My 2021 version of the Palace Museum cover post, serialized as "Viewing Red Walls and Golden Tiles, Appreciating Ming and Qing Imperial Palaces" with seventeen pieces, has received many readers' generous reading. Some readers have put forward some opinions and suggestions, pointing out some fallacies. This revised version has been reissued, incorporating the opinions and suggestions of previous readers, enriching some content, correcting typos, and updating and supplementing some images. Although I dare not say that I have corrected all the fallacies, most of them have been corrected. Detailed appreciation of the top ancient Chinese palace architectural art seen in the Ming and Qing imperial palaces, some royal cultural relics exhibited in the Forbidden City, and traces of royal life in the Qing palace. It is also associated with some stories and legends that occurred in the Ming and Qing imperial palaces, and I dare not say "to entertain readers", but I just hope to share them with readers. thank you.

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After reading the treasures in the treasure house, you must not exit along the original path of Ningshou Gate and Huangji Gate, which is called reverse execution. You need to follow the trend and walk behind the Ningshou Palace. Walk from the west to the back of Ningshou Palace, be sure to look left and right. Looking to the left, inside the Yanqi Gate on the west road is the Ningshou Palace Garden, which is the famous Qianlong Garden. During the epidemic period, it was closed and the space inside was limited. I was afraid that tourists would not be able to move around and be infected by the virus. Lying under the crack of the door, it was neither a screen wall nor a screen door inside, but a rockery serving as this task.

Looking to the right, the door on the other side of East Road is actually open. You can see the chimney of the boiler room in Ningshou Palace.

Looking behind the Ningshou Palace, you will see a palace gate on Zhonglu, with a small square in front of it.

This is the nourishing door, with a pair of gilded bronze lions stepping on the armrest in front of the door.

It turns out that after Qianlong returned to politics, he did not live in the Ningshou Palace, but rather in the Yangxing Gate. The Imperial Extreme Hall and the Ning Shou Palace in front are the former dynasties of the Supreme Emperor. The front hall is ceremonial, while the back hall is dedicated to worshipping gods. The inner door of the Nurturing Nature Gate in the back is considered the former bedroom of the Supreme Emperor. So, the Yang Xing Gate is equivalent to the Qianqing Gate in the imperial palace. Look at the fancy sparrows on the eaves and pillars of the nourishing door.

The main hall where the nourishing gate enters is the nourishing hall.

Although this is the Empress Dowager's quarters, it is not modeled after the Third Palace, but rather modeled after the Hall of Nurturing the Heart. The architectural form of the Yang Xing Hall is very magical. It has a width of three rooms and a depth of two rooms, but it has a large opening, separated by square columns into nine rooms and four rooms. Let's look at it based on its width of nine rooms. Above is the arch of wooden architecture lifting beam structure. The yellow glazed tile with single eaves rests on the top of the mountain. There are five roof figures with eaves gallery around. It has four ound ridge roof roofed pavilions on the front, with a bright room, an east and west secondary room and a west secondary room. You see, it is unbalanced. Looking down, there is a three foot high white stone pedestal with a hanging stamp on the front and a Dan Emperor stone in the middle. On the east side, there is a sundial, while on the west side, there is an empty one. During the second time in the west, there is a hanging band under the stomping, while during the second time in the east, there is no one, which is completely asymmetric. This kind of asymmetry also imitates the Heart Nourishing Hall. The Nurturing Hall is not open and can only be viewed through glass windows.

In the center of the hall is the floor, on which stands the purple sandalwood emperor's throne, separated by a warm pavilion from east to west. To the south of Dongnuan Pavilion is a clear window, and to the north is the Sui'an Room. "Sui'an takes the meaning of being safe as one encounters it.". To the north of Xinuan Pavilion is a Buddhist temple, and under the south window is a study called Changchun Bookstore. Therefore, the eaves and corridors outside are covered with partitions. Yongzheng once bestowed upon his son Hongli the name "Changchun layman". Under the south window of the West Warm Pavilion, it is arranged in the shape of the Three Wishes Hall in the Heart Nourishing Hall, called the Moyun Room. In the 53rd year of the Qianlong reign (1770 AD), a scholar official named Bi Yuan, the governor of Shaanxi, presented a piece of ancient ink called "Hanlin Fengyue" privately made by Li Tinggui of the Southern Tang Dynasty to Qianlong. The Moyun room named it after this ancient ink. From this, it can be seen that this nourishing hall is the daily residence of the Supreme Emperor, where he learns culture and meets guests..

The Book of Rites states that the emperor has five gates and the feudal lords have three gates. Since the Supreme Emperor is the former emperor after returning to power, he is no longer the emperor. There cannot be five gates, only three gates. The three gates in Ningshougong District are the Huangji Gate, which is equivalent to the Meridian Gate and is the Zhou made Zhimen, but there are no double gates; Equivalent to the Ningshou Gate of the Taihe Gate, the Zhou system answered the door, but it was not here to listen to politics at the imperial gate; This nourishing gate, equivalent to the Qianqing Gate, is a Zhou style road gate. There is no Fumen equivalent to Tiananmen and no Kumen equivalent to Duanmen. What about the three dynasties mentioned in the Five Gates and Three Dynasties? The Ningshou Gate can be considered as the outer court equivalent to the Taihe Gate, the Huangji Hall of the Taihe Hall as the place of governance, and the Yangxing Hall equivalent to the Qianqing Palace as the place of governance for the Yan Dynasty. In fact, the Supreme Emperor is not a vassal, he does not work here, so the three dynasties do not matter.

There is a circle of handmade corridors between the Yangxing Gate and the Yangxing Hall, forming the first courtyard of the Yangxing Hall. You can enter the second courtyard behind by crossing the east and west corridors of the Nourishing Nature Hall.

Behind the Hall of Cultivating Nature is a row of exposed seats, on which stand several decorations, including the Taihu Lake Stone and bronze ware. That bronze vessel is not a vase, it should be called "Zun". It was an ancient container for holding wine and later evolved into a ceremonial vessel.

Turn around and take a look at the Leishou Hall behind the Nurturing Hall, which has just been repaired.

