Palace of Longevity and Health

Palace of Longevity and Health

The Palace of Longevity and Health is located north of the Palace of Longevity and Peace on the Outer Western Road of the Inner Court, and south of the Hall of Literary Glory. It was first built during the Ming Dynasty and was originally named the Hall of Auspicious Harmony. In the fourth year of the Jiajing era (1525), it was renamed the Hall of Peaceful Harmony. In the early Qing Dynasty, the original Ming structure was retained. During the Yongzheng reign, the Hall of Peaceful Harmony Official School was established here. In the 16th year of the Qianlong reign (1751), the school was relocated. In the same year, to celebrate the Empress Dowager’s 60th birthday, Emperor Qianlong renovated the palace and renamed it the Palace of Longevity and Health. In the 25th year of the Qianlong reign (1760), a three-story grand theater was added in the courtyard to mark the Empress Dowager’s 70th birthday celebration. In the fourth year of the Jiaqing reign (1799), the theater was demolished, and the stage building was converted into the Rear Roll Hall of the Spring Joy Palace.

The Palace of Longevity and Health stretches 107 meters from north to south and 78 meters from east to west, covering a total area of 8,400 square meters. It is divided into three courtyards from front to back, with auxiliary courtyards on both the east and west sides. The main gate, the Gate of Longevity and Health, consists of three glazed walls integrated into the surrounding wall. The central gate is equipped with a four-panel wooden screen wall with a yellow-glazed tile roof. The main hall of the first courtyard is the Spring Joy Palace. The date of the original building’s destruction is unknown; the current structure was rebuilt in 1989. This hall faces south, has five bays in width, a single-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with yellow-glazed tiles, with the central bay featuring doors while the others have lattice windows. On either side of the hall are passageway doors connecting to the second courtyard.

The main hall of the middle courtyard, the Palace of Longevity and Health, has five bays in width and three bays in depth, with a hip-and-gable roof covered in yellow-glazed tiles. The central bay is recessed by one bay and features four lattice doors with a “stepping brocade” pattern, while the side and end bays have lattice windows. The rear eaves’ central bay has doors, and the side bays have lattice windows. On both sides of the hall, the gable walls extend outward with corner towers that wrap around and connect to the two side walls of the Rear Roll Hall of the Spring Joy Palace to the south. Behind the Palace of Longevity and Health lies the third courtyard, where rockeries are arranged. On the east and west sides are small halls, each with three bays, known as the Hall of Auspicious Comfort and the Hall of Motherly Longevity.

The Palace of Longevity and Health served as the residence for the Empress Dowager, imperial concubines, and other noble women. During the Ming Dynasty, the Virtuous and Holy Empress Dowager and the wet nurse Lady Ke from the Tianqi era once lived here. During the Qianlong reign, for the 60th and 70th birthday celebrations of Empress Dowager Xiaoshengxian, Emperor Qianlong personally led the Empress, princes, and grandsons to kneel in greeting, serve tea and meals, perform the “Joyful Dance” in front of the hall to celebrate her birthdays, and host banquets within the palace. Nobles and ministers, along with princesses and noblewomen, were seated in the side towers to enjoy the performances.

In the 41st year of the Qianlong reign (1776), the Grand Theater Pavilion was completed. The following year, the Empress Dowager passed away, and the theater in the Palace of Longevity and Health gradually fell into disuse. In the 4th year of the Jiaqing reign (1799), approval was granted to dismantle the theater, and the stage building was replaced with the Rear Roll Hall of the Spring Joy Palace, used to store costumes and props of the Nanfu Shengping Office.

After the establishment of the Palace Museum in 1925, the Palace of Longevity and Health was converted into the Palace Museum Library, which continues to operate there to this day. The name “Palace of Longevity and Health” refers both to the main hall and to the entire architectural complex. The complex faces south and measures 78 meters in width and 107 meters in length, covering a total area of 8,400 square meters. It is divided into three courtyards from front to back, with auxiliary courtyards on the east and west.

Gate of Longevity and Health: The main gate of the Palace of Longevity and Health, consisting of three glazed walls integrated into the wall, with a four-panel wooden screen wall inside the central gate, topped with a yellow-glazed tile roof. Spring Joy Palace: The main hall of the first courtyard. The original building’s destruction date is unknown; the current structure was rebuilt in 1989. The Spring Joy Palace faces south, has five bays in width, a single-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with yellow-glazed tiles, with the central bay featuring doors and the others having lattice windows. There are passageway doors on either side leading to the second courtyard. East and West Side Halls: Located on the left and right sides in front of the Spring Joy Palace. Palace of Longevity and Health: The main hall of the second courtyard. It has five bays in width and three bays in depth, with a hip-and-gable roof covered in yellow-glazed tiles. The central bay is recessed by one bay and features four lattice doors with a “stepping brocade” pattern, while the side and end bays have lattice windows. The rear eaves’ central bay has doors, and the side bays have lattice windows. The gable walls on both sides of the hall feature corner towers that wrap around and connect to the two side walls of the Rear Roll Hall of the Spring Joy Palace to the south. Hall of Auspicious Comfort and Hall of Motherly Longevity: Behind the Palace of Longevity and Health lies the third courtyard, where rockeries are arranged. On the east and west sides of the rockery are small halls, each with three bays. The eastern hall is called the “Hall of Auspicious Comfort,” and the western hall is called the “Hall of Motherly Longevity.”

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