Admiring the Red Walls and Golden Tiles: The Imperial Palaces of Ming and Qing, Part 16 – Cining Palace and Shoukang Palace (Part One, Revised Edition)
My 2021 Forbidden City series, the seventeen installments of 'Admiring the Red Walls and Golden Tiles: The Imperial Palaces of Ming and Qing,' have been kindly read by many. Some readers offered suggestions and pointed out errors. In this revised second edition, I have incorporated those comments, enriched some content, corrected mistakes, and updated or added images. While I cannot claim to have fixed every error, most have been corrected. This account details the pinnacle of ancient Chinese palace architecture observed in the Ming and Qing imperial palaces, the displayed royal relics of the Forbidden City, and traces of Qing court life—along with stories and legends that took place there. I dare not say it is 'to entertain readers'; I simply hope to share with you. Thank you.
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Last time, I mentioned that Qianlong built himself a retirement home, Ningshou Palace, in the eastern outer court after his abdication. Before him, no emperor in the Ming or Qing had ever abdicated—they all died on the throne—so Qianlong became the first, and in fact the only, Retired Emperor of the Ming and Qing. Historically, the only emperors who abdicated while the imperial line continued were Tang Gaozu Li Yuan and Song Huizong Zhao Ji. The abdication of Later Zhou’s Chai Zongxun to Zhao Kuangyin and the legendary cases of Yao, Shun, and Yu do not count, as those were dynastic changes. Empresses, however, were different. Some went ahead to wait for their emperor in the imperial tombs, but many outlived their husbands and remained hale and hearty. So there were often retired empresses, who upon retirement were promoted to Empress Dowager. An Empress Dowager was the reigning emperor’s mother and certainly deserved a good residence. The proper empress lived in the main hall of Kunning Palace, and during the Qing, in one of the Eastern or Western Six Palaces. When she became Empress Dowager, she moved from her previous residence to a new one. Following the principle of 'east superior, west inferior,' the Retired Emperor’s retirement home was on the outer eastern flank of the inner court, so the Empress Dowager’s home was built on the outer western flank. I’m being playful—the Empress Dowager’s residence actually came first.
This complex lies outside Longzong Gate, roughly corresponding to the position of Ningshou Palace outside Jingyun Gate, though slightly further south. Diagonally opposite Longzong Gate, there are three glazed archways in the palace wall—these are the Left Yongkang Gate.
Entering through it brings you to a square. At the west end of the square is the Right Yongkang Gate, which is not open. On the north side of the square stands the Gate of Compassion and Tranquility (Cining Men).
The Gate of Compassion and Tranquility is essentially identical in architectural form to the Gate of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing Men) in the rear three palaces. The differences: on either side of the central imperial path, Qianqing Men has a pair of gilded bronze lions, while here there is a pair of gilded luduan (mythical beasts) like those in front of the Heavenly One Gate (Tianyi Men) in the Imperial Garden. The imperial path at Qianqing Men has a cloud-and-dragon carved marble ramp (danbi), while here it is a dragon-and-phoenix ramp. The architraves above Qianqing Men are painted with double-dragon hexi-style patterns, whereas here they are dragon-and-phoenix hexi patterns.
The Gate of Compassion and Tranquility is the main entrance to Cining Palace. In the early Ming, this site was known as Renshou Palace. In the 15th year of the Jiajing reign (1536), Renshou Palace was transformed into Cining Palace, with later reconstructions during the Wanli period.
Entering through the gate, a broad marble terrace leads straight to the main hall, Cining Palace, which is fronted by a spacious square.
Cining Palace is seven bays wide and three bays deep. The front facade has five doors in the central and side bays, with balustrade-wicket windows in the outer bays. The doors and windows feature double-cross, four-bowl lattice (shuangjiao siwan) patterns, one rank lower than the triple-cross, six-bowl lattice used inside the inner court. Above is a dougong bracket system supporting a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof (xieshan) covered in yellow glazed tiles, with nine ridge beasts—a very high specification. There are front and rear colonnaded porches, and the architraves are painted with alternating double-dragon and double-phoenix hexi motifs. The hall sits on a five-chi-high grey brick platform, with a spacious white marble terrace in front, fenced by a marble balustrade. From the front, three flights of steps descend from the terrace, the central one featuring a carved marble ramp; each side has one flight of marble steps with railings. The plaque of Cining Palace is an antique—unlike other palace plaques, it is inscribed in three scripts: Manchu, Mongolian, and Chinese. After staring at the Chinese characters for a while, I finally made out 'Cining Palace'; the seal script is quite ornate. Take a look at the arrangements on the terrace.