The Happy Birthday Hall is the sleeping hall of the Supreme Emperor. It is seven rooms wide and three rooms deep. It has a arch of wooden architecture beam lifting structure, yellow glazed tiles with single eaves resting on the top of the mountain, five roof figures, and eaves galleries around it. There is no large golden chain on the main ridge of the Yang Xing Hall, but it is on the subsequent Leshou Hall's chicken kiss. I don't know if it's the front hall lost: or is the back hall a rear decoration?

The walls inside the east-west corridor of Leshou Hall are embedded with calligraphy inscriptions. This is a collection of posts by Emperor Qianlong imitating ancient calligraphy, which is the famous "Jing Sheng Zhai Fa Tie".

The Jingshengzhai Sutra is a collection of calligraphy studied by Emperor Qianlong, carved on stones and installed here. This Buddhist scripture has also had royal rubbings, as both the carving and rubbings were completed in the imperial palace, making it extremely rare for it to be circulated among the people. It is said that only Chinese bookstores have a complete set of "Jing Sheng Zhai Fa Tie" in their hands, which is the treasure of Zhen Dian and will never be sold.

The Leshou Hall is a very special hall decorated inside the Forbidden City. It is a masterpiece of Qing Dynasty architecture and also a masterpiece of Emperor Qianlong. It is a must see hall and one of them. Therefore, it is necessary to enter the hall and sigh.

The four front gold pillars in the middle have been removed from the hall, so the space is very large and cannot be viewed according to the old routine. You can call the middle hall, and there is a platform in the middle of the hall with a throne on it. Take a look at the Ruiqi Lu Duan placed on the platform, with a golden tire and gold wire enamel, it's very beautiful.

Behind the throne, between the central pillars, there is a Nanmu frame with a screen and a screen, and above the head is a Nanmu carved flat chess ceiling. This is the only place in the Forbidden City, and it is probably a rare occurrence in the sea. Above the back screen of the central pillar, a second floor was constructed with partition walls, and the paper plaque and couplets hanging in the middle were inscribed by Emperor Qianlong.

The East West Warm Pavilion has also been made into a two-story building. In order to build the second floor, several non ventilated support columns have been added outside the front and rear golden pillars. This is called the method of increasing or decreasing columns, where the middle column is reduced to increase space; Add columns on both sides to strengthen support. The second floor of the West Warm Pavilion is the bedroom of the Emperor, which is somewhat similar to the bedroom of the Emperor in the Ming Dynasty Qianqing Palace. Outside the attic, there are also partition walls.

Take a look at the first floor of Dongnuan Pavilion. The two jade carvings are very famous. The one on the south side is "Dantai Chunxiao", which means "Dantai Chunxiao Picture" by Lu Guang in the Yuan Dynasty. The original painting is now at the Metropolitan Museum in the United States. Lu Guang is the author of "Dwelling in Fuchun Mountain" and a descendant of Huang Gongwang, the head of the Yuan Dynasty's Four Schools. His paintings have a strong charm of Huang Gongwang. Another jade carving is "Autumn Mountain Travel", which means "Autumn Mountain Travel Map" by Guo Xi of the Northern Song Dynasty. The original work has been lost, and the Qing Palace has a replica of Tang Di from the Yuan Dynasty, which is currently housed in the Taipei Palace Museum. Guo Xi was self-taught in painting, and later influenced by the painting style of Li Cheng, one of the three great masters of the Northern Song Dynasty, he was skilled in mountains, rivers, and cold forests.

Take a look at the Duobao Pavilion bookshelf on the first floor of the West Warm Pavilion, with a "Blue Jade Cloud Dragon Jade Urn" placed inside.

This is one of the two famous large jade carvings of the Leshou Hall in the imperial palace. Although not as large as the "Dushan Great Jade Sea" of Beihai Tuancheng, its exquisite level is definitely on par with that great jade sea. This blue jade Yunlong jade jar was made in the 44th year of the Qianlong reign (1779 AD) using six pieces of jade, weighing over 5000 pounds. The jar is adorned with nine dragons playing with pearls amidst the waves and white clouds. Inside the jar, there is an inscription by Emperor Qianlong on the "Record of the Jade Jar", which mentions the Yuan Dynasty's Dushan Jade Sea and says, "The Hetian Jade Jar was carved yesterday, and its quality is even better than this.".

There is also a back hall behind the main hall.

From behind, it turns out that the second floor is a corridor between the east and west attics. A shrine was built under the middle aisle, with a throne inside. In the middle of the back hall, there is a jade carving called "Da Yu Zhi Shui", which is one of the two large jade carvings of the Leshou Hall and one of the national treasures.

This jade mountain is also made of Xinjiang Hotan blue jade from Kunlun stones, weighing over 5000 kilograms. It was made in the 52nd year of the Qianlong reign and took more than seven years by jade craftsmen from Yangzhou. This jade mountain is inspired by an anonymous painting scroll from the Song Dynasty's "Great Yu's Water Control Map", which is now in the Palace Museum in Taipei. This jade was transported from Xinjiang to Beijing, and then transported to Yangzhou for carving before being transported back to the imperial palace. Take a closer look.

The production of "Da Yu Zhi Shui" on Yushan caused countless losses to the people and wealth. Qianlong had a conscience and banned the production of such Yushan from then on.

The Le Shou Tang is filled with gauze partition walls and calligraphy and painting in the grid core. Take a look at this.

"Sheng Ye Ming Fen Ding, Chang Qi Ying Luo Shu. May I accompany you in singing and writing at the end, leaving you as beautiful as Shu." This is an excerpt from Su Ting (Nian Ting), a literary and prime minister during the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, from his poem "Fenghe Shengzhi Tuci Former Residence Yingzhi". Su Ting sang a sour poem praising Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. Gao Gong'en, who signed the letter, was a second-class senior official during the Guangxu period and a very cultured person. This must have been pasted by Empress Dowager Cixi during the renovation of the Leshou Hall. I have never seen Luo Shu, but I have seen a newly inscribed Fending at the source of the Fen River in Ningwu County, Shanxi Province.

