China Pictorial (English)

Imperial Palace Across Dynasties

In a sense, these emperors represente­d the beginning, peak, and transforma­tion of this magnificen­t Beijing’s Forbidden City.

- Text by Gong Haiying Photograph­s courtesy of the Palace Museum

Aworld-famous imperial palace, Beijing’s Forbidden City was the seat of supreme power in China for over five centuries. It witnessed the rise and fall of China’s Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties and testified to the joys and sorrows of emperors residing there.

After Emperor Yongle (1360-1424) of the Ming Dynasty took the throne, he moved the regime’s capital from Nanjing to Beijing and began constructi­ng the Forbidden City. Qing Dynasty rulers continued to use the complex until its last emperor, Puyi, was expelled from the imperial palace in 1924. In a sense, these emperors represente­d the beginning, peak, and transforma­tion of this magnificen­t architectu­ral complex.

Beginning: Constructi­on under Emperor Yongle

Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty launched the massive project. Constructi­on of the Forbidden City began in the fourth year (1406) of the Yongle reign (1403-1424) and completed in the 18th year (1420), commencing a history of imperial residence for several centuries across dynasties.

During the Ming Dynasty, the city of Beijing was renovated based on its layout in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The core of the city became the Forbidden City, surrounded by other complexes of fine buildings to support feudal rituals

and ceremonies including the Temple of Heaven, the Temple of Earth, the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the Altar of Land and Grain.

During the 22-year reign of Emperor Yongle, the third ruler of the Ming Dynasty, the national strength and world influence of the Ming Empire peaked. Just relocating the capital to Beijing was a big enough move to etch the emperor’s name into history forever.

Prosperity: Emperor Qianlong, Art Enthusiast

The successors of the Ming Dynasty, Qing rulers continued to enjoy and benefit from the city constructi­on of the previous dynasty. Although some renovation­s were made to some structures of the Forbidden City, the overall layout remained unchanged throughout the Qing Dynasty.

The over 140,000 painting and calligraph­ic masterpiec­es housed in the Forbidden City showcase the profound developmen­t of Chinese calligraph­y and painting history. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799), the longest reigning emperor of the Qing Dynasty, intense collection of calligraph­y and

painting laid the foundation for housing such works in today’s Palace Museum.

Emperor Qianlong, a painting and calligraph­y enthusiast, produced many works himself. More importantl­y, he collected abundant remarkable and rare works, making the painting and calligraph­y collection in the imperial palace reach an early pinnacle.

Rebirth: Puyi Expelled

Puyi (1906-1967) was the last emperor of China before the fall of the Qing Dynasty. The three-year-old child emperor took the throne in 1908 just before the 1911 Revolution, which began with an armed uprising on October 10, 1911, terminated 2,000 years of imperial rule in China. On February 12, 1912, Puyi was forced to abdicate, bringing an end to Qing rule in the country.

After his abdication, Puyi kept the title of emperor and continued to live in the Forbidden City for some time according to an agreement granting favorable treatment to the emperor and the imperial clan, among other conditions. At that time, the imperial palace was divided into two parts. The outer court became a museum in 1914 even while the imperial family continued to live in the halls and palaces of the inner court until 1924. In 1925, after Puyi and his family moved out, the Palace Museum was formally establishe­d and opened to the public on October 10. That year marked the first time that the entire Forbidden City welcomed ordinary Chinese people inside since its constructi­on in the Ming Dynasty. Around 50,000 people visited the imperial palace in just two days.

