The Outer East Inner Court of Forbidden City
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Palace of Tranquil Longevity Area
Located in the far northeast of The Forbidden City is the Palace of Tranquil Longevity. It is composed of a group of buildings, temples, pavilions, gardens, and courtyards. It was built by the Emperor Qianlong as his retirement residence. The reign of Emperor Qianlong was the high point of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and it was during his reign that the arts truly flourished. This area shows off the skill and artistry of the period.
The area is unique in The Forbidden City, as it was designed to be the home of the retired Emperor Qianlong. The Emperor swore that he would not rule more than 60 years because he did not want to rule longer than his grandfather, the Emperor Kangxi. He ended up never using the area. He gave up the throne, in name only, and remained ruler of China.
1. Jiulongbi (Nine Dragon Screen)
At the entrance to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity Area is the Nine Dragon Screen. It is the largest of the three Imperial Nine Dragon Screens in China. The screen is decorated with 270 colorful tiles featuring nine dragons in high relief. The dragons are flying amongst waves. The color and artistic achievement of the screen is amazing. The Dragon and the number nine are the symbol of the emperor. In the study of Yin-Yang, males, and dragons are yang and are represented by odd numbers. Since the highest single digit, odd number is nine, it was reserved for the Emperor and a lot of the aspects of The Forbidden City are in sets of nine. Even the number of tiles on the screen is dividable by nine.
An interesting story behind the wall is that one of the workers applying the tiles to the wall accidently dropped one breaking it. He knew that if the emperor found out, he would be killed, so he asked a carpenter to replace it with a wooden copy. This was done and a replacement tile was quickly made. The emperor did not notice, so his life was saved. You can see the replaced tile on the third dragon from the left. It is a slightly different color than the surrounding tiles.
2. Huangjimen (Gate of Imperial Supremacy)
Located directly north of the Nine Dragon Screen is the Gate of Imperial Supremacy. It is the southernmost gate to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity Area. The gate is a very simple one with three openings in the Palace of Tranquil Longevity Area’s surrounding wall.
3. Ningshoumen (Gate of Tranquil Longevity)
Located north of the Gate of Imperial Supremacy, the Gate of Tranquil Longevity is a single-eaved three opening gate which is flanked on either side by tile covered screens. The gate leads to the Hall of Imperial Supremacy.
4. Huangjidian (Hall of Imperial Supremacy)
Built in 1689, the Hall of Imperial Supremacy was renovated twice in the 19th century. In this hall, Emperor Qianlong held a banquet for 1,000 elderly men over the age of 60 to symbolize his retirement from the role of Emperor.
The hall is now the exhibition hall of fine arts. The paintings on display are rotated annually.
5. Ningshougong (Palace of Tranquil Longevity)
Located behind the Hall of Imperial Supremacy, the Hall of Tranquil Longevity was built in 1689. It was used in conjunction with the Hall of Imperial Supremacy.
The hall is part of the exhibition hall of fine arts.
6. Yangxingdian (Hall of Spiritual Cultivation)
North of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity is the Hall of Spiritual cultivation. It was built in 1772 and rebuilt in the late 19th century. It was built to be the residence of Emperor Qianlong after he retired. He only visited it a few times. In the late Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi dined in this hall.
The hall is now the main hall of the Treasure Gallery and exhibits incredible treasures.
7. Leshoutang (Hall of Joyful Longevity)
Originally built as the study of Emperor Qianlong, the Hall of Joyful Longevity is located north of the Hall of Spiritual Cultivation. The woodcarvings on the ceiling are an incredible example of Chinese woodcarving. The Empress Dowager Cixi used this hall as her residence when she handed power over to Emperor Guangxi. Her 60th birthday celebration was held in the hall.
The Hall of Joyful Longevity is part of the Treasure Gallery. It exhibits clothing and daily necessities of the Imperial Family. It is also home to the largest jade carving in The Forbidden City. The single piece of jade weights over 5,000 kilograms. It took ten years to carve and its details are astounding.
8. Yihexuan (Belvedere of Well Nourished Harmony)
The far northernmost complex in the Outer East Inner Court, the Belvedere of Well Nourished Harmony is now the third hall of the Treasure Gallery which exhibit artifacts made of gold, silver, jade, and precious stones.
West Side of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity Area
9. Qianlong’s Garden
The western part of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity Area is known as Qianlong’s Garden because it was built for Emperor Qianlong. Its official name is the Garden of the Palace of Tranquil longevity. The garden is filled with amazing architecture and beautiful rockeries. It is a peaceful place and a great escape for the riggers of the Emperor’s daily life.
10. Fuwangge (Pavilion of Expecting Good Omens)
Square in shape, the Pavilion of Expecting Good Omens appears like a two storey building on the exterior, but inside it has three storeys’. The interior is divided by many walls and doors and is labyrinthine in style. It got the nickname “Mysterious Building” because of this. The Emperor Qianlong would give meals to officials in this hall on the 21st day of the 12th month of the Lunar Calendar. His son, the Emperor Jiaqing, wrote poems about the building. The hall is the tallest building in the garden and offers wonderful views of Qianlong’s Garden.
10 Pavilion of Pleasant Sounds
9 Qianlong's Garden
13 Well of Concubine Zhen Fei
11. Zhenfeijing (Well of Concubine Zhen Fei)
Located next to the Pavilion of Expecting Good Omens is the Well of Concubine Zhen Fei. Concubine Zhen Fei was Emperor Guangxu’s favorite and he wished to make her Empress, but the Empress Dowager Cixi disallowed it. She was his favorite and when the Emperor fled Beijing during the Invasion of the Eight Allied Powers, Empress Dowager Cixi had Concubine Zhen Fei thrown into the well and drowned. Her body remained in the well for over a year and, according to legend, the Empress Dowager Cixi had nightmares about her and had her body removed and buried.
East Side of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity Area
12. Changyinge (Pavilion of Pleasant Sounds)
Located in the eastern side of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity Area is the Pavilion of Pleasant Sounds. It is the largest theatre inside The Forbidden City. It is a three storey stage for putting on productions of Beijing Opera. The Emperor had his own theatre troupe made up of palace eunuchs and they generally performed, but on occasion, professional performers would come into the palace to perform for the Emperor. The three storey’s could represent heaven, earth, and the underworld and performers could or descent into these different areas due to a complex pulley system and holes in the floors. The three floors are designed as a thrust stage and are open to the outside. The Emperor would sit in the Hall of Viewing Opera across from the stages and watch all three levels in unison.
13. Yueshilou (Hall for Viewing Opera) Located just north of the Pavilion of Pleasant Sounds is the Hall for Viewing Opera. It was built for the Emperor and the Imperial Family to enjoy opera performances.
In the hall is an exhibition on Beijing Opera in the Qing Court.
