Hall of Mental Cultivation

Hall of Mental Cultivation

The Hall of Mental Cultivation is a cultural tourism attraction.

Built during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, it is located west of the Qianqing Palace in the inner court. Emperor Shunzhi of the early Qing Dynasty passed away here. During the Kangxi era, this place once served as workshops of the Imperial Workshop, producing exclusive items for the imperial household. After Emperor Yongzheng took up residence in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the workshops of the Imperial Workshop were gradually relocated out of the inner court, and the hall has since served as the bedroom of Qing emperors. It was renovated and expanded during the Qianlong reign to become a multifunctional architectural complex that integrated receiving ministers, handling state affairs, the emperor’s reading and studying, and residence. Until the abdication of Puyi, eight emperors of the Qing Dynasty successively resided in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation is shaped like the Chinese character “工” (work). The front hall is three bays wide, spanning 36 meters, and three bays deep, spanning 12 meters. It features a yellow-glazed tile hip-and-gable roof. At the positions of the front eave columns, two square columns are added to each bay, making it appear to have nine bays from the outside. The name “Hall of Mental Cultivation” comes from Mencius’ saying, “Preserve your heart and cultivate your nature to serve Heaven,” meaning to nurture one's innate character. To improve lighting, it became the first palace in the Forbidden City to be fitted with glass windows. The emperor’s throne is situated in the center of the central bay, with an imperial plaque inscribed with “Upright and Benevolent” personally written by Emperor Yongzheng hanging above. The East Warm Chamber on the east side of the central bay contains a throne facing west, where Empresses Dowager Cixi and Ci’an once conducted court from behind a screen. The West Warm Chamber on the west side of the central bay is divided into several rooms, including a small chamber where the emperor reviewed memorials and held confidential discussions with ministers, called “Diligence in Governance and Affection for the Worthy”; the Study of Three Rarities, Emperor Qianlong’s reading room; and a small Buddhist chapel, dedicated for the emperor’s worship and rest.

The rear hall served as the emperor’s bedroom, with five bays in total. The slightly eastern and western bays functioned as bedrooms, each furnished with a bed, allowing the emperor to stay where he pleased. Each side of the rear hall has five side rooms, with the eastern five serving as the residence for the empress when she accompanied the emperor, and the western five for high-ranking consorts such as noble consorts. During the Tongzhi reign, when the two dowager empresses conducted court from behind a screen, Empress Dowager Ci’an resided in the “Hall of Propriety” on the eastern side, while Empress Dowager Cixi stayed in the “Hall of Swallow Joy” on the western side, both conveniently able to attend to state affairs in the front hall. Each side of the bedroom also had over ten surrounding rooms, which were small and simply furnished, serving as temporary residences for consorts and others when attending the emperor.

In front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation is a glazed gate called the “Gate of Mental Cultivation.” Outside the gate lies an elongated courtyard to the east and west. In the 15th year of the Qianlong reign (1750), three connected rooms were added here, no taller than the wall and less than four meters deep, serving as lodging for eunuchs, guards, and on-duty officials.

To the west of the Gate of Celestial Purity, exit through the Moonlight Gate to reach the West Long Street. Directly opposite the gate is the Zunyi Gate, also known as the Kitchen Gate. Directly inside the gate is a yellow-glazed brick screen wall. Along the western, southeastern, and northeastern walls of the courtyard are 34 connected rooms with continuous eaves and ridges, totaling 34 rooms. Built in the 15th year of the Qianlong reign, these served as lodging for eunuchs.

In the center of the southern side is the Gate of Mental Cultivation, facing south. The gatehouse has a hip-and-gable yellow-glazed tile roof. Upon entering is a wooden screen wall, pavilion-style, with a partitioned door in the middle that can open but is usually kept closed—only opened when the emperor enters or exits the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Passing the screen wall leads to the main hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, extending over 63 meters from north to south and nearly 80 meters from east to west, covering an area of 5,000 square meters. The entire courtyard is divided into a front yard and a rear yard.

The East Warm Chamber consists of the east side bay and the end bay, divided into front and rear rooms oriented north to south, separated by partition doors. The southern room near the window has a heated brick bed along the wall, with a pair of thrones positioned eastward against the west wall in two tiers. In the southwest of the East Warm Chamber was originally an imperial inscription “Bright Window,” where the emperor wrote his first calligraphy of the New Year. The northern room is loosely divided into eastern and western sections: the small eastern room has no window, with a bed against the north wall, serving as the emperor’s bedroom during fasting periods. The western room has a window near the north, with a throne beneath the west window of the small western room, bearing plaques such as “Tranquil Abode” and “Place of Trust,” all inscribed by the emperor. Later, the “Tranquil Abode” plaque was moved to the bed in the small eastern bedroom. “Place of Trust” was originally in the middle room of the rear section, but was renamed “Spring Sunshine in Old Age” in the late Qing Dynasty.

Outside the southern window is a lean-to covered corridor enclosed by wooden fencing. To the east is a passageway with a door leading to the rear room. The rear room is also divided into smaller chambers: the western one is called the “Changchun Study,” and the eastern one is the “Room of Tireless Study.” A Buddhist chapel was established here during the Qianlong reign. The west side chamber of the Hall of Mental Cultivation is the “Plum Dock,” added in the 39th year of the Qianlong reign. The chamber faces south, has one bay, and a single-eave hip-and-gable yellow-glazed tile roof.

Location of the Attraction

No. 4, Jingshan Front Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, The Palace Museum

Emperor Shunzhi, Aisin Gioro Fulin (March 15, 1638 – February 5, 1661), the third emperor of the Qing Dynasty, son of Hong Taiji and Empress Xiaozhuang. Fulin ascended the throne at age six, with Dorgon acting as regent. In 1644, he entered the Shanhai Pass and moved south, establishing the capital in Beijing, and began personal rule in 1650. Emperor Shunzhi faced anti-Qing resistance, adopting both “appeasement to quell chaos” and appointing Han officials such as Hong Chengchou, reforming governance, stabilizing order, unifying the nation, as well as encouraging agricultural production and improving government efficiency. He passed away in 1661 at the age of 24. Posthumous title...  More details about Aisin Gioro Fulin++

The Palace Museum

Palace of Purity and Harmony

Hall of Supreme Harmony

Gate of Divine Might

Hall of Preserving Harmony

Hall of Military Eminence

Palace of Earthly Tranquility

Hall of Heavenly Purity

Palace of Longevity and Health

Studio of the Three Rarities

Palace of Longevity and Peace

Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City

Palace of Eternal Spring

Meridian Gate

Hall of Literary Glory

Hall of Mental Cultivation

Gate of Supreme Harmony

Hall of Imperial Ancestors