Four gilded bronze tripod incense burners are familiar to all. On the east side, a display pedestal supports a sundial, also easily recognizable. On the west side, the pedestal holds an object some may not know: a bronze moondial.
On either side of the main hall are courtyard walls with festooned gates (chuihua men). Passing through these gates leads to the rear courtyard. The main hall and the rear hall share the same raised platform.
The rear hall is five bays wide and two bays deep. On the facade, all five bays are fitted with four-panel, six-muntin lattice doors, double-cross four-bowl lattice with gilded ruyi-motif panels. Above is a dougong bracket structure with a yellow-glazed, single-eave hip-and-gable roof and seven ridge beasts—one rank lower than the main hall, Cining Palace. The white marble display pedestal on the terrace is exceptionally beautiful.
The rear hall has eastern and western side chambers. Unlike the Eastern and Western Six Palaces, here there are no side halls flanking the main and rear halls; instead, a covered corridor encloses the complex, placing it on a higher hierarchical level, similar to the rear three palaces. The base of the corridor is at the same height as the paved path between Cining Men and Cining Palace.
In the early Ming, emperors were extremely cruel. Zhu Yuanzhang’s noble consort and Zhu Di’s were forced to commit suicide to be buried with the dead emperor. Hongxi Emperor Zhu Gaochi’s one noble consort and four consorts also followed him in death, leaving only Empress Zhang behind. The succeeding Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji honored her as empress dowager and she lived in Qingning Palace. Her son, Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji, was even more ruthless: one of his noble consorts led nine consorts—ten in all—to accompany him in death. When Zhu Zhanji passed away, Empress Zhang became Grand Empress Dowager, the first of the Ming dynasty, and moved into the predecessor of Cining Palace, Renshou Palace. Zhu Zhanji’s Empress Sun became empress dowager and lived in Qingning Palace on the eastern road. Empress Zhang resided in Renshou Palace until she died during the Zhengtong reign under her grandson, the Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen. At that time, Renshou Palace contained an enormous Renshou Hall, with a Daxian Hall in front. A poem praised it: 'Qianqing shines equally with Kunning; Daxian glows together with Renshou,' showing that the hall’s scale was second only to Qianqing Palace and Kunning Palace, with Daxian Hall corresponding to Qianqing Palace and Renshou Hall to Kunning Palace. However, when Zhu Di built Renshou Palace, it was not originally intended for an empress dowager, since he had no empress dowager to accommodate. The initially built Renshou Palace was for enshrining Buddhist images; Daxian Hall housed many Buddha statues handed down from the Yuan dynasty imperial palaces.
One of Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen’s final political achievements was abolishing the practice of forcing imperial consorts to die with the emperor. After Zhu Qizhen died, his Empress Qian became empress dowager and moved into Qingning Palace. Zhu Qizhen’s Noble Consort Zhou, the birth mother of the succeeding Chenghua Emperor Zhu Jianshen, was also honored as empress dowager by Zhu Jianshen and lived in Renshou Palace. To show equal respect for both his formal mother and birth mother, Zhu Jianshen gave Empress Qian the honorific title 'Ciyi Huang Tai Hou' (Kind and Righteous Empress Dowager); she became the first Ming empress dowager to receive an honorific title. Zhu Qizhen’s younger brother Zhu Qiyu, who briefly served as the Jingtai Emperor during the Tumu Crisis when Zhu Qizhen was captured, also had his Noble Consort Tang follow him in death. Ming Xianzong Zhu Jianshen’s Noble Consort Wan died before the emperor; shortly after her death, Zhu Jianshen also passed away. The Hongzhi Emperor Zhu Youcheng practiced monogamy and had no noble consorts. His wife, Empress Zhang, was honored as empress dowager by the Zhengde Emperor Zhu Houzhao and lived in Renshou Palace.