The one placed behind the Leshou Hall is actually a cauldron, not a Fen cauldron, but a bronze covered cauldron forged by Emperor Qianlong.

This Le Shou Tang was visited by Emperor Qianlong once, and he walked around when it was completed. Cixi celebrated her 60th birthday at the Ningshou Palace, but surprisingly stayed in the Le Shou Hall behind her for many years. Not only did she climb to the second floor of the West Warm Pavilion to sleep every night, but she also went downstairs to the East Warm Pavilion of the Front Hall to have breakfast every morning. Do you think she was tired? Qianlong never dared to go up and down the stairs like this every day. After living for a few years, Cixi's knees and sciatic nerves were severely worn out. She finally understood why Qianlong had built such a luxurious building and didn't come to live on her own. Finally, Empress Dowager Cixi transformed the Xiyuan Yiluan Hall into her own nursing home and moved there in the 28th year of the Guangxu reign (1902 AD), which is now the Huairen Hall in Zhongnanhai.

Going out from the back door of Leshou Hall, to the north is Yihe Pavilion.

The Yihe Pavilion has a width of seven rooms and a depth of two rooms, but there are eaves and corridors in front and back, and there are also balconies in front and back, so it does not appear too thin. Arch of wooden architecture lifting beam structure, yellow glazed tile single eaves resting on the top of the mountain, five roof figures. There is a platform in front of the building that leads directly to the back door of the Leshou Hall. There are a pair of exposed platforms on both sides of the building, with a sundial on the east side and a blank space on the west side. Look at the eaves pillar in front of the building, it's actually a stone pillar.

The main hall is located in the Mingjian and Dongxi secondary rooms of the Yihe Pavilion, with a nanmu floor throne in the middle and a nanmu partition screen with a turtle back pattern. This back screen has now been replaced with glass, and you can still see the effect of the previous gauze wrapping in the rear window. The Palace Museum was meticulously renovated. Golden brick floor, plain white sea ceiling, with fire alarm probes installed on top, both temperature and smoke sensitive. Sitting on this throne, one can look up and see the Yushan of Dayu in front of the Leshou Hall. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, there was a plaque on the back screen that read "Full of Taihe". On both sides, there were couplets that read: "Jing Xinfu's armor contains the border between the fetus, and spring lies in the material nature of the human heart.". This means that after retiring, Lao Qian sat here in harmony, with a spring breeze outside the hall and a spring heart rippling inside. On the partition wall of Dongnuan Pavilion, there is a poem by Emperor Qianlong titled "The Western Teacher", which he also wrote with his own annotations, called "Hongpai". The Western Teacher records the rebellion in Junggar and belongs to the poetry of Wang Po selling melons. On the partition wall of the West Warm Pavilion, there is his book "Kaidou Lun", also accompanied by Hongbiao. This is a strategic essay by Emperor Qianlong about quelling the rebellion in Xinjiang.

The two walls of East and West, one text and one poem, are all articles from the Western Expedition. Lao Qian regarded the expansion of territory as his greatest achievement in governance, and thought about looking back and smiling when he retired here. In fact, he forgot the old Chinese saying, "A good man is not brave in the past.". In addition to boasting in the palace, Qianlong also erected monuments in eight temples and the Summer Palace outside the summer resort, praising his great achievements in expanding territory, consolidating border defense, and establishing a sound new frontier.

The name of Yihe Pavilion comes from the Yi hexagram in the Book of Changes, which reads, "Shen'er Linggui, watch me feast.". Inside the pavilion, there are turtle back patterns everywhere, indicating longevity; Yihe means taking care of oneself, which is much more cultural than the old saying of "health preservation" nowadays. Lao Qian comes here every day to drink medicine for health preservation, which is the medicinal soup soaked in goji berries.

Entering the nourishing gate, the nourishing hall for daily living is conventional, while the Leshou Hall for sleeping at night has a novel architectural structure. The interior decoration of the Yihe Pavilion, where daily health is maintained, has also undergone changes. This architectural change removes the majestic and gloomy atmosphere of the imperial palace, creating a relaxed and lively atmosphere, indicating that this is the harem, not the place of governance. The changes in the form and decoration of these three halls are also the best presentation of the rhythm of Chinese ancient architecture, which is different from the rhythm of landscape buildings in gardens. There are many three courtyards in the palace, such as those inside the Nurturing Gate, which are the front hall for living, the middle hall for sleeping, and the back hall for convenience. The South Three Offices, North Five Offices, and Chonghua Palace are all three courtyard houses like this, and they are currently closed. The Cining Palace, which can still be seen today, is also a three courtyard structure, but the back hall is not open. So, the Yangxing Gate of Ningshou Palace is the only three courtyard that tourists can see in the Forbidden City, and it is the largest three courtyard.

On both sides of the Yihe Pavilion, there are stone inscriptions and corridors connecting to the Leshou Hall, and then to the Nurturing Hall in front. There is a corridor at the back door of Yihexuan.

The paper plaque on the moonlit door reads "Yi Ming Yue", and behind it is a piece of "Yin Qing Feng" written by Emperor Qianlong. In the "Research on Old Stories in the Sun", it is said that there are these two plaques here, but they were not found when the North Hall of the Yihe Pavilion was restored back then. Later, I flipped through the calligraphy and painting library and found frameless plaques, which were then re framed and hung here.

The wall at the northern end of the corridor is painted with the painting "Wives and Concubines Playing with Their Children".

The northern end of the corridor used to lead to the Jingqi Pavilion in the back, but it was later separated by this gypsum board and placed on the wall. The "Jingjing" plaque belongs to the West Cijian Small Stage in Jingqi Pavilion and has been relocated here. The picture of wives and concubines playing with their children under the plaque was moved from the Yucuixuan in Qianlong Garden. When Lao Qian strolled around the garden, he could see the scene of wives and concubines laughing all over the house and children walking everywhere. In the painting, there is a couplet from the Emperor Qianlong, which reads "Billions of people increase their lifespan, and the year of Taiping is worth Taiping Spring". Mr. Shan Jixiang, the former director of the Forbidden City, once used this couplet as a slogan for the 2019 National Year celebration event in the Forbidden City.

