The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the most distinguished hall, was burned down four times in the history of Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The first time was in the 19th year of Yongle in Ming Dynasty. On the first day of the first month, a grand court meeting was held in Fengtian Hall (Hall of Supreme Harmony) to celebrate the official opening of Beijing Palace. Emperor Yongle summoned Dr. Ai Hu, the timekeeper in Qin Tian, and asked him to perform divination for the Three Halls. After Ai Hu was ordered to perform divination, he knelt down and said that at noon on the eighth day of April in the 19th year of Yongle, the Fengtian Hall, the Gaihua Hall and the Golden Body Hall would be destroyed by fire. When I say noon, I mean from 1 1 to 13, which is exactly 12.

Emperor Yongle flew into a rage and ordered Dr. Hu to be put in prison.

After the first month, February and March, all three halls are safe! On the eighth day of April, Emperor Yongle quietly waited for noon. The timekeeper reported: It's noon! Emperor Yongle was both happy and angry-happy that the three halls were peaceful, angry that Ai Hu's nonsense disturbed the hearts of officials, the army and the people, and also disturbed my heart. At this time, the jailer reported that there was no fire at noon, and Ai Hu died of poison in prison! But just after 3: 15 noon, I suddenly received a report: Fengtian Hall was struck by lightning and caught fire! All three halls are on fire! Ming Chengzu deeply regrets that Dr. Hu committed suicide in prison.

The second time was after the reconstruction of the three halls. On April 13th, the thirty-sixth year of Jiajing in Ming Dynasty, lightning and thunder ignited a fire, and all three halls were burned down. Why were the three halls burned down by thunder and fire twice in a row? At that time, the ancients did not understand the scientific knowledge of lightning rods. There are many thunderstorms in summer and autumn in Beijing, and the palace is tall and wooden, so it has been burned by thunder and fire many times.

The third time was on June 19th, the 25th year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty, when Guijimen (Xihemen) caught fire, the fire spread and the three halls were destroyed again. These three halls were only used for 40 years in Jiajing, Qin Long and Wanli Dynasties.

The fourth time was on the third day of December in the eighteenth year of Kangxi, when the Hall of Supreme Harmony caught fire. ("Records of the Holy Father of Qing Dynasty", Volume 81) The imperial kitchen caught fire, and the fire took the wind, and the Jinxi Hall turned to scorched earth. Four men in charge of the palace prison were hanged. This year, there was an earthquake in Beijing and the Hall of Supreme Harmony caught fire.