Zhu Houzhao had no sons. His cousin Zhu Houcong succeeded as the Jiajing Emperor, with no appointed noble consort. Jiajing arranged for his sister-in-law, Zhu Houzhao’s Empress Xia, to live in the Small Three Palaces behind Qingning Palace. But soon after, Qingning Palace caught fire. Jiajing moved Empress Xia and Zhu Houzhao’s consorts into Renshou Palace to live with Empress Dowager Zhang. After the fire, Qingning Palace was rebuilt, and Jiajing moved his own mother, Empress Dowager Jiang, into the newly built Qingning Palace. Strangely, just as Qingning Palace was completed, Renshou Palace went up in flames. Empress Dowager Zhang, along with Empress Xia, had to relocate elsewhere. The ruins of Renshou Palace lay idle for a decade; Jiajing deliberately chose not to rebuild it, so that his cousin’s mother, Empress Zhang, would not live as well as his own mother. In the 15th year of the Jiajing reign (1536), on the ruins of Renshou Palace, a new hall was erected—Cining Palace—and it was officially designated as the Palace of the Empress Dowager. From then on, Cining Palace became the exclusive residence for the previous emperor’s empress dowager. Completed in the 17th year of Jiajing, Empress Dowager Jiang, the emperor’s mother, moved in. Afterwards, Jiajing converted Qingning Palace into Ciqing Palace as the exclusive residence for the Grand Empress Dowager. When it was completed in the 19th year of Jiajing, Empress Dowager Zhang moved in. As it turned out, neither dowager enjoyed good fortune: Empress Dowager Jiang died within half a year of moving into Cining Palace; Empress Dowager Zhang also passed away just half a year after entering Ciqing Palace. Qingning Palace and the rebuilt Ciqing Palace no longer exist today; they were probably located in the area of what is now Ningshou Palace.
Jiajing’s son, Zhu Zaihou, ruled for only six years as the Longqing Emperor (Ming Muzong). He was a modest and amiable ruler who carried out some reforms and maintained stability along the borders. After his death, his second empress, Empress Chen, became empress dowager and resided in Ciqing Palace; the birth mother of Crown Prince Zhu Yijun, Consort Li, was also made empress dowager. When Zhu Yijun first came to the throne, he was still young—though not so young as to need diapering, he still had to be coaxed to sleep by his mother. So initially, Empress Dowager Li lived in Qianqing Palace to look after him. It was not until the sixth year of the Wanli reign (1578), after Zhu Yijun’s grand wedding, that Empress Dowager Li moved to Cining Palace. Empress Dowager Li was strict in discipline, but perhaps negligent in some way, as Zhu Yijun developed polio. Because he had difficulty walking, he rarely attended court, leading later historians to criticize him for neglecting state affairs. In hindsight, the disabled Zhu Yijun actually managed the Wanli reign rather well. Born of humble origins, to establish her authority, Empress Dowager Li claimed to be the incarnation of the Nine-Lotus Bodhisattva. She built a temple west of Beijing to venerate the Nine-Lotus Bodhisattva, called Cishou Temple, and within it a pagoda named Yong’an Shou Pagoda. The temple is gone now, but the pagoda remains—it’s the Linglong Pagoda on Linglong Road. I have a short piece about it: 'The Linglong Pagoda in the Linglong Temple on Linglong Road.' Empress Dowager Li also had a new pavilion built on a pond in the garden in front of Cining Palace, called Linxi Pavilion, claiming that nine lotus flowers bloomed in the pond.
When the Wanli Emperor died, his empress had already been gone for many years. Eventually, Noble Consort Zheng moved into Cining Palace, and during the Tianqi reign shifted to Renshou Palace, where she lived until her death in the Chongzhen period. She was buried in the Zheng Noble Consort Tomb, not far from the tomb of Noble Consort Wan, the largest independent consort tomb among the Ming Tombs. After the Wanli Emperor, the short-lived Taichang Emperor Zhu Changluo died in the 'Red Pills Case.' His original consort had died early, as had the biological mothers of the crown prince Zhu Youxiao (Consort Wang) and Zhu Youjian (Lady Liu). Zhu Youxiao ascended as the Tianqi Emperor. During the selection of ladies in the first year of Tianqi, the beautiful Zhang Yan was chosen and made empress. Zhu Youxiao had no sons; when he was critically ill, Empress Zhang strongly advocated passing the throne to his younger brother Zhu Youjian, thus thwarting a plot by Wei Zhongxian and Madam Ke to fabricate a crown prince and usurp power. After the Tianqi Emperor died, his Empress Zhang moved into Ciqing Palace. Zhu Youjian gained the throne as the Chongzhen Emperor, but ultimately lost the Ming dynasty. Before Chongzhen took his own life, besides eliminating the palace women, Empress Zhang also took her own life within the palace. After the Shunzhi Emperor entered Beijing, he had Empress Zhang interred in the Mingde Mausoleum of the Ming Xizong Zhu Youxiao.