There are two small doors on the left and right sides of the partition wall, leading to the east-west courtyard. The small courtyard inside the east gate is the west courtyard of Jingfu Palace, which has the famous "Wenfeng" stone. It's not open now, I regret not being able to observe.

The west gate is also a small courtyard, and standing in the courtyard, you can see the Jingqi Pavilion, which is also not open at the back. This is the northernmost end of the Middle Road, which is equivalent to the back cover of the Ningshou Palace. From this perspective, Jingqi Pavilion and Yihe Pavilion should be considered as one courtyard.

I can only take a rough look at Jingqi Pavilion. The appearance is a two-story pavilion, with a width of seven rooms and a depth of three rooms. The first floor is surrounded by eaves and corridors, and the second floor is surrounded by a flat seat railing. This is a hidden floor. Yellow glazed tile with single eaves rests on the top of the mountain, and there are five roof figures. The first floor open door connects to the partition wall of the corridor just now. You can see a circle of corridors outside Jingqi Pavilion, which is also connected to the Yihe Pavilion corridor. There are pickled Chinese cabbage vats in the hospital, as well as garbage bins where pickled Chinese cabbage leaves are discarded.

As mentioned earlier, the Ningshou Palace Garden on the west side of the Yangxing Gate is not open, but it's okay. You can enter the Ningshou Palace Garden on the west side of Jingqi Pavilion from the small courtyard, and enjoy the scenery of Qianlong Garden. Qianlong Garden is a narrow strip from south to north, with a total of four courtyards in front and back. What we can see here is the fourth courtyard. The main hall that enters the courtyard is the Fuwang Pavilion.

Fulfilling expectations and meeting wishes. Fuwang Pavilion is a square pavilion with five bays, and its appearance is also two floors above and below. There is a circle of flat seats on the second floor, and there is a circle of ridge under it. Between the flat seats and the ridge, there is a arch of wooden architecture support, which indicates that it is a dark layer like Jingqi Pavilion. Above is a yellow glazed tile with blue trim, single eaves, four corners, and a steeple. On the glazed ball sits a gilt covered ridge temple. There is a circle of eaves on the first floor, with square eaves and columns. Between the eaves and columns, there are rafters on the top and stools on the bottom, which are asymmetrical. In the Fuwang Pavilion, there are many small houses divided by partition fans, and the passages between them are very complex, known as "labyrinths". Legend has it that during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, he once enjoyed a meal with his nobles and ministers here. Each person sat in a small cabin, while Old Qian sat upstairs. As soon as they shouted to serve, eunuchs and servants carried plates to various houses to deliver food. These diners can't even see Lao Qian, so they should immediately kneel down and shout "Thank you, Lord Longen". Lao Qian would sneak downstairs to secretly observe the ministers' eating habits. If there were anyone who didn't eat well, he would cough outside the door and the ministers would be so scared that they would choke their throat with fish bones or chicken bones. So eating Lao Qian's rice is still a matter of suspense.

To the north of Fuwangge is the never opened Qinzhai.

The architectural layout of Qiuqin Zhai is unconventional. From the front, it has a width of five rooms and an open door in the morning. Look at the top, it is a green glazed tile with yellow trim ound ridge roof gable roof. Take a closer look, it's not right. There are not only five rooms under this roof, but also one on the west side. Originally, there are five rooms on the east side and four rooms on the west side, which are nine rooms wide. The five rooms on the east side, along with the Fuwang Pavilion and the east-west corridor, form a courtyard, while the four rooms on the west side form another small courtyard. "Tired of diligence" means tired of being diligent in politics. After Lao Qian found it difficult to govern due to his old age, he wanted to retire and come here to seek leisure. To the east of Qiuqin Zhai is a spacious five bedroom and deep four bedroom apartment. The room is divided into several small rooms with gauze partition fans, each with a bed or kang. Lao Qian plans to sleep in Room 101 every night, and then be carried by eunuchs and palace maids to Room 102 to continue sleeping, and so on. In fact, Lao Qian did not really sleep in the Qinzhai. It is said that every room has a beautiful eaves, and the gauze on the partition is still double-sided embroidery. The interior decoration is the only and highest level in the world, and the highest level of decoration during the Qianlong period. In order to prevent designers from decoration companies from infiltrating among tourists and secretly learning the Qianlong decoration techniques, the Forbidden City still does not open the Qinqin Studio after the major renovation.

The western four rooms of the Qinzhai are also covered in sea covered ceilings, which are said to be bamboo frames and vines painted by the imperial painter Lang Shining and his disciples during the Qianlong reign. The three walls are also painted by Lang Shining, featuring pavilions, cranes, and swallows dancing, all of which are panoramic paintings of the entire area. This must be a reference for Lang Shining's Italian palace Renaissance murals and ceiling paintings. This is the small stage of Emperor Qianlong, listening to very private plays. The railings on the small stage are all high imitation bamboo carved from golden nanmu, giving the palace a stunning appearance and generous luxury. These four rooms in the west are even less attractive to visitors. Since the completion of the Qianlong reign, the Qinqin Studio has not been seriously repaired until 2002, when the Forbidden City organized an extraordinary overhaul of the Qinqin Studio. It is said to be extraordinary because of the scenic paintings in the West Four Rooms. These paintings were not painted on rice paper, but on silk cloth, which is why they survived for over two hundred years. The process of restoring the scenery of the Qinzhai Palace was filmed in a documentary by the Forbidden City. If you are interested, you can see it in "Palace Museum 100". The Quqin Zhai mural is the earliest surviving indoor Western style mural in China, and there are even earlier Chinese style murals.

The Qinqin Studio is the northernmost building in Qianlong Garden, passing through the Fuwang Pavilion and entering the east five rooms of the Qinqin Studio. This is the flexible sleeping place for the old Qian. After getting up, Lao Qian can walk to the West Fourth Room to listen to the play or sing a song on stage by himself. Afterwards, he came out of the West Room and turned south. This is separated by a corridor and five rooms to the east, with a curved short wall inside. The wall faces east and an octagonal door is opened, with a plaque on the door reading "Ying Han Bi".

