Hall of Preserving Harmony

　　The Hall of Preserving Harmony is one of the three main halls located outside the inner court of the Beijing Forbidden City. It stands behind the Hall of Central Harmony and was built in the 18th year of the Yongle reign during the Ming Dynasty (1420). Originally named the Hall of Diligent Government, it was renamed the Hall of Establishing Supremacy after being damaged by fire during the Jiajing reign and subsequently reconstructed. In the 2nd year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed the Hall of Preserving Harmony, which carries the meaning of “keeping one’s aspirations inward to maintain harmony in the realm.”

　　This signifies that one must focus their spirit and will to preserve harmony within the world, thereby ensuring peace, prosperity, longevity, and happiness. The plaque in the Hall of Preserving Harmony inscribed with “The Emperor Establishes Supreme Principles” was written by Emperor Qianlong.

　　The Hall of Preserving Harmony is nine bays wide and five bays deep, covering a construction area of 1,240 square meters, with a height of 29.5 meters. Its roof is a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof covered with yellow glazed tiles, and both the upper and lower eaves are adorned with nine small mythical beasts. The upper eave features a single-uplifted, double-rising, seven-curved bracket set, while the lower eave has a similar but simpler design. The hall is built with multi-layered brackets, vibrant colored paintings, and white marble bases, giving it a grand and majestic appearance. The lower eave bracket arms are shaped like flowers and have a more delicate form. The base of the hall is constructed using a method called “piled-up stone foundation,” where huge stones are stacked layer by layer, forming a stable and solid substructure.

　　At the center of the stairway behind the Hall of Preserving Harmony lies a large imperial path stone carved with clouds, dragons, ocean waves, and mountain cliffs—commonly known as the Cloud and Dragon Stone Carving. This is the largest stone carving in the Forbidden City, measuring 16.57 meters in length, 3.07 meters in width, and 1.70 meters in thickness, weighing 250 tons. Originally carved during the Ming Dynasty, it was re-carved during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty. The design features nine dragons playing with pearls amid mountain cliffs, ocean waves, and flowing clouds. The dragons are vividly sculpted, full of dynamic energy and life.

　　The stone material for the Cloud and Dragon carving was quarried from the Fangshan Stone Quarry in western Beijing. Transporting such a massive stone to Beijing at the time required over ten thousand laborers, who used a dry-dock sledging method. To facilitate this, a well was dug every mile along the route to provide drinking water for the workers. Covering a distance of over 100 li (approximately 50 kilometers) from Fangshan to Beijing, the transport took nearly a month. Despite the immense hardship, this method demonstrated the skill and ingenuity of the laborers given the technological limitations of the time.

　　The “Thousand Dragons” refer to the more than a thousand carved stone dragon heads protruding from the bases of the supporting columns. When it rains, water flows out from the mouths of these dragons, combining practical rainwater drainage with architectural artistry. This spectacular sight of “dragons spouting water” is found on the three-tiered stone platforms upon which the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony stand. The “Three Terraces” cover an area of about 2,500 square meters and are constructed from large blocks of white marble. Each level of the terrace is surrounded by a Sumeru pedestal base, atop which are laid large rectangular stone slabs.

　　Between the stone bases are erected columns, and between the columns are installed railings. Below them, drainage channels have been carved. In addition to the dragon heads at the corners of each terrace level, the mouths of the other dragons are pierced with round holes that connect to the drainage channels beneath the columns. Since the terrace surface is designed higher in the center and lower around the edges, rainwater naturally flows toward the periphery during rainfall and is discharged through the mouths of the dragons, creating the remarkable phenomenon of “a thousand dragons spouting water.” The side halls located to the east and west of the Hall of Preserving Harmony now serve as exhibition galleries.

　　The Hall of Preserving Harmony had different uses during the Ming and Qing dynasties. During the Ming Dynasty, emperors often changed clothes here before major ceremonies, and it was also here that they received congratulations after enthroning empresses or crown princes. In the Qing Dynasty, on New Year’s Eve and the 15th day of the first lunar month each year, the emperor would host banquets here for foreign envoys, princes, and ministers of the first and second ranks, creating a very magnificent scene. At the end of each year, the Imperial Clan Court and the Ministry of Personnel would complete the registration of noble titles for Manchu, Mongol, Han military households, as well as provincial Han officials serving as frontier lords, recording them in yellow registers at the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

　　From the 3rd year (1646) to the 13th year (1656) of the Shunzhi reign in the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Shunzhi resided in the Hall of Preserving Harmony, then called the Palace of Nurturing Harmony, and his wedding ceremony was also held here. Emperor Kangxi lived here from his accession until the 8th year of his reign (1669). Both emperors referred to the hall by temporary names during their residence.

　　In the 54th year of the Qianlong reign (1789), the location for the palace examination was moved from the Hall of Supreme Harmony to the Hall of Preserving Harmony. The palace examination was the highest level of the imperial examination system in feudal China. The emperor himself would set the questions, designate senior officials to grade the papers, and personally review the top ten examinees’ test scripts. The candidate who ranked first was named Zhuangyuan (the Number One Scholar), the second was Bangyan, and the third was Tanhua. Those who succeeded were awarded the title of Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), granted official positions, and often appointed to important posts. The palace examination was held once every three years, and participants generally had to pass the preliminary and metropolitan examinations to qualify. The ceremony for the palace examination was very solemn, and its scheduling changed several times. Initially set for early April, it was later moved to early May. In the 10th year of Qianlong’s reign, it was scheduled for April 26, then changed again to April 21 in the 26th year of his reign, after which this date became fixed.

The Palace Museum

Palace of Purity and Harmony

Hall of Supreme Harmony

Gate of Divine Might

Hall of Supreme Brilliance

Hall of Military Eminence

Palace of Heavenly Purity

Palace of Earthly Tranquility

Palace of Longevity and Health

Studio of the Three Rarities

Hall of Mental Cultivation

Palace of Longevity and Peace

Imperial Garden

Palace of Eternal Spring

Meridian Gate