The first Qing occupant of Cining Palace was Shunzhi’s mother, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. The Qing Taizong Hong Taiji’s central palace empress was Empress Xiaoduanwen, Zhe Zhe; his highest-ranking consort of the left was Consort Chen of Guanju Palace, Hailanzhu; Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was the secondary consort of the right, Consort Zhuang of Yongfu Palace. When Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang lived in Cining Palace, the front hall served as a ceremonial hall and was not used as living quarters. The rear hall was her sleeping palace, but later, during the Kangxi period, Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang converted it into a Grand Buddha Hall for worship. When her sleeping quarters were gone, she proposed moving into the narrow southeastern wing—only to have the Kangxi Emperor build a new sleeping palace for his grandmother outside the eastern wall, which made the empress dowager exclaim repeatedly, 'Excellent!' To the east of Cining Gate is a small gate; inside that gate is the outer sleeping palace that the Kangxi Emperor built for Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. It’s not open to the public now—the small gate shown in the image below, with two female photographers capturing it. Of course, Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang never used this little gate; she entered from Cining Palace using the main gate.
I lay flat on the ground and peered through the crack under the gate: it seems to be an office now.
After Xiaozhuang died, Kangxi decreed that this outer sleeping palace of Cining Palace be entirely dismantled and moved to her tomb at Qing Zhao Mausoleum as burial accompaniment. The rear hall of Cining Palace was turned into a Grand Buddha Hall, which naturally made it unsuitable for living. After Yongzheng died in the 13th year of his reign (1735), Qianlong began building Shoukang Palace to the west of Cining Palace for the empress dowager, while also further renovating Cining Palace. In the 36th year of Qianlong (1771), to celebrate his mother Empress Dowager Chongqing’s 80th birthday, Prince Hongli upgraded the main hall of Cining Palace from a single-eave hip-and-gable roof to double eaves—the form we see today. North of the rear hall of Cining Palace are the Western Three Institutes, which in the past served as a retirement home for former imperial consorts and are now the Forbidden City’s cultural relic restoration workshop.
Cining Palace is a place rich in stories. In early Ming, Zhu Di built Renshou Palace to house Buddhist statues passed down from the Yuan dynasty. Emperor Jiajing of the Ming founded Cining Palace as a residence for the empress dowager to vie for status for his mother, Empress Dowager Jiang. The mother of the Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun, Empress Dowager Li, moved from Qianqing Palace to Cining Palace and invented the theory of being the incarnation of the Nine-Lotus Bodhisattva to bolster her prestige. Qing Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang turned Cining Palace back into a Buddhist hall and moved into a small house outside the wall. Qianlong elevated Cining Palace by changing its single-eave roof to double eaves to celebrate his mother’s birthday, bringing the architectural status of Cining Palace to its peak. In the Qing dynasty, from the Qianlong reign onward, Shoukang Palace became the residence for former empresses, i.e., the Palace of the Empress Dowager.
Today, Cining Palace houses the Forbidden City’s Sculpture Gallery, displaying many Buddha statues, in keeping with Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang’s tradition of enshrining Buddhist images. However, the ceremonial furnishings of the empress dowager’s front hall are gone, including the precious throne. Let’s look at the Buddha statues—part of the Forbidden City collection.
Three stone sculptures: a central Buddha flanked by two attendant bodhisattvas. They date from the Northern Qi period, that is, the Northern Qi of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, around the 500s AD.
The plaque above reading 'Rende Dalong' (Vast Magnificence of Benevolent Virtue) is original, written by Empress Dowager Cixi, and was restored in 2016. The seals stamped on it are: in the center, 'Treasure of the Imperial Brush of Empress Dowager Cixi'; on the left, 'Peace, Benevolence, Magnanimity Accord with Heaven and Earth'; on the right, 'A Few Plum Blossoms Mark the Heart of Heaven and Earth.' This was a new set of three large sandalwood dragon-handled imperial seals made late in Cixi’s life, reserved for large-format plaques. This suggests the plaque was installed for the ceremony when Cixi was promoted to Grand Empress Dowager.