"Ying" means reflection, "Han Bi" means the cold blue sky, high and cold. The artistic conception of "Ying Han Bi" is taken from Lu You's "Donghu Hsinchu", which states that "inserting thorns and weaving hedges to protect and cultivate the cold blue reflecting ripples". Lu You referred to Donghu as Shaoxing Donghu, which is rich in bamboo. Therefore, Lao Qian built a small building in the courtyard of Yinghan Bimen, with his back against the palace wall, and named it the Bamboo Fragrance Hall. The window frames in the four western rooms of the Qinzhai are also painted green, resembling bamboo. The Bamboo Fragrance Pavilion is a two-story small building with a width of three small rooms, and there are also ear rooms on both sides, which should be called the Ear Tower. There is a climbing corridor on the second floor of the Ear Tower, which looks very cramped and only enough for Lao Qian to pass by sideways. There is no ripple that Lu You said in the Bamboo Fragrance Pavilion. In front of the house, there are several the Taihu Lake Lake stones from Dongting Lake. When the rainy season comes, white smoke will appear from thousands of holes, as if Lu You would appear, which is very scary.

The climbing corridor of Zhuxiangguan leads north to the Qinzhai, and south to the Yucuixuan mentioned earlier.

Yucuixuan is a very exquisite place that everyone likes. It sits facing west and east, on the three foot high foundation of the White Stone Sumeru pedestal. Three rooms wide and one room deep, with a eaves gallery in front. There are upside down lintels between the eaves and pillars, and a stool lintel below. Above is the arch of wooden architecture lifting beam structure, with yellow glazed tile and green trimming ound ridge roof resting on the top of the mountain. Open the door in the morning. In front of the door, there is a bluestone platform leading to Fuwang Pavilion in the east. There are White Marble handrails on the platform, and White Marble handrails on the north and south. The southern end of Yucuixuan is the courtyard wall of the fourth courtyard of Qianlong Garden, and the gaze of tourists ends here now.

Just now, we saw outside the Yangxing Gate that the south gate of Qianlong Garden was not open, but the small door to its east was open. From the small gate on the east side of the nourishing gate, take a look. Wow, there are still buildings here on East Road!

There is an emergency place for tourists downstairs in the east of this building. What's the emergency? Of course it's urgent internally. After strolling through the emergency room, if you're not in a hurry, just look up at this building. This building is really a good one, but why isn't there a plaque hanging on it? Suddenly understood, this is the back of the building, its front face is on the north side. As I walked around from the west to look at the front face, I thought that this building facing south and north was definitely not prepared for the emperor. The emperor has always been sitting north and south. Looking around, it is indeed true that this is Changyin Pavilion, which is the theater.

When the Changyin Pavilion was built in the 37th year of the Qianlong reign (1772 AD), there was no building above or behind it. It was built by Qianlong's grandson during the reign of Emperor Daoguang, and it was called the Dressing Room, also known as the Makeup Room. Changyin Pavilion is a three storey pavilion, with green glazed tiles on the top and yellow trimmed ound ridge roof on the top, and yellow glazed tiles on the two lower eaves. There are seven roof figures in the upper layer, five in the middle layer and three in the lower layer. This type of building had a tall and imposing name in ancient times, called "Chongtai Yange". Also, do you see that the ridges at the four corners are a bit upturned? This structure was also called a three story double eave with raised corners at that time. This is the design of Style Lei. The Style Lei family comes from Jiangxi and has controlled the architectural design of the Qing Dynasty palace for two hundred years. The Gan style architecture in Jiangxi is inherited from the Huizhou style, with raised roof ridges and horse head walls. Changyin Pavilion is a rare building in the Forbidden City with raised corners and ridges, featuring traces of the Lei family. The Changyin Pavilion has a width of three rooms and a depth of three rooms. The lower level stage has a depth of two rooms, and the middle level has one room. There is no upper level stage. The upper level is called Fu Tai, the middle level is called Lu Tai, and the lower level is called Shou Tai. They have all the blessings, rewards, and longevity. There is a courtyard in the middle of the stage, which leads directly to the third floor. There is a winch that can lift heavenly soldiers and generals from the upper level to fight monsters, and the old Taoist priest who became an immortal can also be lifted from the lower level to the sky. In the middle of the lower layer facing the courtyard, there is also an underground well with a real water well inside. When necessary, you can open the manhole cover and spray water outside. Bodhisattvas can also sit on lotus flowers and ascend from underground wells to perform merit.

Under the upper eaves hangs a plaque called "Chang Yin Ge", which stands for "Chang Yin". The sound is unobstructed and unobstructed. The skill requirements for singing in Changyin Pavilion are quite high, unlike in theaters where there is a gathering effect. Under the eaves of the second floor hangs a plaque with the words "Dao He Yi Tai", which means to make people feel happy. Under the three eaves hangs the words "Hu Tian Xuan Yu", which means "Hu Tian" is the heavenly realm in the pot, a fairyland. From the "Biographies of Fangshu" in the Book of Later Han, drinking from a pot is like entering a fairyland. Yu is entertainment and happiness. That is to say, the entertainment performances on this level are like fairyland. The characters on these plaques seem to have been inscribed by Empress Dowager Cixi, and should have been written during the restoration of Cixi's 60th birthday in the 17th year of the Guangxu reign (1891 AD).

In the Qing Dynasty, there were no movies or ballet, and karaoke was not good either. Their entertainment activity at that time was watching movies. I watch plays during the Chinese New Year and holidays. There are several small stages in the palace, including the Ruting in the Fuwang Pavilion. Changyin Pavilion is the largest stage in the imperial palace, suitable for performing large-scale song and dance dramas, such as immortal fights. Qianlong built the Summer Palace for Empress Dowager Chongqing's birthday, and he also built a theater in the Listening Oriole Hall of the Summer Palace. The theater is facing south, because Qianlong wanted to sing for his mother. During the reconstruction by Empress Dowager Cixi, it was changed to face south and north. Moreover, Empress Dowager Cixi also built a three story theater in the Summer Palace, imitating the Changyin Pavilion in the palace. You must have all gone to see it, which is the Dehe Garden, commonly known as the Grand Theater, which only accepts tickets.

