Jiaotai Palace is a palace building with a long history in Ming and Qing Dynasties. It belongs to one of the last three palaces in Beijing Royal Palace and is located between Gan Qing Palace and Kunning Palace.
In case of New Year's Day, Qian Qiu (the Queen's birthday) and other major festivals, the Queen will accept congratulations here. In the 13th year of Qianlong (1748), Emperor Qianlong kept 25 seals symbolizing imperial power here, which became a place for storage and printing.
2. Dry the Qing Palace (the emperor's bedroom)
Gan Qing Palace, one of the last three palaces of the Forbidden City, is located in the middle of the Forbidden City. Founded in the 18th year of Yongle in Ming Dynasty (1420), it was rebuilt in Ming and Qing Dynasties after several burns. The existing building was built in the third year of Jiaqing in Qing Dynasty (1798). The building area is about 1400㎡.
From the Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty, Gan Qing Palace was the living room of the emperor. Since Yongzheng moved to hall of mental cultivation, Gan Qing Palace became the place where the emperor summoned, selected officials, read newspapers, handled daily government affairs and held major banquet activities.
Every year in the Qing Dynasty, banquets were held in Gan Qing Palace on New Year's Day, Wanshou Festival and other festivals. Only the Thousand Banquets were the largest and the scene was the most prosperous.
In the spring of 1961, Kangxi summoned more than a thousand people from the old headquarters to hold a banquet and compose poems in front of the Qing Palace to celebrate their birthdays. In the first month of the 50th year of Qianlong, Li Hong celebrated the wealth of the country. The grand banquet held in Gan Qing Palace was bigger than that held by Kangxi, with 3,000 elderly people attending.
3. Kunning Palace (Queen's Bedroom)
Kunning Palace is located in the north of Jiaotai Hall of the Forbidden City in Beijing. It belongs to one of the last three palaces in the Forbidden City in Beijing, located behind the Jiaotai Hall. In the Ming Dynasty, Kunning Palace was the queen's bedroom. Nine rooms are wide. It turned out that the front door opened in the middle, and something warmed the pavilion.
In the Qing Dynasty, the Palace of Kunning became a special place for offering sacrifices, a very sacred place. Of course, it also has another function, which is the new house for the emperor's wedding. When the Qing emperor got married, he would stay here for two days and then live in other palaces.
4. Hall of Supreme Harmony (holding a major ceremony)
The Hall of Supreme Harmony, commonly known as the Golden Throne Hall, is a palace building in the Forbidden City in Beijing in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and one of the three major halls in the East. It is the largest existing wooden hall in China, which is located in a prominent position on the north-south main axis of the Forbidden City.
In fact, the Hall of Supreme Harmony is a place where important ceremonies are held, and it is rarely used in fact. Twenty-four emperors in the Ming and Qing Dynasties held grand ceremonies in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, such as the emperor's accession to the throne, the emperor's wedding, the appointment of the queen, and his death. In addition, every year, the emperor receives greetings from officials of civil and military affairs and holds a banquet in honor of princes and ministers.
In the early Qing Dynasty, the Jinshi exam was also held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Since the fifty-fourth year of Qianlong (1789), it has been held in Baohe Hall, and Biography is still held in Taihe Hall.
5. Zhonghe Hall (officials worship and play with things during celebrations)
Zhonghe Hall, built in the 18th year of Yongle in Ming Dynasty (1420), was called "Gaihua Hall" in the early Ming Dynasty. Jiajing suffered a fire and was renamed "Zhongjitang" after reconstruction.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the use function of Zhonghe Hall was basically the same, that is, the emperor rested and prepared here before attending large-scale celebrations in Taihe Hall. In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, emperors are usually worshipped and performed by officials who preside over the celebration before attending the celebration in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
In addition, every spring, during the Xiannongtan Festival, the emperor would go to the Zhonghe Hall to read the bamboo board of ode and check the farm tools used for farming. Before attending the Temple of Heaven, Ditan, National Altar, Ancestral Temple and other similar activities, the emperor will also read a memorial service here.
The Qing Dynasty compiled a royal genealogy every seven years. After the compilation work is completed, a ceremony will be held in Zhonghe Hall and presented to the emperor for review. When Empress Dowager Cixi was awarded the national emblem, the emperor also went to Zhonghe Hall to read the proposed memorial. Sometimes the emperor will summon officials or give food here.