Wooden painted and gilded statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, Northern Song dynasty. This is a classic image of Guanyin in royal ease, typically placed behind the altar in the main hall of a Buddhist temple.
Sancai glazed ceramic arhat statue, made during the Chenghua reign of the Ming dynasty. On the back are characters recording the donor, sponsor, artisans, and date—a complete original inscription, quite rare. Look at the right hand gesture of the bodhisattva; it seems like a 'piu-piu'—extremely uncommon.
Stone statue of a fear-inspiring beast (weishou), Northern Qi. The weishou is a mythological creature described in the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas,' also known as an evil-dispelling beast (bixie). Legend says it can ward off calamity. It has horns on its head and wings on its shoulders. Ancient depictions vary widely.
The stone weishou above comes from the largest cave, Cave 9, of the Xiangtangshan Grottoes. I visited this cave in 2018 and wrote a travelogue: 'Riding Through Southern Hebei Between Winter and Spring.' Inside Cave 9, there remain some weishou statues that were not removed—at the lower ends of the stone pillars on either side of the Buddha niche, one on each side, identical to the one above.
Take a look at the stone weishou under the Panchen Lama Pagoda in the Yellow Temple (Huangsi) in Beijing. You can see my short piece 'Visiting Beijing’s Yellow Temple to Explore Three Hundred Years of Hidden Secrets.'
Let’s continue viewing the Buddhist sculptures displayed in Cining Palace. Painted wooden Guanyin head, Jin dynasty. The jewel on the forehead is missing.
Gilded bronze Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Guanyin, Five Dynasties period. Typically, a Thousand-Armed Guanyin has twenty arms on each side, each representing 25 hands, totaling one thousand. Guanyin manifests in six forms, known as the Six Guanyin. Different Buddhist schools identify different sets of Six Guanyin; the Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Guanyin is one of the Esoteric (Tantric) Six Guanyin.
Look at this painted agarwood carving of the Chandana Buddha. It was reverently crafted by the Imperial Workshop in the 55th year of the Qianlong reign (1790) and was originally housed in Yuqing Palace.
The Chandana Buddha is considered the world’s first Buddha image. According to the 'Sutra of Recompensing Kindness,' after attaining enlightenment, Shakyamuni Buddha ascended to heaven to repay his mother’s kindness and did not return for several months. King Udayana, a devout Buddhist, fell into deep longing for the Buddha and began to fall ill. He dispatched an arhat of great supernatural power to heaven with a piece of fragrant sandalwood (chandana), asking him to meet the Buddha and carve a likeness to bring back. In heaven, the arhat saw the Buddha standing on a single-layered lotus by the water, his right hand in the abhaya mudra (gesture of fearlessness) and left hand in the varada mudra (gesture of giving). The arhat carved the image accordingly; because the water’s ripples were reflected on the Buddha’s body, the statue was covered with wave patterns. This Chandana Buddha travelled eastward over centuries, eventually reaching China. It entered Bianjing (Kaifeng) in the Song dynasty, came to Beijing in the Yuan, was enshrined in Sheng’an Temple outside Xuanwu Gate in the Ming, and in the Qing rested in Hongren Temple near Beihai Park. Because the temple housed the Chandana Buddha, locals called it Chandana Temple. When the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, they burned down Hongren Temple, and the precious Chandana Buddha disappeared; it is unknown if it was destroyed or stolen. In China, all Buddha images with this iconography are called Chandana Buddha, and examples appear across different periods throughout the country. Chandana wood (white sandalwood) is a rare, aromatic material native to the Western Regions and seldom seen in the central plains. The massive single-block white sandalwood Buddha in the Wanfu Pavilion of Yonghe Temple is not a Chandana Buddha. The Qing Imperial Workshop copied several Chandana Buddhas based on the Western Regions prototype; one still exists in Yonghe Temple. The piece displayed here in Cining Palace is one of those Qing replicas. The statue has a high ushnisha with wavy hair patterns, sunken eye sockets, a high nose, and thin lips—Indo-European features with an early Gandhara style. However, its ear lobes are extraordinarily large, a Chinese mark of blessing.