The famous actors on the Changyin Pavilion rolled and moved according to the script, hissing and shouting, and then stood under the eaves of each floor, able to stand for three floors. This is called a farewell, also known as a reward. The emperor who watches the play will call for eunuchs and throw candy balls upstairs, which is called giving rewards. By the way, where is the emperor watching the play? Where is the emperor's private room? Here it is.

This is Yueshilou. There are several photographers squatting downstairs, waiting for noon to take photos of the theater. The sun on the rooftop of the play above me is not in the middle of the rooftop, what they shot must be in the middle. This is the difference between photographers and photographers taking photos.

The Yueshi Tower was also built by Emperor Qianlong, but the last repair was during the Tongzhi period. A two-story building on a three foot high podium, with a width of five bays and a depth of three bays. It has a front eave corridor above and below, with a front end hanging with steps, and a surrounding corridor from east to west. Above is the arch of wooden architecture lifting beam structure. There are five roof figures on the top of the ound ridge roof with yellow glazed tiles and green trimming. The ridge is covered with yellow green Ruyi patterned glazed bricks, and between the eaves and columns of the second floor eaves, there is an inverted lintel hanging above, and below is a railing for finding staff. Qianlong also built a building in the Summer Palace like this, which is the Jiaxi Tower on the east bank of Kunming Lake. Standing in the Jiaxi Tower, he could admire the sunset on Yuquan Mountain, and the scenery was truly breathtaking.

The emperor, empress, noble concubines, and grandchildren can all squeeze into this building to watch the grand play. There are eunuchs and palace maids boiling water, brewing tea, pancakes, and baking sweet potatoes in both sides of the ear rooms, ready to serve the royal family with food and drink at any time. The accompanying ministers were unable to enter the building, so they could only stomp their feet and shout hello in the pool and surrounding corridors. Tables, chairs, and benches were prepared for them in the corridors, and benches would be filled under the stage.

When the emperor arrived, he sat on the throne in the Ming Dynasty and left the two palace maids holding fans outside the door.

After the emperor has settled down, the eunuch serves good tea, and the palace maids open the fan. The opening drums and gongs of the grand play can be played vigorously. Once the emperor shouts or claps her hands inside the building, the two palace maids will close their fans, forming a fork by leaning against them. The courtiers outside will shout, clap, and stamp their feet accordingly. This is watching a play in the palace. Cixi's performance at the Summer Palace Grand Theater is different. The stands of the Summer Palace Grand Theater are a single story Yile Hall. Empress Dowager Cixi and her female relatives watched a play in the Yile Hall, while the male guests were in the surrounding corridors on both sides (including the unlucky Guangxu), and the courtiers were seated in the pool below the stage.

To the north of Yueshi Building is Qingshou Hall. Qingshou Hall is a four courtyard with a deep courtyard and no visible platform. The courtyard gate is a hanging flower gate.

After being built by Emperor Qianlong, Qingshou Hall may have been visited once during the completion and acceptance inspection, and later repaired once during the Jiaqing period. It is unknown who stayed there for a period of time. In the 17th year of the Guangxu reign, it was repaired again, and after Cixi's 60th birthday, he moved into the Leshou Hall. Cixi sometimes takes her sister into the palace to stay for a few days. This sister is the biological mother of Emperor Guangxu and the biological wife of Prince Chun. What are you doing in the palace? Of course, during the Chinese New Year and holidays, I accompanied Empress Dowager Cixi to watch plays, drink alcohol, peel shrimp, eat meat, and so on. The front yard of this Qingshou Hall is the Changyin Pavilion, and it's no problem watching the play no matter how late you stay. You can easily reach the dormitory with just one leg. In addition to her own sister, Cixi also brought the daughters of her relatives to the palace to play, all living in this Qingshou Hall, including Princess Rongshou, the daughter of Prince Gong Yixin's family, and Sige Ge, the daughter of Prince Qing Yihong's family. Qingshou Hall is now locked and not allowed to enter.

There is a glazed door on the north wall of the Qingshou Hall courtyard, and upon entering, there is the Jingfu Palace.

Jingfu Palace was built in the 28th year of Kangxi's reign (1689 AD), which was built by Kangxi to accommodate his stepmother, Empress Dowager Renxian. When Emperor Qianlong built the Tai Shang Huang Nursing Home, the Jingfu Palace was rebuilt, and it was repaired again in the 17th year of the Guangxu reign.

The architectural form of Jingfu Palace is very high-end in the Ningshou Palace area. According to the official introduction, it is a five room square hall with a White Marble Xumizuo below and a broad platform in front of it. Similar to the Leshou Hall, the architectural form of Jingfu Palace also has special features, this time it is outside. Its roof is the triple ound ridge roof Xieshan, also known as the "Yuanbaoding", the only place in the palace. In addition, the eaves, columns, and bases of the eaves around it are decorated with lotus reliefs, unlike other places where they are all plain. Qianlong built this Jingfu Palace with the intention of hosting guests here after returning to power, which is to serve as a state banquet hall.

