Palace of Earthly Tranquility

Palace of Earthly Tranquility

The Palace of Earthly Tranquility is one of the three rear palaces in the inner court of the Forbidden City in Beijing. It is located behind the Hall of Union. Originally built in the 18th year of the Yongle reign during the Ming Dynasty (1420), it was destroyed twice by fire—in the 9th year of the Zhengde reign (1514) and the 24th year of the Wanli reign (1596)—and was rebuilt in the 33rd year of the Wanli reign (1605). The Qing Dynasty followed Ming practices and renovated it again in the 2nd year of the Shunzhi reign (1645). In the 2nd year of the Jiaqing reign (1797), a fire in the Hall of Heavenly Purity spread to the front eaves of this palace, leading to another renovation in 1798. The Hall of Heavenly Purity symbolizes the masculine principle, while the Palace of Earthly Tranquility represents the feminine principle, signifying the union of yin and yang, and the harmony of heaven and earth.

The Palace of Earthly Tranquility faces south and has a total of nine bays including corridors in width and three bays in depth, topped with a double-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with yellow glazed tiles. Following the style of the Qingning Palace in Mukden (Shenyang), the Qing remodelled the original central bay door into an entrance from the eastern side bay. The original ?? paneled doors were changed to double-panel wooden doors, and the lattice ?? paneled windows in the other bays were replaced with straight lattice hanging-style windows. The two easternmost rooms on the indoor north side were partitioned off as heated chambers, serving as sleeping quarters. The four rooms to the west of the door feature heated kang beds on the south, north, and west sides, used as spaces for worshipping deities. Opposite the door at the rear eaves is a kitchen stove used for slaughtering and cooking meat. Since it was for imperial use, the kitchen area features lattice-paneled doors and ornate, richly decorated golden Buddha canopies.

After its renovation, the Palace of Earthly Tranquility became the main site for Manchu shamanist rituals in the Qing imperial palace. The easternmost two rooms served as the bridal chamber for the emperor’s wedding. The walls were painted red, and the ceiling featured double happiness lanterns. The bridal chamber had east and west doors, and both the inner side of the western screen wall and the outer side of the eastern screen wall were adorned with gold-lacquered “double happiness” characters, symbolizing joy upon leaving the room. A dragon-and-phoenix bridal bed was placed in the northwest corner. The emperor would stay here for two days after the wedding before moving to other palaces. This privilege was not granted if one became emperor before marriage. Thus, only the three young emperors who ascended the throne in childhood—Kangxi, Tongzhi, and Guangxu—used this bridal chamber. In the 4th year of the Kangxi reign (1665), Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang designated the wedding ceremony and ritual wine drinking (hejin) to take place in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. The weddings of Emperor Tongzhi and Emperor Guangxu, as well as the marriage of Puyi, also took place here. After the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, the emperor moved to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and the empress no longer resided in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.

The Qing royal family held numerous rituals and sacrifices throughout the year. This was also one of the important duties of the emperor and empress. Among these ceremonies, some were conducted by the empress herself, and they took place within the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. The Manchu people had deep reverence for the divine, making worship and rituals extremely important to them. Additionally, Manchu housing design differed from Han traditions. According to Manchu customs, homes typically had three sections—west, middle, and east—with the main gate facing south. The western room was called the upper west room, the middle room the main hall, and the eastern room the lower east room. The upper west room had heated kang beds on the south, west, and north sides, with the west kang being the most prestigious, the north kang second, and the south kang the least. As the west was considered the most honorable direction, altars or spirit tablets were placed against the west wall. The west kang was generally not used for sleeping, while the south and north kangs were, with the south kang being more prestigious—occupied by elders—and the north kang by younger members.

For these reasons, in the 12th year of the Shunzhi reign, the Qing Dynasty remodeled the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. Except for the two passage rooms at the east and west ends, the westernmost four rooms were converted into a space for worshipping deities according to Manchu customs. The third room from the east was made into the main entrance with double doors. Opposite the entrance were three large cauldrons used for cooking meat for rituals. Daily morning and evening worship ceremonies were held. On major festival days, as well as the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, the emperor and empress personally conducted the rituals. During major celebrations and New Year’s Day, the empress also held celebratory ceremonies here.

Therefore, relatively few empresses actually resided in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. Most empresses had their own residences in the Six Eastern and Western Palaces. For example, Empress Xiaohui of the Shunzhi Emperor lived in the Palace of Longevity and Health, while Empress Xiaoxian of the Qianlong Emperor lived in the ——

The Palace of Earthly Tranquility served as the central palace for empresses during both the Ming and Qing dynasties. During the Ming Dynasty, when the emperor resided in the Hall of Heavenly Purity, the Palace of Earthly Tranquility was the empress’s sleeping quarters. In 1644, when Li Zicheng’s peasant rebellion captured Beijing, the Chongzhen Emperor’s empress (Empress Zhou) committed suicide in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. By the Qing Dynasty, since the emperor’s office had moved from the outer court to the inner court’s Hall of Heavenly Purity, and the sleeping quarters shifted west to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Palace of Earthly Tranquility became more symbolic as the central palace.

Attraction Location

No. 4, Jingshan Front Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China

The Palace Museum

Palace of Purity

Hall of Supreme Harmony

Gate of Divine Might

Hall of Preserving Harmony

Hall of Martial Valor

Hall of Heavenly Purity

Palace of Longevity and Health

Studio of the Three Rarities

Hall of Mental Cultivation

Palace of Longevity and Peace

Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City

Palace of Eternal Longevity

Meridian Gate

Hall of Literary Glory

Tower of Virtue and Benevolence

Gate of Supreme Harmony

Hall of Imperial Ancestors