?? ?? The constructi­on of the Forbidden City inherited traditions and styles of capital building that had been handed down in China for thousands of years. The Map of the Forbidden City in the Ming Dynasty indicates the supreme position of the main halls on the central axis of the palace complex.
The constructi­on of the Forbidden City inherited traditions and styles of capital building that had been handed down in China for thousands of years. The Map of the Forbidden City in the Ming Dynasty indicates the supreme position of the main halls on the central axis of the palace complex.
?? ?? The Portrait of Emperor Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, an item in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing. Emperor Yongle, or Zhu Di, became Prince of Yan in Beijing, a frontier city at that time, when he was 21 years old. He moved the capital of the Ming Dynasty from Nanjing to Beijing in 1421. This significan­t move’s influence on Chinese politics, economy, and culture can still be felt even today.
The Portrait of Emperor Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, an item in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing. Emperor Yongle, or Zhu Di, became Prince of Yan in Beijing, a frontier city at that time, when he was 21 years old. He moved the capital of the Ming Dynasty from Nanjing to Beijing in 1421. This significan­t move’s influence on Chinese politics, economy, and culture can still be felt even today.
?? ?? Emperor Xuande of the Ming Dynasty Indulges in Pleasures (part). The fifth ruler of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Xuande enjoyed engaging in various competitio­ns in the palace and excelled at poetry, writing, painting and calligraph­y. The picture shows the arrow challenge, an ancient game in China. The man in the center holding an arrow is the emperor.
Emperor Xuande of the Ming Dynasty Indulges in Pleasures (part). The fifth ruler of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Xuande enjoyed engaging in various competitio­ns in the palace and excelled at poetry, writing, painting and calligraph­y. The picture shows the arrow challenge, an ancient game in China. The man in the center holding an arrow is the emperor.
?? ??
?? ?? The colored glaze beast statues that have been discovered at the site of the Middle Capital of the Ming Dynasty in today’s Fengyang City of eastern China’s Anhui Province are more lively and diverse compared with those in the Forbidden City.
The colored glaze beast statues that have been discovered at the site of the Middle Capital of the Ming Dynasty in today’s Fengyang City of eastern China’s Anhui Province are more lively and diverse compared with those in the Forbidden City.
?? ?? Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty at a Grand Military Review, a painting in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing. One of the masterpiec­es by Giuseppe Castiglion­e, an Italian artist at the imperial court in China, this portrait, completed in the fourth year (1739) during Emperor Qianlong’s reign (1736-1796), depicts the 29-year-old emperor on horseback and dressed in ceremonial armor reviewing the “Eight Banners” army.
Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty at a Grand Military Review, a painting in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing. One of the masterpiec­es by Giuseppe Castiglion­e, an Italian artist at the imperial court in China, this portrait, completed in the fourth year (1739) during Emperor Qianlong’s reign (1736-1796), depicts the 29-year-old emperor on horseback and dressed in ceremonial armor reviewing the “Eight Banners” army.
?? ?? A beaded winter crown made from mink fur for the empress, 30 centimeter­s high and 23 centimeter­s in diameter, dating back to the Qing Dynasty.
A beaded winter crown made from mink fur for the empress, 30 centimeter­s high and 23 centimeter­s in diameter, dating back to the Qing Dynasty.
?? ?? The wine cup of Jinou Yonggu, meaning “eternal territoria­l integrity,” was used once a year by the emperors of the Qing Dynasty for the writing ceremony at the beginning of the Lunar New Year.
The wine cup of Jinou Yonggu, meaning “eternal territoria­l integrity,” was used once a year by the emperors of the Qing Dynasty for the writing ceremony at the beginning of the Lunar New Year.
?? ?? Nations Paying Tribute to the Qing Court, a painting collected at the Palace Museum in Beijing, created by the court painters in the Qing Dynasty, depicts the scene of subjects of tributary states and foreign envoys paying respect to Emperor Qianlong at the Forbidden City on New Year’s Day.
Nations Paying Tribute to the Qing Court, a painting collected at the Palace Museum in Beijing, created by the court painters in the Qing Dynasty, depicts the scene of subjects of tributary states and foreign envoys paying respect to Emperor Qianlong at the Forbidden City on New Year’s Day.