Adjacent to the Jingfu Palace is a two-story building, which has a hint of a rear cover or a temple leaning against the mountain. This is the Fanhua Tower, and the word "Fan" indicates that it is a Buddhist temple. This is a sixth grade Buddha building of the Gelug school, also known as the Miao Ji Xiang Da Bao Building. The first floor of Fanhua Building is seven rooms wide, with a bright room in the middle. The lower level of the Ming Dynasty is a bronze gilded Zhantan Buddha statue, which was relocated from the Sheng'an Temple in Beijing. Zhantan Buddha statue was a statue of Shakyamuni during his lifetime, and the first Buddha statue in the world was carved from Zhantan wood with water ripples on its body. The upper layer is dedicated to the golden lacquer wood carving of the Gelug sect master Zongkhaba. The other six rooms represent the sixth grade. There is a pagoda in each room, with a skylight leading to the upper level. The lower floor is dedicated to the Dharma protector, while the upper floor is dedicated to the Lord. The upper and lower floors are combined to form a one level Buddha tower. The Six Ranks are one part of Tibetan Buddhism, the Four parts of Esoteric Buddhism, of which the Supreme Yoga part of Esoteric Buddhism is the Two parts of Parenting, a total of six parts. There are four such sixth grade Buddha towers in the Forbidden City, and the Huiyao Tower of Jianfu Palace was destroyed in the great fire of 1923; The Danyuan Tower behind Yuhua Pavilion was also destroyed by the Great Fire in Jianfu Palace; There is also the Baoxiang Building, the east side hall of the Xianruo Hall in the main hall of the Cining Palace Garden. Not to mention those two that have been burned down, a large number of Buddha statues and thangkas in the Baoxiang Tower have flowed out of the imperial palace and been lost. Only the furnishings in the Brahma Tower in the Ningshou Palace are complete, and it is currently the most complete sixth grade Buddha building in the world. In addition to the imperial palace, Chengde Mountain Resort also has four six grade Buddha buildings, in which the Thangkas of Buddha statues have been lost.

There is a circular corridor in the courtyard of Jingfu Palace, which is equivalent to a handmade arcade. Its main entrance is not the wall gate on the north wall of the Qingshou Hall in front, but the hanging flower gate on the west corridor, which is the Jingfu Gate. There is a small courtyard outside Jingfu Gate, inside which is the famous "Wenfeng" stone, which was inscribed with a poem "Wenfeng Poetry" by Qianlong. This is not from the Genyue Stone of the Flower Stone Class in Dongting Lake, but from the West Mountain of Beijing. In the forty first year of the Qianlong reign (1776 AD), Qianlong obtained this stone and erected it here, and drew a poem to record it. It was also mentioned that he retired after governing for sixty years. There is a reason why Lao Qian's reign was limited to sixty years. He once ordered experts from the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to calculate astronomy, and the results showed that in the first day of the first lunar month in the sixty year of Qianlong's reign (1795 AD), there would be Tengu swallowing the sun, and on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, there would be Tengu swallowing the moon. At the beginning of the first lunar month, Tengu swallowed up the sun and moon and turned them into feces, which was quite unfavorable for Lao Qian's governance. He had to abandon his son before Tengu swallowed the moon, abdicate the throne in name to his fifteenth son Yong Yan, and become the emperor himself. The first recorded Zen position in Chinese history should be that of Yao in Shun, and the last recorded Zen position of Qing Qianlong in Jiaqing. In ancient times, Zen was a form of self-awareness, while in later times, Zen was often forced into helplessness. However, Qianlong Zen was still self-awareness in Jiaqing, and Emperor Yao had a good beginning and Qianlong had a good ending.

From this Wenfeng stone to the north, there is another small building, which is the Buddha's Day Tower. This is still a Buddhist temple. In the Van Wah Tower, there are statues of Tibetan Buddhism, while in the Buddha's Day Tower, there are statues of Esoteric Buddhism, which are the Five Buddhas.

To the west from this Wenfeng stone is the Jingqi Pavilion that I saw just now on Ningshougong District Middle Road behind the Yihe Pavilion. The palaces, buildings, and courtyards above are not open, and even jumping outside the walls cannot see inside. The text above me is all recorded hearsay.

Among the aforementioned buildings, the most famous is Jingfu Palace. The term "Jingfu" originates from the Book of Songs, which means "to enjoy and worship, to mediate Jingfu", and to bring prosperity to the heavens. During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao's son Cao Zhi was quite talented and often surprised his father by writing poetry. Cao Zhi has five songs called "Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the Song of the. Cao Cao's other son, Cao Pi, was quite talented. He stole the dragon chair and two daughters of Emperor Xian of Han and became Emperor Wen of Wei himself. He also passed on the dragon chair to his son Cao Rui (Nianrui), making Cao Rui the Emperor of Wei Ming. Emperor Wei Ming was going on a tour from Luoyang to Xuchang, but he refused to stay in Xuchang's hotel. He hired someone to build a palace in Xuchang, which was named "Jingfu Hall". He borrowed his uncle Cao Zhi's good wish of "Jingfu Changlai Yi". Cao Cao's adopted son, He Yan (Nian Yan), also wrote a poem called "Jingfu Hall Fu" for this hall, with flashy words scattered throughout it. This may be the earliest palace in ancient China called Jingfu, and Kangxi also borrowed the imagery of the Book of Songs to call this palace Jingfu, hoping that Empress Dowager Renxian would live inside and enjoy happiness. Empress Dowager Renxian lived to the age of 74, and indeed enjoyed a lot of blessings. When she was the Empress Dowager of Shunzhi, she did not have to be favored. During the reign of Emperor Guangxu, when the Tanhua Pavilion of Qianlong in the Summer Palace was renovated, the imagery of the Book of Songs was also used to rebuild a Jingfu Pavilion. During the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, the founder of the Li Dynasty in Korea, a vassal state, was named Li Chenggui. He built a palace in Seoul according to the regulations of the Ming Dynasty's three gates and three dynasties. He also borrowed the imagery of the Book of Songs to call it "Jingfu Palace", and the gate of the palace was called Guanghua Gate. It is said that now South Korea regards that gate as its national gate, and often the brigade commander takes a tour group to visit there. At that time, North Korea used Chinese characters as its writing system, so Seoul, Jingfu Palace, and Guanghua Gate all had Chinese characters, and their culture was also Chinese culture. It was not until more than a hundred years later that Emperor Sejong Li Ju (Niantao) organized experts and scholars to compile a set of Korean characters, and the edict of Emperor Sejong's newscript was also written in Chinese characters. You see, the emperors of North Korea are also like China, the first one is called "Zu", and the second one is called "Zong" from now on. However, nowadays Koreans have forgotten their roots, and their newcomers no longer recognize Chinese characters, so they have no understanding of their own history or even their ancestors. According to the truth that "without writing, there is no history", the history of South Korea should be counted from the release of the new character "Xun Min Zheng Yin" by King Sejong, which was in the eighth year of the Zhengtong reign of the Lee Dynasty (1443 AD). You see, it was based on the Ming Dynasty's chronological system, and the reigning Emperor at that time was Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen.

