Jingyang Palace

　　Jingyang Palace, one of the Eastern Six Palaces in the inner court, is located east of Zhongcui Palace and north of Yonghe Palace. It was built in the 18th year of the Yongle reign during the Ming Dynasty (1420)…

　　During the Ming Dynasty, it was the residence of imperial concubines. It was also the so-called “Cold Palace” where Empress Xiaojing, the mother of Emperor Shenzong’s heir Zhu Changluo, lived for nearly 30 years. In the 25th year of the Kangxi reign (1686) during the Qing Dynasty, it was renovated and repurposed as a place to store books. Today, it regularly hosts exhibitions of enamel artifacts from the Forbidden City collection.

　　The palace consists of two courtyards. Its main gate faces south and is called the Jingyang Gate. The front courtyard’s main hall is Jingyang Palace itself, with a width of three bays, a yellow glazed tile hip-and-gable roof—distinct from the other five palaces in the Eastern Six Palaces. Five decorative ridge beasts are placed on the eaves, and bracket sets adorn the undersides. It is painted in imperial colors. The front has steps leading up to a terrace. On the east and west sides are side halls, each three bays wide, with the central bay serving as the entrance, topped with yellow glazed tile flush gable roofs, and decorated with bracket sets underneath.

　　The ceiling is adorned with a design of two cranes. The inner eaves feature scrollwork paintings. The interior floor is paved with square bricks, and there is a terrace in front of the hall. There are three-bay side halls on the east and west, each with a central opening, topped with hard mountain-style yellow glazed tile roofs, and bracket set decorations beneath the eaves.

　　The main hall in the rear courtyard serves as an imperial study, spanning five bays. The central bay has the entrance, topped with a hip-and-gable yellow glazed tile roof. The side and end bays have lattice walls and windows, with bracket sets beneath the eaves.

　　During the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, because the calligraphy work Mao Shi by Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty and the painting scroll Shi Jing Tu by Ma Hezhi were stored here, Emperor Qianlong inscribed the plaque reading “Xue Shi Tang” (Hall for Studying Poetry). There are three-bay side halls on the east and west, each with the central bay as the entrance, topped with hard mountain-style yellow glazed tile roofs, and bracket set decorations under the eaves. A well pavilion is located in the southwest corner.

　　Jingyang Palace still retains its original layout from the Ming Dynasty when it was first constructed.

　　Empress Xiaojing, Lady Wang (February 27, 1565 – October 18, 1611), was from Zuowei in Xuanfu Commandery (originally part of Xuanhua, Hebei, now part of Huai’an County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei). She was an imperial noble consort of Emperor Shenzong and the birth mother of Emperor Guangzong and Princess Yunmeng Zhu Xuanyi.

　　Initially a palace maid, she was titled Concubine Gong in the 10th year of the Wanli reign and promoted to Imperial Noble Consort in the 34th year, passing away in September of the 39th year. After her grandson, Emperor Xizong, ascended the throne, she was posthumously honored as Empress (Dowager).

　　From palace maid to empress might sound like the pinnacle of honor, but in reality, due to over thirty years of firm support from ministers and the Empress Dowager for her son to be named crown prince—against Emperor Shenzong’s own wishes—Lady Wang suffered endless torment in life, living a tragic existence. She was constantly neglected by her husband, bullied by favored consorts and servants, and confined for long periods. In the end, she went blind from weeping and died in sorrow and anger.

The Palace Museum

Zhongcui Palace

Hall of Supreme Harmony

Shenwu Gate

Hall of Preserving Harmony

Hall of Imperial Supremacy

Hall of Martial Valor

Palace of Earthly Tranquility

Palace of Heavenly Purity

Palace of Longevity and Health

Three-Rare Hall

Hall of Mental Cultivation

Palace of Longevity and Peace

Imperial Garden

Palace of Eternal Longevity