Viewing Red Walls and Golden Tiles: Appreciating the Ming and Qing Imperial Palace, Part 9 – The Eastern Six Palaces (Part 2) (Revised Edition)

My 2021 series of posts about the Forbidden City, the seventeen installments of 'Viewing Red Walls and Golden Tiles: Appreciating the Ming and Qing Imperial Palace,' received generous attention from many readers. Some readers offered opinions and suggestions, pointing out errors. This revised edition, published again, incorporates those earlier suggestions, enriches some content, corrects typos, and updates and adds some pictures. While I dare not claim to have corrected all errors, most should have been set right. A detailed record of the top ancient Chinese palace architecture seen while appreciating the Ming and Qing imperial palace, the imperial relics on display in the Forbidden City, and traces of Qing court life, along with some stories and legends associated with the palace. I cannot say this is 'to feast the readers,' but merely hope to share with them. Thank you.

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From Yanxi Palace, return to Dongyi Long Street and continue north. The second alley gate on the east is Guangsheng Left Gate; turn in and you'll enter Dong'er Heng Alley. The first courtyard gate in this alley is Chengqian Gate—this is Chengqian Palace.

Inside Chengqian Gate is a wooden screen wall.

Chengqian Palace was also built by the Yongle Emperor, initially named Yongning Palace. 'Chengqian' means to follow heaven, to comply with the will of heaven.

The layout and structure of Chengqian Palace are identical to those of Jingren Palace. The marble stone in the center of the staircase leading up to the main hall's terrace has no white marble balustrade and is carved with a pair of phoenixes.

While the interior ceiling of Jingren Palace features a flat grid with twin-dragon motifs, here at Chengqian Palace the flat grid is painted with circular crane patterns, symbolizing longevity.

Take a look at the east side hall, Zhenshun Study, and the side rooms in the front courtyard.

The rear hall is larger than that of Jingren Palace and has a front corridor. On the west side of the rear courtyard there is a well. Marks of pillar bases at the four corners indicate that there was once a well pavilion here. Each of the Six Eastern and Six Western Palaces had such a well pavilion. It is unknown when this one was destroyed. The well pavilion in Jingren Palace is also gone.

Chengqian Palace once housed the Bronze Gallery of the Forbidden City.

Inside, bronze artifacts from various dynasties collected by the Forbidden City were exhibited, the earliest dating back to the pre-Qin period. Legend has it that Yu the Great of the Xia Dynasty cast nine tripods, long lost. The earliest complete set of nine tripods extant is probably the nine ding and eight gui vessels unearthed from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng from the early Warring States period—though this was an overstepping of rank by Marquis Yi. The Zhou ritual system stipulated that the Son of Heaven use nine ding and eight gui, while feudal lords could only use seven ding and six gui. Look at this bronze ding with an animal-mask pattern from the pre-Qin period displayed at Chengqian Palace in the Forbidden City.

In the first year of the Chongzhen reign (1628) at the end of the Ming Dynasty, a consort named Tian Xiuying, with the title Li Fei, lived in this Yongning Palace. In the fifth year of Chongzhen, the palace was renamed Chengqian Palace. Within a year, Chongzhen promoted her to Imperial Noble Consort and she moved to Qixiang Palace—today's Taiji Hall. Consort Tian was talented in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and gave birth to four sons, gaining Chongzhen's deep favor. It is said that a strange fragrance wafted through her palace, for she carried the scent of hengwu herbs, making her the 'Fragrant Consort' of the Ming. After losing three sons in succession, she died of grief in the 15th year of Chongzhen, thus avoiding the humiliation of the dynasty's fall. She was buried in the Consorts' Cemetery at the Ming Tombs, as Chongzhen had not yet built his own mausoleum. After the martyrdom of the Chongzhen Emperor and Empress Zhou, Li Zicheng entered Beijing and collected their remains. As there was no imperial tomb, they opened Consort Tian's tomb and interred the emperor and empress there. When the Qing dynasty's Shunzhi regime entered the pass, surface structures were added to Consort Tian's tomb and it was named Ming Siling. In the early Qing, there were repeated uprisings by 'Prince Zhu the Third' to overthrow the Qing and expel the Manchus; this 'Prince Zhu the Third' was in fact Zhu Cizhao (pronounced Zhao), the fourth son of Consort Tian, known as Prince Yong.

