner Three Halls is over. Friends who are on a 2-hour tour can continue to the north and leave the Forbidden City through the Imperial Garden.

The Qianqing Palace is where the emperor handles daily affairs.

The young Emperor Kangxi killed Oboi in the Southern Study Room of the palace. Every night before going to bed, my grandmother would read a story about a young genius to her son. So when they got here, my grandmother said to him, "This is where Kangxi captured Oboi!"

The Palace of Heavenly Purity is the main palace of the "Three Palaces at the Back" of the Forbidden City, the main hall of the inner court, and has always been the emperor's bedroom in the Qing Dynasty. Moreover, the "upright and bright" plaque in the Palace of Heavenly Purity is also very famous, which was written by Emperor Shunzhi. It comes from Zhu Xi's "Collected Works of Zhu Wengong·Volume 38·Answer to Zhou Yigong" in the Song Dynasty: "As for Mr. Fan's heart, it is upright and bright, and he has no old grudges, and his righteousness is actually for the country." It means to be honest and upright in words and deeds.

In the Forbidden City, apart from the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, the largest inner court is the Palace of Heavenly Purity. It was the sleeping palace for the fourteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty and the two emperors Shunzhi and Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. They lived here and also handled daily government affairs.

This is where the emperor used to hold court. There are many people here.

The "Qianqing Palace" is the main hall of the inner court, that is, the first palace of the so-called "Three Palaces at the Back" (Qianqing Palace, Jiaotai Hall, Kunning Palace). There is a throne in the middle of the palace and warm rooms at both ends. It is the sleeping palace of the 16 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties: the 14 emperors of the Ming Dynasty and the two emperors Shunzhi and Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty all used the Qianqing Palace as their sleeping palace. After Yongzheng ascended the throne, he moved the sleeping palace to the Yangxin Hall, which became the place for holding inner court meetings.

The Palace of Heavenly Purity is the essence of Chinese palace architecture. It was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties handled daily government affairs in the Forbidden City. The fourteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty and the Shunzhi and Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty all used the Palace of Heavenly Purity as their sleeping palaces. The most famous thing about the Palace of Heavenly Purity is the plaque "Zhengda Guangming". Above the throne in the main hall hangs a plaque with the words "Zhengda Guangming" written by the Shunzhi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Behind this plaque is the "Chu Chuang Box" for secretly establishing the crown prince.

In addition to handling political dignitaries, receiving envoys, and hosting family banquets, the most important use of the Qianqing Palace is to secretly reserve the throne. Starting from the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the practice of appointing the eldest son of the emperor to the throne was followed in the Central Plains dynasties to determine the heir to the throne. In the 14th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, an imperial decree was issued to appoint the eldest son of the emperor, Yinreng, as the crown prince. Emperor Kangxi had many sons and was on the throne for a long time. The premature public appointment of the crown prince caused cruel and painful conflicts and disputes between Emperor Kangxi and the crown prince, and between the crown prince and the other princes. In order to avoid this situation from happening again, the sealed brocade box with the name of the successor was stored behind the plaque "Zhengda Guangming" starting from Emperor Yongzheng, and the crown prince was no longer appointed, but the crown prince was secretly appointed.

It was where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties lived and handled government affairs. From a distance, it is very magnificent, but you cannot go in to visit. You can see the dragon throne and other things from the outside, so the entrance is crowded with tourists taking pictures.

Before the reign of Emperor Kangxi, this was the emperor's residence, but after the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, it was moved to the Hall of Mental Cultivation because Emperor Yongzheng felt that staying here would remind him of his father.

The emperor's bedroom is different, but since it is too old, I think it is just average.

You have to squeeze through the crowds to take a photo in front of the railing to feel like you have been there. If you don’t take a look here, it feels like you have never been to the Forbidden City…

Originally, it was the emperor's bedroom where he lived and handled government affairs. Emperor Yongzheng moved his bedroom to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, which became the venue for inner court ceremonies and for receiving officials and foreign envoys.

The Qianqing Palace was also the place where the emperors of the Qing Dynasty rested their coffins. The emperor's coffin was hidden behind the plaque "Zhengda Guangming".

I know the history of the Qing Dynasty best among the 5,000-year history of the Chinese nation. I always have an inexplicable affection for the Forbidden City, so when I saw the plaque "Zhengda Guangming", I felt shocked, inexplicably shocked.

The Qianqing Palace is the main hall of the harem and the residence of emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Inside the main hall there is a horizontal plaque with the words "正大光明" (upright and open) which is often seen in Qing palace dramas.

The Palace of Heavenly Purity is the essence of Chinese palace architecture. It was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties handled daily government affairs in the Forbidden City. The fourteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty and Shunzhi and Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty all used the Palace of Heavenly Purity as their sleeping palaces. It is the first of the three palaces at the back of the palace and is located inside the Qianqing Gate.

This is the place where the emperor's coffin was placed after his death. It's very nice. Note the roof, it's great.