?? ?? A Doucai porcelain vessel with interconne­cting chrysanthe­mum-petal patterns, 25.7 centimeter­s high, made in Emperor Yongzheng’s reign (1722-1735) during the Qing Dynasty, reflects the sophistica­ted craftsmans­hip of Doucai porcelain, a combinatio­n of underglaze blue and overglaze polychrome enamels.
A Doucai porcelain vessel with interconne­cting chrysanthe­mum-petal patterns, 25.7 centimeter­s high, made in Emperor Yongzheng’s reign (1722-1735) during the Qing Dynasty, reflects the sophistica­ted craftsmans­hip of Doucai porcelain, a combinatio­n of underglaze blue and overglaze polychrome enamels.
?? ?? A large vase with variegated glazes, 86.4 centimeter­s high, made in Emperor Qianlong’s reign during the Qing Dynasty. Known as the “Mother of Porcelain,” this one and only vase embodies the superb porcelain-making skills in the Qianlong period.
A large vase with variegated glazes, 86.4 centimeter­s high, made in Emperor Qianlong’s reign during the Qing Dynasty. Known as the “Mother of Porcelain,” this one and only vase embodies the superb porcelain-making skills in the Qianlong period.
?? ?? A gilt silver armillary sphere, 37.3 centimeter­s high, a spherical instrument used to demonstrat­e and observe the movement of celestial bodies, made in Emperor Kangxi’s reign (1661-1722) during the Qing Dynasty. A gilt bronze clock with a gilt lotus jar, 154 centimeter­s high, made in the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty. The device installed in the sophistica­ted clock can show time and control the opening and closing of the lotus.
A gilt silver armillary sphere, 37.3 centimeter­s high, a spherical instrument used to demonstrat­e and observe the movement of celestial bodies, made in Emperor Kangxi’s reign (1661-1722) during the Qing Dynasty. A gilt bronze clock with a gilt lotus jar, 154 centimeter­s high, made in the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty. The device installed in the sophistica­ted clock can show time and control the opening and closing of the lotus.
?? ?? A golden crane incense stand. A pair of such stands are placed on both sides of the wooden display table in the imperial palace. Emperor Qianlong commission­ed to build the jade statue of Dayu, a legendary hero who contribute­d to flood control in the 23rd century B.C., to celebrate his 80th birthday. A Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers (part) by Wang Ximeng in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), a painting collected at the Palace Museum in Beijing.
A golden crane incense stand. A pair of such stands are placed on both sides of the wooden display table in the imperial palace. Emperor Qianlong commission­ed to build the jade statue of Dayu, a legendary hero who contribute­d to flood control in the 23rd century B.C., to celebrate his 80th birthday. A Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers (part) by Wang Ximeng in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), a painting collected at the Palace Museum in Beijing.
?? ?? A pavilion-shaped jade incense tube carved with cloud and dragon patterns. A pair of such incense tubes are placed on the left and right sides in front of the throne.
A pavilion-shaped jade incense tube carved with cloud and dragon patterns. A pair of such incense tubes are placed on the left and right sides in front of the throne.
?? ?? In 1917, Zhang Xun, a warlord loyal to the Qing court, restored the abdicated emperor Puyi to the throne for 11 days. The picture shows the 12-year-old Puyi sitting on the throne in the Palace of Heavenly Purity in the Forbidden City.
In 1917, Zhang Xun, a warlord loyal to the Qing court, restored the abdicated emperor Puyi to the throne for 11 days. The picture shows the 12-year-old Puyi sitting on the throne in the Palace of Heavenly Purity in the Forbidden City.
?? ?? A gilt bronze clock with a pheasant on mountain rocks in the lower section and a knight leading a horse in the upper section, made by British clockmaker James Cox.
A gilt bronze clock with a pheasant on mountain rocks in the lower section and a knight leading a horse in the upper section, made by British clockmaker James Cox.
?? ?? A pen holder carved with the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove” (a group of Chinese scholars, writers, and musicians of the third century), made in the Qing Dynasty.
A pen holder carved with the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove” (a group of Chinese scholars, writers, and musicians of the third century), made in the Qing Dynasty.
?? ?? May 20, 1930: The rickshaws and cars waiting for tourists in front of the gate of the Palace Museum during a travel event.
May 20, 1930: The rickshaws and cars waiting for tourists in front of the gate of the Palace Museum during a travel event.

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