After the Shunzhi Emperor of the Qing entered Beijing, Consort Donggo lived here. She had accompanied her father on southern expeditions as a child, growing up in Jiangnan, deeply influenced by Han culture. She could read, write, and had excellent calligraphy. At nineteen, Shunzhi made the eighteen-year-old Donggo an Imperial Noble Consort. Legend says that Shunzhi deposed his first empress and wanted to make Donggo his second empress, but was thwarted; the later empress was a relative of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. Actually, that's not true: Shunzhi's second empress, Empress Xiaohuizhang, was established in the 11th year of Shunzhi (1654), while Consort Donggo entered the palace only in the 13th year. Shunzhi was extremely fond of Consort Donggo, though that didn't keep him from having children with other consorts. Raised in Jiangnan, she was frail like Lin Daiyu. She finally bore a son, but he died early, and she died of a broken heart. Stories of the affair spread beyond the palace, and folk legend says Shunzhi, unable to bear her death, became a monk. When I visited Mount Wutai, monks at three different temples all claimed Shunzhi had stayed at their temple. The inner palace story was that Shunzhi wanted to go to Mount Wutai, but everyone stopped him, and a eunuch was sent in his place. In fact, Shunzhi, busy with Consort Donggo's funeral, often went outside the palace, supervising Buddhist rites at Guande Hall in Jingshan and rushing to posthumously confer the title of empress on her. His grief weakened his resistance, and he contracted smallpox from some unknown source. Half a year after Consort Donggo's death, Shunzhi also passed away. They were buried together in the Xiao Mausoleum of the Eastern Qing Tombs, along with Consort Tongjia, mother of the Kangxi Emperor. Shunzhi was Buddhist, and both he, Consort Donggo, and Consort Tongjia were cremated; their ashes rest in the Xiao Mausoleum. The coffin for an emperor's body was called 'zigong,' and the jar for ashes was 'baogong.' Shunzhi did not want elaborate burial, so there were few grave goods, sparing the tomb from the Eastern Tomb raiders of the Republican era. The underground chamber of the Xiao Mausoleum is the only one in the Eastern Tombs never robbed, and the only mausoleum in Chinese history to contain an emperor's ashes.

During the Kangxi reign, Consort Tong lived here. In the 17th year of Kangxi (1768), the second empress, of the Niohuru clan, died. Kangxi never established another empress; Consort Tong acted as empress and was the emperor's most intimate companion. In the 28th year of Kangxi, as Consort Tong lay terminally ill, Kangxi quickly invested her as empress, and she died the next day. During the Yongzheng reign, Yu Pin, later promoted to Yu Fei, lived here. In the early Qianlong period, Consort Shu first lived here, then Consort Ling, Wei Jia-shi, moved in and Consort Shu relocated to Yongshou Palace. After Consort Ling, Wan Pin stayed here. Qianlong's Consort Yu also once lived in Chengqian Palace, though it's unknown whether before or after Consort Ling. In the first month of the 10th year of Qianlong (1745), Wei Jia-shi was granted the title Wei Guiren; within a year she was swiftly promoted to Ling Pin. Something must have ignited Qianlong's passion that year. In the 14th year of Qianlong, Ling Pin was elevated to Ling Fei. For ranks of pin and above, formal investiture ceremonies known as 'cefeng' were held. Ten years later, in the 24th year of Qianlong, Ling Fei was promoted to Ling Guifei and moved from Chengqian Palace to Chuxiu Palace; in the 30th year she became Imperial Noble Consort. It's true Consort Ling received the emperor's favor, but in ten years she bore four sons and two daughters—I'd say she was worn out by childbearing. After her death in the 40th year of Qianlong, the emperor immediately honored her with the posthumous title Lingyi Imperial Noble Consort; 'yi' means great beauty, often paired with 'de' (virtue) as 'yide.' In the tenth month of the 60th year of Qianlong, the old emperor did several major things. First, he visited the tomb of Empress Fuca to sweep the grave—he had something to tell his most beloved empress. Second, after returning, he posthumously invested Lingyi Imperial Noble Consort as Empress Xiaoyi, placing her alongside Empress Fuca to be buried with him in the future. Third, he announced his retirement and handed the throne to Consort Ling's son Yongyan. The investiture of Empress Xiaoyi was unusual. Usually, an investiture edict would state 'by order of the Empress Dowager.' This time, the edict said 'the mother had given her permission,' because by then the Empress Dowager Chongqing had long passed away and could not issue orders; how the 'permission' was granted is a mystery.

