The Palace Museum's Treasure Gallery

The Palace Museum's Treasure Gallery

The Palace Museum's Treasure Gallery is located in the eastern part of the Forbidden City, housed in the western corridors of the Hall of Imperial Supremacy, the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Hall of Longevity in Happiness, and the Hall of Joyful Longevity in the northeast corner of the Forbidden City. The Treasure Gallery is a treasure trove, featuring a variety of gemstones, glittering gold and silver utensils, pearls, and jadeites, as well as gold-wire phoenix crowns and ivory jade carvings—treasures that are truly unparalleled in the world. The most outstanding among them is a large jade carving of a multi-tiered pagoda weighing 5,000 kilograms.

The Beijing Palace Museum's Treasure Gallery opened in 1958 and is one of the permanent exhibition halls of the Palace Museum. Along with the Clocks and Watches Gallery, it primarily displays Qing dynasty imperial court artifacts and treasures, and together with galleries dedicated to calligraphy, paintings, ceramics, bronzes, and other crafts, forms the overall exhibition system of the Palace Museum, complementing the display of the ancient architectural structures in their original form.

According to the person in charge of the Palace Department at the Palace Museum, the Treasure Gallery has undergone four major renovations. Prior to this latest renovation, the facilities were outdated, lighting was insufficient, display cases were not properly sealed, and dust posed serious risks to both the exhibition experience and the preservation of cultural relics.

The Treasure Gallery is divided among the Hall of Mental Cultivation (Room 1), the Hall of Longevity in Happiness (Room 2), and the Hall of Joyful Longevity (Room 3). It mainly displays ritual vessels, sacrificial objects, ceremonial attire, ornaments, daily use items, and palace furnishings made from gold, silver, jade, and other precious materials collected by the Qing imperial court. Room 1 primarily exhibits: golden bianzhong bells, jasper musical chimes, golden seals, golden albums, ruyi scepters, golden hair towers, golden incense burners, golden pots, tableware, and tea sets. Room 2 mainly displays: dragon robes, armor, phoenix crowns, large golden pagodas, the Seven Treasures, the Eight Precious Objects, court beads, ivory mats, and large jade mountains. Room 3 exhibits jade fairy terraces, celestial globes, and other palace furnishings.

Among the treasures in the gallery, the most regal item is a golden box inlaid with gems in the shape of a gourd. Many visitors are captivated by its exquisitely crafted design upon first sight. The box is shaped like a gourd. Its lid is inlaid with a large jade gourd, on which a small lapis lazuli gourd and leaves are mounted. Beside the large gourd are also a pink tourmaline gourd and a small jadeite gourd, accompanied by lapis lazuli and turquoise leaves and vines.

The gourd, due to its sprawling vines, abundant fruit, and numerous seeds, is regarded as an auspicious symbol of having many descendants. The pattern of multiple gourds growing on the vine is known as "descendants for generations." Additionally, the gourd sounds like the phrase "prosperity and wealth" (福禄), symbolizing boundless fortune and happiness for generations to come.

Attraction Location

Inside the Forbidden City, Dongcheng District, Beijing

The Palace Museum

Palace of Purity and Harmony

Hall of Supreme Harmony

Gate of Divine Might

Hall of Preserving Harmony

Hall of Martial Valor

Palace of Earthly Tranquility

Hall of Heavenly Purity

Palace of Compassion and Tranquility

Studio of the Three Rarities

Hall of Mental Cultivation

Palace of Longevity and Health

Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City

Palace of Eternal Spring

Meridian Gate

Hall of Literary Glory

Gate of Benevolent Vastness

Gate of Supreme Harmony