Painted clay figure of Guan Yu, Ming dynasty. Chinese Buddhist temples often contain a hall dedicated to Guan Gong (Lord Guan), so his statue is also displayed in this Buddhist sculpture gallery.
The eastern and western side halls of Cining Palace each have a gate. On the east side, the Left Huiyin Gate leading to Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang’s sleeping quarters is not open; on the west side is the Right Huiyin Gate. The plaque over it is in three languages: Manchu, Mongolian, and Chinese, a style likely dating to the early Shunzhi period in the Qing. In the 13th year of Shunzhi, palace plaques were changed to bilingual Manchu-Chinese.
Standing on the platform of the Right Huiyin Gate, I took another look at the main hall of Cining Palace.
Exiting the Right Huiyin Gate, you arrive at a small square in front of Shoukang Palace. Across the square on the west side, there is no gate—only a western side chamber.
This is the main entrance to Shoukang Palace, west of Cining Palace. Facing the gate is a red brick spirit screen. Inside the gate stands a wooden screen wall; passing through it, you enter the first courtyard of Shoukang Palace. Directly ahead is the main hall, Shoukang Palace.
The main hall sits on a five-chi-high grey brick platform. It is five bays wide and three bays deep, with a dougong bracket structure supporting a yellow-glazed, single-eave hip-and-gable roof, decorated with seven ridge beasts. The front has a colonnaded porch, and the architraves are painted with dragon-and-phoenix hexi motifs. On the facade, the central and secondary bays are fitted with lattice doors, while the outer bays have balustrade-wicket windows—all featuring triple-cross, six-bowl lattice, a rank higher than Cining Palace. Only the central bay of the rear facade has a door. In front of the hall is a small white marble terrace; three flights of steps descend from the front, the central one with a carved marble ramp. Flanking the main hall are east and west side halls.
These side halls are three bays wide, with yellow-glazed single-eave flush-gable roofs and front colonnaded porches. South of the side halls are small side rooms; to the north, covered corridors lead to the rear courtyard. Let’s walk back to see the rear hall of Shoukang Palace.
The main hall and the rear hall share the same raised platform, just like Cining Palace. The rear hall is also five bays wide by three bays deep, with a yellow-glazed single-eave hip-and-gable roof and seven ridge beasts. It has a front colonnaded porch, and the central bay door is open. Behind the rear hall is another courtyard lined with a row of rear rooms, which are not open to visitors.
During the Kangxi period, Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang converted Cining Palace into a Buddhist hall. In the 13th year of Yongzheng, the emperor died and the new sovereign rose. At that time, Cining Palace was the former residence of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, and its external eastern sleeping palace had been removed to Qing Zhao Mausoleum. Additionally, Ningshou Palace, built by Kangxi for retired consorts, still housed several Kangxi consorts. Qianlong certainly could not let his mother live among those senior ladies. The new emperor Qianlong immediately planned to build a new Palace of the Empress Dowager west of Cining Palace—this very Shoukang Palace, which was completed in the very first year of his reign. The old lord himself named the new structure Shoukang Palace. 'Shoukang' derives from the 'Five Blessings' in the 'Book of Documents': 'The first is long life; the second, wealth; the third, health and peace of mind; the fourth, love of virtue; the fifth, a natural death.' Both the Southern Song and Northern Jin dynasties had palaces called Shoukang for the emperor’s parents. In recent years, because of the popularity of 'The Legend of Zhen Huan,' many visitors come to Shoukang Palace to see the palace where Zhen Huan supposedly lived. In reality, Zhen Huan is largely fictional and bears no resemblance to Qianlong’s mother, Consort Xi.
Once Qianlong’s mother Consort Xi was elevated to Empress Dowager Chongqing, she took up residence in Shoukang Palace. Cining Palace continued to serve as the ceremonial hall for the empress dowager’s grand rituals—rites of transfer of residence, investiture as empress dowager, awarding of honorific titles, etc. During the first and second years of Qianlong, memorials and New Year’s tributes were also presented at Cining Palace. From the third year of Qianlong, New Year’s celebrations shifted to Shoukang Palace. I suspect that earlier, the interior decorations and furnishings of the main hall at Shoukang Palace were not yet fully in place, and the young Qianlong, feeling that his mother was not yet comparable to Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, dared not let her reside in Cining Palace and only dared to temporarily hold ceremonies there.