Shunzhi’s favorite, Consort Donggo, lived here; Kangxi’s closest, Consort Tong, lived here; Qianlong also arranged for his most beloved Consort Ling to reside here—Chengqian Palace seems to have been the abode of favored imperial consorts. During the Jiaqing reign, it was the residence of the secondary consort of the Niohuru clan while she was an imperial noble consort; in the 4th year of Jiaqing (1799), she was established as the second empress, Empress Rui. In the Daoguang reign, a certain Lin Pin made a mistake and was demoted to guiren, then after reforming re-titled Lin Pin. In the 24th year of Daoguang (1840), Lin Pin gave birth to the emperor’s seventh son, Yixuan (pronounced Yixuan), and was promoted to Lin Fei, moving into Chengqian Palace. She later bore another son and was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort. This seventh son, Yixuan, became Prince Chun, the biological father of the Guangxu Emperor. During the Xianfeng reign, this palace housed several pin-ranked consorts.

Leaving Chengqian Palace, continue east along Dong'er Heng Alley; cross Dong'er Long Street and you'll reach Yonghe Palace, originally named Yong'an Palace in the early Ming. In the 14th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming, Yong'an Palace was renamed Yonghe Palace, a name retained in the Qing.

Entering the main gate of Yonghe Palace, instead of a screen wall there is a wooden screen gate. Past this gate is the main hall.

The layout of Yonghe Palace is similar to the others; its most distinctive feature is a three-bay open pavilion built on the terrace in front of the main hall, with a round-ridge overhanging gable roof. When Yonghe Palace was recently repainted, some old traces were preserved, allowing you to see the contrast between old and new.

In the front courtyard of Yonghe Palace there are two wisteria vines; when they bloom in spring, they are incredibly beautiful, attracting countless Beijing photographers to take pictures.

Who lived in Yonghe Palace during the Ming period has been lost to history. Its most famous Qing occupant was the Kangxi Emperor’s Consort De, of the Uya clan. Uya-shi entered the palace through the imperial consort selection in the 14th year of Kangxi (1675); in the 17th year she gave birth to the emperor’s fourth son, Yinzhen, and the next year was promoted to De Pin—quite impressive. In the 19th year she bore the sixth son, Yinzuo, and the following year was elevated to De Fei. In the 27th year of Kangxi she gave birth to the 14th son, Yinti (pronounced Ti). When the fourth son Yinzhen ascended as the Yongzheng Emperor, Consort De became the Empress Dowager and moved to Shoukang Palace. Yongzheng’s fourth son, Hongli (the future Qianlong Emperor), had a concubine of the Hai clan; when Hongli assumed the throne, she was granted the title Hai Guiren. She gave birth to the fifth son, Yongqi, and was promoted to Yu Fei, living in Yonghe Palace. In the 6th year of Daoguang (1826), Yonghe Palace housed Jing Pin, who was thirty years younger than the Daoguang Emperor. She moved in upon being promoted from guiren to pin due to pregnancy. She gave birth to the emperor’s second son, Yigang, in Yonghe Palace; the child died the next year, and Jing Pin was promoted to Jing Fei. In the 12th year of Daoguang, Jing Fei gave birth to the sixth son, Yixin, who survived and grew up to become Prince Gong. In the 20th year of Daoguang, she was promoted to Jing Guifei and moved to the rear palace, Zhongcui Palace. Consort Li of the Xianfeng Emperor lived in this Yonghe Palace.