Since none of the above are open, after reading the building, you have to go back to the middle road and follow the corridor towards the back. Turn west at Jingqi Pavilion and there is a small door. Entering the small door is the tragic Zhenfei Well.

Consort Zhen is also a lady from a wealthy family. She grew up with her uncle in Guangzhou from a young age, with open-minded thinking, avant-garde behavior, and a tough style. In the 14th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1889 AD), 13-year-old Empress Zhen and 15-year-old sister Empress Jin were selected for the "Fengzao Palace" and were initially granted the titles of Empress Zhen and Empress Jin. In the 20th year of the Guangxu reign, on the 60th birthday of Empress Dowager Cixi, the world was granted amnesty, and the palace officials bestowed favor on her. Jin, the second concubine of Zhen Jin, was granted the title of Zhen Jin's second concubine. Consort Zhen moved into the Jingren Palace in the Dongliu Palace, while Consort Jin moved into the Yonghe Palace in the alley behind her. According to Hu Rensijing's "Guowen Beicheng", "Empress Zhen is naturally well behaved and pleasing to the people. She is skilled in calligraphy and chess, and serves the emperor on both sides of the day. She shares food, drink, and music with the emperor, and is favored by the virtuous family.". In the 24th year of the Guangxu reign, Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty planned the Wuxu Reform, hoping to revive the prosperous era of the Qing Dynasty. Empress Zhen tried to assist him. After a hundred days of reform, Emperor Guangxu was crushed by Empress Dowager Cixi and imprisoned in the Western Garden Yingtai. Consort Zhen was convicted of participating in the reform and was punished with a cane and imprisoned in the North Fifth Institute. In the 26th year of the Guangxu reign, the Eight Nation Alliance invaded the capital, and Empress Dowager Cixi and her family prepared to flee with their bags. At this time, Empress Zhen was a demoted person, and Empress Dowager Cixi refused to flee with her, so she was thrown into the well above and died. After returning to the capital, Empress Dowager Cixi ordered that Consort Zhen be retrieved from the well and buried in the female cemetery of the Western Palace, posthumously honoring her as the Imperial Concubine. After the death of Empress Longyu of Emperor Guangxu, Empress Jin moved Empress Zhen to the imperial garden of Emperor Guangxu's Chongling, and set up a memorial hall in the small house south of Empress Zhen's well for her memorial tablet. It's the Huaiyuan Hall below.

During the Republic of China era, Pu Yi's father and former regent Prince Chun, Prince Zaifeng, once claimed that eunuchs could not touch the jade body, insisting that Empress Zhen was sacrificing herself and throwing herself into a well, rather than being done by Empress Dowager Cixi. Later, various relevant figures spoke the truth one after another, and in the end, the academic community believed that Empress Zhen was indeed thrown into a well by Empress Dowager Cixi. Zaifeng was just covering up for his aunt Cixi, as if her aunt had not done such an immoral thing. Outside the east wall of Zhenfei Well Courtyard is the backyard of Jingqi Pavilion, which is also not open.

After watching the Zhen Fei Well, step out of the small Zhen Shun Gate and even leave the Ning Shou Palace district.

Emperor Qianlong himself had never lived in the hiding place of the Supreme Emperor, but it was moved in by the sixty year old Empress Dowager Cixi. When Empress Dowager Cixi lived here, she claimed to have already been under the rule of Emperor Guangxu, but in reality, she continued to work in politics. In the 24th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign, Emperor Qingde Zaiyuan issued the "Ming Dingguo Shizhao" and implemented the Wuxu Reform. Within a hundred days of the reform, Emperor Guangxu issued a series of edicts, wielding great swords and axes towards the old system, and Empress Dowager Cixi was also affected. A hundred days later, it is said that Empress Dowager Cixi received a secret report from Yuan Shikai. Suddenly, on a dark and stormy night, she secretly returned to the imperial palace from the Summer Palace. She pulled out Guangxu from the Heart Nourishing Hall and cursed him loudly, then imprisoned him in the Western Garden Yingtai. In fact, the launch of the Wuxu Coup by Empress Dowager Cixi had nothing to do with Yuan Shikai's whistleblowing, nor with Ronglu's urgent return to Beijing to report. There was no such thing as the dark moon, the wind, and the high night. The actual situation is that Empress Dowager Cixi had already returned to the palace two days earlier and told Guangxu that she would go to the Summer Palace the next day to numb Guangxu. As a result, early in the morning, Emperor Guangxu was reviewing the sacrificial scriptures to be recited at the State Altar the next day at the Zhonghe Hall. After reviewing the manuscript, he was led by the guards and eunuchs to the Leishou Hall of the Ningshou Palace, saying that the Empress Dowager invited him to have morning tea. Unexpectedly, when Empress Dowager Cixi saw him come in, she harshly scolded him, saying, "I had already allowed you to carry out reforms, but I didn't expect you to be so radical. It's really not easy to handle things without words. Let me train the government.". Subsequently, Guangxu was placed under house arrest, Consort Zhen was imprisoned, and Guangxu's followers were arrested and beheaded, which was the Wuxu coup after the Hundred Days of Reform. When Empress Dowager Cixi reprimanded Emperor Guangxu, she mentioned that "all the high-ranking officials in the court were requested to be trained in politics," indicating that Empress Dowager Cixi had her own followers who had submitted a petition to persuade him to advance. Afterwards, although Empress Dowager Cixi released Emperor Guangxu and slowly pushed forward his reforms, the Qing Dynasty was already in a state of incurable illness, and there was no medicine to cure it, whether it was tonic or laxative. In the 34th year of the Guangxu reign (1908 AD), Empress Dowager Cixi proposed a constitutional monarchy proposal and formulated a ten-year roadmap, but to no avail. Four years later, after the downfall of the Qing Dynasty, the Mongolian aristocratic constitutionalists who supported the constitutional monarchy of Empress Dowager Cixi did not compete with the republicans who were the real weapons of the Xinhai Revolution. Empress Dowager Longyu issued a decree of abdication on behalf of Puyi.

(To be continued)