The Forbidden City's Inner Court
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The Forbidden City’s Inner Court was the location of the Emperor and imperial family’s residences and private gardens. Designed by using fengshui, the area is very difference in appearance than the Outer Court. It has a more intimate design as opposed to the huge buildings and large courtyards of the Outer Court.
1. Qianqingmen (Gate of Heavenly Purity)
The southernmost entrance into the Inner Court, the Gate of Heavenly Purity is situated in front of a large open area. Built in 1420 and rebuilt again in 1655, the gate is 16 meters high and sits on a white marble Buddhist style base that is 1.5 meters high. Located in front of the gate are two gilded bronze lions. Unlike other lion in The Forbidden City, the lions guarding the Gate of Heavenly purity have dropping ears, as opposed to the perked ears of the other lions. It is said the reason for this was a reminder to the women of the palace that they should not try to listen in and get involved in court politics. Located next to the lions are two pairs of gilded bronze water vats. Similar vats can be found throughout The Forbidden City. They hold water to help in fire fighting. From the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, through the reign of Emperor Xianfeng (1851-1861), each morning, the Emperor would hold court at the gate and listen to the memorandums presented by military and civil officials.
2. Qianqinggong (Palace of Heavenly Purity)
Located just north of the Gate of Heavenly Purity, the Palace of Heavenly purity was the sleeping quarters of the Emperors through the Ming and early Qing Dynasties. The palace is the largest structure in the Inner Court. It was built in 1420, and rebuilt in 1798 due to fire damage. The palace is similar to the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Outer Court, but smaller in size. While used as the sleeping quarters of the Emperor, daily affairs of state were dealt with here. Located in the center of the Palace of Heavenly Purity is an imperial thrown on a raised dais. The throne and dais are surrounded by incense burners, candle holders, and tall mirrors which were placed there to scare off evil spirits. Over the throne is a board carved with four characters which mean “Justice and Brightness”. The name of the crown prince would be written on paper and locked in a box hidden behind the board. Upon the Emperor’s death, the box was opened and the paper was compared with the piece of paper carried by the Emperor. If both matched, the next Emperor was crowned. When an Emperor would die, his coffin was placed in the palace for memorial ceremonies before being put in its mausoleum.
3. Jiaotaidian (Hall of Union and Peace)
Just north of the Palace of Heavenly Purity is the Hall of Union and Peace. Built in the mid Ming Dynasty, the palace was rebuilt three times. The building is a square structure with large gilded bronze pearl on the top. Although smaller than the other main halls in the Inner Court, the Hall of Union and Peace was a very important building. It was the location of important festival celebrations, storage for imperial seals, and home to two very unique time keepers.
During the Qing Dynasty there were a large number of official Imperial seals and which ones were to be used for what purpose got confusing. In 1748, Emperor Qianlong reduced the number of seals down to 25 and many of them were recarved to meet specific needs. The seals were stored in the hall in special wooden boxes.
Located on the West side of the Hall of Union and Peace is a very large chiming clock. Built in 1798, the 5.8 meter high clock has three tiers and a staircase built on the back had to be climbed to wind the clock. The exterior of the clock was built in the style of a Chinese pavilion.
On the East side of the hall is a Clepsydra, which is a time keeping device which used water to measure the minutes. Invented over 3,000 years ago, a Clepsydra used a series of water tanks which dripped water into each other to tell the time. The one in the hall has a bronze official on the bottom tank and through his hands moves a bronze bar which floats on the water and tells the time.
During the Qing Dynasty, the hall was where the Empress would celebrate several holidays. On her birthday, she would receive congratulations from Court ladies and princesses here. During the Winter Solstice and Spring Festival, people would come to the Hall of Union and Peace to pay respects to the Empress.
4. Kunninggong (Palace of Earthly Tranquility)
To the north of the Hall of Union and Peace is the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. The palace was originally constructed in 1420, but was rebuilt in 1605 due to a number of fires that occurred in the building. The hall has a double-eaved roof, similar to the Palace of Heavenly Purity’s.
The palace was the residence of the Empresses during the Ming and early Qing dynasties. Its main chamber was transformed into an area for worshipping the Shamanistic deities of the Manchu People. The Easternmost room was the wedding chamber for the Emperor and his Empress. The chamber is red and is decorated with auspicious symbols for joy and for the hopes for many children. The Emperor and his Empress would live here for several days before moving into their respective residences. The chamber was only used 3 times and its furnishing and decorations date from the wedding of Emperor Guangxi.
Located behind the Palace of Earthly Tranquility is the Gate of Earthly Tranquility (Kunningmen) and flanking the gate are the imperial doctor’s office, a medicine storage room, and the duty room of the palace eunuchs.
5. Yuhuayuan (Imperial Garden)
The far northern section of the Inner court is home to the Imperial Garden. It was the private garden for the Imperial Family. It occupies an area of 12,000 square meters and is filled with pavilions, rockeries, water features, statuary, ancient trees, and a Daoist Temple. The design of the garden is quite impressive and it seems to be much larger than it actually is due to the strategically placed features.
The garden can be traversed by footpaths. The paths are works of art in their own right and are inlaid with colored stones which make up patterns, pictures, auspicious designs, and landscapes. They are often overlooked by visitors, but they are very beautiful and should not be missed.
In each of the four cardinal corners of the garden is a pavilion. The four pavilions symbolize the four seasons. The two most impressive are the Pavilion of a Thousand Springs and the Pavilion of a Thousand Autumns. These two pavilions are incredibly impressive both artistically, and design-wise. They are similar in design, and each used to house a statue in the middle. The ceilings of these pavilions are beautiful and covered with beautiful carvings and paintings.
Located on the north eastern wall of the garden is the Gathering Beauty Hill. It is a cave-filled rockery with a pavilion on the top. The Pavilion of Imperial View, located on top of the rockery was used by the Emperors during the Double Nine Festival to enjoy the moon.
The dominant building in the Imperial Garden is the Hall of Imperial Peace. Dating back to the original construction of The Forbidden City, the hall is a Daoist Temple, in which offerings were offered to Zhenwudadi, the Daoist god of water. It was believed that by giving offerings to him, The Forbidden City would be safe from fires. The temple is surrounded by a wall and located in front of the hall is a pair of ancient cypress trees which is known as the Consort Pine. The two trees have grown together. Located outside of the wall is a pair of gilded bronze Qilin which were placed there to help keep the palace from catching fire.
At the northernmost end of the garden is the Gate of Divine Might (Shenwumen), which is the northern gate of The Forbidden City.
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