Another well-remembered consort who lived here in the Qing was Consort Jin of the Guangxu Emperor. Among her dowry was a fabulous item—the Jadeite Cabbage, a world-class treasure now in the Taipei Palace Museum. Consort Jin entered the palace as a pin together with her younger sister; both were later promoted to fei. Her sister was the famous Consort Zhen, who lived in Jingren Palace ahead; the two sisters were just a lane apart. Although Consort Jin was progressive in thinking, she remained a staunch royalist. After the abdication of the Qing emperor, she actively campaigned for restoration, marrying her niece to Pujie and egging him on in activities beyond the palace. For her fiftieth birthday celebration, Consort Jin invited performers of the North China folk art 'Lianhualao'; thereafter, operas were often staged in Yonghe Palace, and its troupe became quite famous. A year later, after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Consort Jin ate too many mooncakes and raw crabs, suffered indigestion and a cold, and passed away. Yonghe Palace was said to be haunted in the old days—but it was really because after Consort Jin’s death, with no one living there, eunuchs sneaked in to pilfer items for money. When they spotted someone coming, they'd pretend to be ghosts to scare people off. It is said that the Palace Museum plans to furnish Yonghe Palace as it was when Consort Jin lived there and then reopen it to the public. Then you'll be able to see a replica of that Jadeite Cabbage.

Since Yonghe Palace is closed to visitors, we'll have to double back to Dongyi Long Street and continue north. The next gate on the east is Dacheng Left Gate.

Alley gates here all have 'boxes' on the door posts, but only two corner pieces, top and bottom. Take a look at the box.

Enter Dacheng Left Gate and go east along Dongsan Heng Alley; the first courtyard gate is Zhongcui Gate. Inside is certainly Zhongcui Palace. 'Zhong' means to gather, 'cui' means essence—just as Wang Xizhi once said, 'All the worthies assemble, both young and old.'

From outside, Zhongcui Gate looks largely the same as the other courtyard gates of the Eastern Six Palaces. But once you look inside, it's completely different from the previous palaces. There is a gate hall right inside, no shadow wall. Behind the gate hall is a screen door that can be closed to block outside views. Let's go in and see.

As it turns out, from the inside it's a typical 'one hall, one arch' festooned gate, except that the exterior is a glazed gate. Such a gate usually connects inward to a covered arcade walkway, and here it does indeed.

Zhongcui Palace was originally called Xianyang Palace in the early Ming; in the 14th year of Jiajing (1535) it was renamed Zhongcui Palace. During the Ming, Zhongcui Palace had the same layout as the others. The covered arcade walkway in the front courtyard was added in the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing (1873). The main hall of Zhongcui Palace is five bays wide and three bays deep—the main halls of all Six Eastern and Six Western Palaces are five bays wide and three bays deep. Both the main hall and the east and west side halls have front eaves galleries, which made it possible to add the arcade during renovation. The side rooms outside the north walls of the east and west side halls were demolished and replaced with angled galleries so the walkway could form a continuous loop. Between the columns of the arcade are 'step-by-step brocade' latticework benches with hanging fascia of the same pattern. The walls along the arcade are painted with ink wash paintings of flowers, birds, insects, pines, bamboos, plum blossoms, and orchids—all in elegant taste.

Although the main hall has a front corridor, there is no carved stone ramp in the center of the front staircase. Under the eaves hangs a plaque reading 'Cheng Xin Zheng Xing' (Purify the Heart, Rectify the Nature), with a seal that appears to be 'Treasure of the Imperial Brush of the Empress Dowager Cixi.' The character '澂' is pronounced 'cheng,' meaning clear and still water; the plaque carries a Zen-like connotation. The latticework across the frieze behind the plaque is also step-by-step brocade; the lattice in the glass windows above the door lintel is called ice-crack pattern.

The roof frame of this main hall dates back to the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming. At that time, the hall had an exposed roof structure with no ceiling. So the inner beams, rafters, purlins, and crossbeams would have been painted. In the mid-Ming, a relatively high ceiling was installed, sealing some of the painted decoration above it; below the ceiling, new painting was done. In the early Qing renovation, the Ming ceiling was removed and a lower ceiling installed, which preserved both the earlier and later Ming paintings above; the space below was repainted. In the mid-Qing, an additional layer of silver-patterned paper called 'baitang bizi' was pasted under the ceiling, sealing in the early Qing paintings. When the main hall of Zhongcui Palace was renovated in 1961 and the ceiling was opened, paintings from the early Ming, mid-Ming, and early Qing were discovered. Under one roof, royal painted decorations from different periods spanning six hundred years are arrayed together—an exceptionally rare and precious sight in the Forbidden City. So far, Changchun Palace is the only other known place with such Ming paintings. Since Zhongcui Palace was a residence for imperial consorts, these paintings are all 'xuanzi' style (a type of decorative pattern). The current ceiling has been restored to the mid-Qing height, so those ancient paintings are certainly not visible to us. But even if we could see them, they'd just evoke a sigh—'How distant the past!' Only experts in ancient architecture could discern the differences and evolution of royal xuanzi paintings across periods.

Now take a look at the rear courtyard.

The well pavilion is still there, intact. This is the only well-preserved well pavilion in the Eastern Six Palaces; whether it's the original or a reconstruction is unclear. Most well pavilions in the Forbidden City have a single-eave hip roof of yellow glazed tiles with an open top, except for two in the Imperial Garden. A distinctive feature of the rear courtyard is the raised terrace corridor connecting the back door of the main hall and the front door of the rear hall—unique among the Six Eastern and Six Western Palaces. If you notice, the main hall and the rear hall both have red pillars and red windows, while the side halls have green pillars and green windows.

Among the Eastern Six Palaces, I like Zhongcui Palace best, precisely because of this encircling arcade, the ink paintings on its walls, and the green pillars and windows of the side halls. These elements soften the rigid solemnity of the imperial palace, making it feel relaxed and lively, and putting one in a cheerful mood.

In the early Ming, imperial consorts lived here, while in the late Ming it served as the Crown Prince’s Palace—Chongzhen’s eldest son, Zhu Cilang (pronounced Lang), once lived here. In the 20th year of Kangxi (1681), Rong Pin, who had borne five sons, was promoted to Rong Fei and moved into Zhongcui Palace. Entering the palace in Kangxi’s early years, only her third son, Yinzhi, survived. After Kangxi’s death, Rong Fei moved out according to his will to live in Yinzhi’s Prince Cheng mansion, where she spent her remaining years. In the 20th year of Kangxi, the emperor granted the fourth son, Yinzhen, a primary consort, the Lady Ulanara. When Yinzhen ascended as the Yongzheng Emperor, Ulanara was made Empress of the Central Palace—the Empress Xiaojingxian—and she lived in Zhongcui Palace until her death in the 9th year of Yongzheng. In the 12th year of Yongzheng, he chose a secondary consort, Lady Gao, for his fourth son, Hongli. Upon Hongli’s accession as the Qianlong Emperor, Lady Gao was made Consort Gao and lived in Zhongcui Palace, later promoted to Imperial Noble Consort. Consort Gao died in the 10th year of Qianlong, and later Consort Xin moved into Zhongcui Palace. After Qianlong’s grandson Minning ascended as the Daoguang Emperor, in his first year of consort selection he chose a fourteen-year-old girl, Niohuru, who excelled in morality, intellect, and physique. She was immediately granted the title Quan Pin and installed in Zhongcui Palace—a rarity in Qing history. Within a year, Quan Pin was promoted to Quan Fei, still just fifteen. Once she became fei, she promptly became pregnant, though the pregnancy failed. A year later she conceived again and gave birth to the third princess. Daoguang was overjoyed and promoted Quan Fei to Quan Guifei. As if wound up, the consort became pregnant again and gave birth to the fourth princess. Finally, she bore the emperor’s fourth son, Yizhu (pronounced Yizhu). Since the first two sons had died early, Yizhu was effectively the eldest son; he later succeeded as the Xianfeng Emperor. Two years later, after the death of Empress Tongjia, Quan Guifei was invested as Empress Quan. But her health, affected by the first failed pregnancy, was frail; she passed away in the 30th year of Daoguang, aged only 33, and was posthumously titled Empress Xiaoquan. Daoguang never established another empress. An old saying goes, 'At thirty-three, a broken boat crosses dangerous rapids'—perhaps it originated from Empress Quan’s death at 33. After Empress Quan, Consort Jing moved into Zhongcui Palace to raise the ten-year-old Yizhu. Her own sixth son, Yixin, grew up alongside Yizhu in Zhongcui Palace. Behind the 'Upright and Brilliant' plaque, Daoguang placed two edicts in a brocade box: one naming Yizhu crown prince, the other enfeoffing Yixin as Prince Gong. In truth, Yixin was cleverer than Yizhu and resented not becoming emperor. Once Yizhu became the Xianfeng Emperor, in the 12th year of Xianfeng (1862) he bestowed the former Heshen mansion, Prince Qing’s residence, on Yixin—present-day Prince Gong’s Mansion.

When Yizhu became the Xianfeng Emperor, the following year’s consort selection brought a Niohuru lady: she entered the palace in the second month, was made Zhen Pin in the fourth month and moved into Zhongcui Palace; in the fifth month she became Zhen Guifei, and by the tenth month she was established as Empress, at age sixteen. Empress Zhen rose faster than any Qing empress—faster than a helicopter. She bore no children, but Consort Yi of the Xianfeng Emperor, living in the western Chuxiu Palace, gave birth to the only prince, Zaichun, and was promoted to Yi Guifei. In the 11th year of Xianfeng, the emperor died. Empress Zhen became Empress Dowager, known as the Eastern Palace Dowager. Zaichun succeeded as the Tongzhi Emperor, and his birth mother, Yi Guifei, became the Western Palace Dowager, with the honorific Cixi. After Empress Dowager Ci'an died in the 7th year of Guangxu, Consort Li of Xianfeng lived in Zhongcui Palace for a while. For some reason, after Xianfeng’s death, his consorts remained in the rear palaces instead of moving to Shoukang Palace. Tongzhi had a hard fate; at nineteen, before begetting a son, he contracted smallpox and died. Fearful of losing power, Cixi chose the son of Prince Chun and his primary consort—a cousin of Tongzhi, Zaitian (pronounced Tian)—as the successor emperor. Prince Chun’s primary consort was Cixi’s own sister. Zaitian ascended as the Guangxu Emperor, and in the 15th year of Guangxu (1889), Cixi paired him with his cousin as empress. In the first month, the cousin entered the palace stepping over the charred ground of Taihe Gate and was carried into Zhongcui Palace for a brief rest. Then, in the Kunning Palace, Cixi forced their heads down in the grand ceremony, and they were shut in the East Warmth Chamber bridal suite for three days. After three days, the emperor and empress went their separate ways—Guangxu to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, his cousin to Zhongcui Palace as Empress Longyu. Following Cixi’s decree, Empress Longyu often went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to serve the emperor, eventually staying in the east side room of the rear hall, which since the Yongzheng era had been the empress’s residence when attending the emperor. Cixi hoped Longyu would catch the dragon seed and produce an heir, but to no avail; the moment Guangxu saw Longyu, he clung to his seed. Instead, Consort Zhen often went to serve the emperor and then stayed in the west side room. But it seems Guangxu never released the dragon seed to any consort—perhaps this dragon was simply infertile. After Guangxu’s death, Longyu became Empress Dowager and moved from Zhongcui Palace to Changchun Palace. Empress Dowager Longyu was the last empress and empress dowager of the Qing, and the last occupant of Zhongcui Palace. She still ruled behind the curtain for a few years during the Xuantong reign, until she brought that rule to an end by signing the abdication decree. When Longyu signed the abdication, Xuantong was too young and had no consort—if he’d had one, she’d have been a child bride, not officially counted in the Qing court. Longyu was thus China’s last empress. It is said that Wanrong’s official title was Mrs. Pu; though she lived as a puppet empress in Changchun, that was not China’s empress. Calling Wanrong the last empress of China is completely wrong. Because the Qing’s last empress, Longyu, lived in Zhongcui Palace, this is the last empress’s palace. Hence it’s relatively well preserved. The festooned gate, the covered arcade, the well pavilion are all here, plus the unique terrace connecting the front and rear halls, not found in other palaces.

Zhongcui Palace has not been restored to its original state. When I visited, it housed an exhibition of ancient qin zithers from the Palace Museum collection, the earliest being Tang-dynasty instruments.

Exiting Zhongcui Palace, continue east along Dongsan Heng Alley; cross Dong'er Long Street and you'll reach Jingyang Palace. In the early Ming it was called Changyang Palace; in the 14th year of Jiajing it was renamed Jingyang Palace, meaning 'admiring the sun.'

During the Ming, a famous person lived in Jingyang Palace. One day, the Wanli Emperor, Zhu Yijun, visited his mother, Empress Dowager Li, at the Cining Palace and 'fortuned' a palace maid, Miss Wang. At that time, Wanli hadn’t yet contracted polio and could still walk normally; subduing a maid or two was no difficulty. Miss Wang became pregnant and gave birth to a son, Zhu Changluo, and was made Consort Wang Gong. The son was the Wanli Emperor’s eldest. Two years later, Consort Wang Gong bore a fourth princess. The emperor moved her to Jingyang Palace, while her son Zhu Changluo, upon growing up, lived in the Ciqing Palace outside the rear palace. Wanli disapproved of the maid-born Consort Wang, preferring Consort Zheng—though his own mother, Empress Dowager Li, had also been a maid. Jingyang Palace became a cold palace for Consort Wang, where she endured thirty years of neglect. Later, when Wanli developed polio and had difficulty walking, he never visited Jingyang Palace, nor summoned Consort Wang to the Qianqing Palace. According to Ming custom, Zhu Changluo had to be made crown prince, and Empress Dowager Li and the ministers supported this. But Consort Zheng also wanted her son to be crown prince. The question of the heir caused the emperor to come to blows with his officials—from vice-premiers down to department chiefs, over a hundred officials were demoted or honored, in what was called the 'Struggle for the National Foundation.' In the meantime, Zhu Changluo had a son, Zhu Youxiao, making Wanli a grandfather. At the strong insistence of Empress Dowager Li, Wanli finally made Zhu Changluo crown prince and elevated Consort Wang Gong to Imperial Noble Consort, though she still ate cold meals in her cold palace. The struggle subsided. In the 39th year of Wanli (1611), after thirty years of repression, Consort Wang Gong died at 46. In the 43rd year, the shocking 'Bludgeon Case' occurred; though an unsolved mystery, it was part of the conflict between Consort Zheng and Crown Prince Zhu Changluo. After Wanli died, Zhu Changluo became the Taichang Emperor—the barely remembered Ming Guangzong. As mentioned before, within a month, Taichang died in the 'Red Pill Case.' His son Zhu Youxiao was carried by ministers to the Wenhua Hall to wrestle with Li Xuanshi, successfully took over as the Tianqi Emperor, and then the 'Palace Removal Case' expelled Li from the Qianqing Palace. Once in power, Zhu Youxiao posthumously honored his grandmother Consort Wang Gong as Empress Xiaojing and moved her to the Dingling Tomb to lie with Wanli and Empress Xiaoduan. This Consort Wang Gong of Jingyang Palace was the most tragic Ming consort—banished to a cold palace, her son and grandson became emperors but neither lived long.

During the Qing Kangxi reign, Jingyang Palace was renovated into an imperial library, with the rear hall becoming the imperial study. Its layout is essentially the same as the other palaces of the Eastern Six, except that the front hall is only three bays wide, not five. Moreover, the front hall has a hip roof of yellow glazed tiles (wudian) rather than a gable-and-hip roof (xieshan). The rear hall has a yellow glazed xieshan roof, not a flush-gable roof. Thus, the roof hierarchy of both halls is a grade higher than the others. Tucked away in the farthest corner of the Eastern Six Palaces, Jingyang Palace feels somewhat gloomy, so it is currently closed. When it does open, it’s for temporary exhibitions of royal treasures.

Jingyang Palace once stored twelve 'Palace Instruction Paintings' commissioned by Qianlong, one for each of the Six Eastern and Six Western Palaces. These paintings depicted twelve feminine virtues, such as studiousness and propriety, diligence and frugality, supporting husbands and raising children, hard work and bravery, and innovation. Qianlong also composed a 'Palace Instruction Poem' to accompany each painting. Every year on the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, they would be hung in each palace—poem on the east wall of the main hall, picture on the west—and remain until the 'Dragon Heads Raising' day on the second day of the second month, after which they were dusted off and stored in the rear courtyard of Jingyang Palace.

Currently in the Forbidden City, besides the front three and back three palaces, some Western Six Palaces have been restored to their original Qing arrangements for display, but none of the Eastern Six Palaces have. The Eastern Six Palaces serve as exhibition halls—some with thematic displays like the Bronze Gallery, others with special exhibits like the ancient qin exhibition. While some Western Six Palaces were merged into one, the Eastern Six remain six distinct palaces, largely preserving the early Ming layout. Only Yanxi Palace was rebuilt after a fire, becoming an unfinished construction, and a covered arcade was added to the front courtyard of Zhongcui Palace.

The Eastern Six Palaces were the living quarters for imperial consorts. In the early Ming, beyond the Qianying Gate behind them, several courtyards were built called the Five Eastern Residences of Qianqing (Qian Dong Wu Suo), now referred to as the Northern Five Residences. As the name indicates, east of the Qianqing Palace there were five courtyard residences, numbered from west to east, for the princes. They share an identical layout: three courtyards deep. The front courtyard has a glazed gate, beyond which a wooden screen wall stands, and behind that is the front hall flanked by side halls. The second courtyard also consists of a main hall and two side halls, with a well pavilion in the yard. The third courtyard has only a rear hall, no side halls. These buildings are essentially intact but not open to visitors.

To the east of the Eastern Six Palaces stand some other structures, the most important being the Tianqiong Palace (Celestial Vault). Outside the east wall of the Eastern Six, a narrow north-south alley runs; farther east is the Dongtongzi Long Street. Tianqiong Palace lies between these two streets at the northern end. In the Ming Dynasty, it was called Xuanqiong Palace; in the Qing, to avoid a taboo on the Kangxi Emperor's name, it was renamed Tianqiong Palace. This is the largest Daoist temple in the imperial palace. The Qin'an Hall in the Imperial Garden, dedicated to the Northern Dark Warrior (Xuanwu), is also a Daoist temple. Tianqiong Palace is dedicated to the Supreme God Haotian Shangdi, along with Lü Dongbin and various heavenly worthies, where regular rituals were held. Haotian Shangdi is the Heavenly Emperor—the 'Old Lord Heaven' of folk belief. On the terrace in front of the main hall stand bronze cranes, bronze turtles, and a bronze incense burner, all cast during the Qianlong reign. On the first day of the first lunar month, the Heavenly La ritual, one of the Five Las, was performed here for the New Year; on the ninth day, the birthday of Haotian Shangdi, the Heavenly Birthday ritual; and on the emperor's birthday, the Longevity Peace ritual. These rituals are no longer held, but the hall remains closed to visitors.

South of Tianqiong Palace and east of Yanxi Palace, during the Ming, there stood an office building for palace officials—akin to today's general office or administrative management bureau. From Yanxi Palace heading east is its main gate, small and inconspicuous, now closed.

In the early Ming, during the Hongwu era, the Six Bureaus and One Office were established. The Six Bureaus, called the Six Shang Bureaus ('shang' means in charge of), comprised Shanggong (Palace Affairs), Shangyi (Rites), Shangfu (Attire), Shangshi (Food), Shangqin (Chamber), and Shanggong (Works)—they were like schools for eunuchs and palace maids, teaching all manner of etiquette and skills. The One Office, Gongzheng Si, was the administrative body for palace staff, merging the functions of public security, prosecution, and judiciary. In the Qing, the area became imperial storehouses, known as the Inner Warehouses, including silk, tea, fruit, and so on. Every morning, without waiting for the emperor or empress to request, eunuchs would queue out from the inner warehouse gate off Dongyi Heng Alley, bearing various snacks and seasonings to each palace gate, where the resident eunuchs would take them over. Then two junior maids would set them out in assigned spots in each room. Senior maids didn’t do this job; they were busy washing their mistresses' faces with soap. These storehouses are closed, as no one has cleaned them for many years.

Going further east along Dongyi Heng Alley in front of Yanxi Palace, on the palace wall there is an east-facing gate built flush with the wall, called Cangzhen Gate. Passing through it brings you to the north-south Dongtongzi Long Street, which is even longer than Dongyi Long Street. Southward it leads to the Arrow Pavilion Square outside Jingyun Gate at the northeast rear of the Baohe Hall; northward to the Shenwu Gate Square beyond Shunzhen Gate. This was the road for the laboring eunuchs within the palace.

Having seen the Eastern Six Palaces, let's now go and see the Western Six Palaces.

(To be continued)