Let’s see inside Shoukang Palace.
View the throne of the Empress Dowager from the front.
In the center is a raised platform with a nanmu screen and throne. This set of screen and throne was originally made by Qianlong for his mother Empress Dowager Chongqing’s 80th birthday and remained in place until the Tongzhi reign. When Shoukang Palace was restored to its original arrangement in recent years, it was retrieved from storage. Flanking the throne are the inevitable cloisonné enamel luduan and incense pavilions, with fans on either side. The plaque and couplet behind the throne reading 'Cishou Ningxi' (Benevolence, Longevity, and Congealed Blessing) were also composed by Qianlong for his mother’s 80th—though they are not the originals.
Look up at the dragon-and-phoenix hexi-painted coffered ceiling, the octagonal gilded coffer with a coiled dragon, its mouth holding the Xuanyuan mirror.
The two outer bays are partitioned into eastern and western warming rooms. See the huanghuali door hood (Pilu hat) over the door to the eastern warming room—extraordinarily ornate.
The photo I took above is of the door to the eastern warming room. Don’t just see it as an ordinary plank door; there’s a reason I photographed it. This eastern warming room served as Empress Dowager Chongqing’s private Buddhist chapel, custom-built, where she worshipped daily. The door is rarely opened; occasionally when it is, you can glimpse a gold pagoda inlaid with precious stones inside.
Ignore the pedestal—it’s not important. Look at the pagoda itself: it’s a classic Qing-style inverted-bowl Tibetan stupa, complete with every element—the hemispherical dome, the thirteen rings on the spire, the canopy, the crescent moon-and-jewel finial. Hanging from the canopy are tassels and streamers. Together with the pedestal, the entire pagoda is encrusted with various gemstones—luxurious, isn’t it? In the niche sits a seated Shakyamuni figure on a lotus throne. A secret is hidden behind the Buddha, invisible to ordinary viewers. It is said that behind the statue there is a small casket, and inside that casket are not Buddha relics, but a lock of hair. This hair does not belong to Empress Fucha nor to Consort Ling, but to Zhen Huan. After Empress Dowager Chongqing passed away, Qianlong ordered that all gold items in Shoukang Palace be melted down and quickly recast into this gold stupa for enshrinement here—Heshen contributed to the effort. This gold stupa has since been moved to an exhibition hall on the rites of the empress dowager in the west side hall of Shoukang Palace; you can see it in the section 'Deep Love Between Mother and Son.'
Now, let’s see the interior of the rear hall. It is divided into five rooms. The most striking is the large heated brick bed (kang) against the gable wall of the eastern-most room—truly imposing.
Even these relatively simple furnishings became overwhelming during Empress Dowager Chongqing’s decade birthdays—her 50th, 60th, 70th, and 80th. Qianlong would compose congratulatory birthday poems in his imperial hand, then have them inscribed on twelve-panel screens and displayed here. Those four sets of twelve-panel screens are all lost; only the drafts of Qianlong’s original poems are kept in the Forbidden City. The plaque and couplet 'Landian Yanxi' (Prolonging Blessing in the Orchid Hall) hanging in the eastern warming room are Qianlong’s original composition; judging from the handwriting, they seem somewhat perfunctory. The objects on the kang are mostly birthday gifts for his mother, paid for personally by Qianlong.
Let’s glimpse the western warming room.
The western warming room was Empress Dowager Chongqing’s bedroom. The furniture and accessories are for daily use, not all birthday presents. The most fascinating piece is next to the side table under the west gable wall in the inner room—there you can see a black lacquer painted with gold double-lozenge shaped incense stand. The fascination is not just because it’s beautiful—though it certainly is. This incense stand was also part of the empress dowager’s birthday furniture. There were only two pairs of double-lozenge incense stands in the entire palace; now only one of each pair remains, and this is one of them. After Empress Dowager Chongqing died, Qianlong gave away her old belongings as gifts. He once assembled over thirty incense stands to bestow on people like furong (princesses consort) and princesses, including these pairs. So why is this incense stand still inside the palace? Was there something the old lord couldn’t give away? Or perhaps a princess who received it thought it was a fake and returned it to her dad?
Most of the furnishings and small pieces in this rear hall are birthday gifts that Empress Dowager Chongqing received. They range widely—even the cushions and seat covers you see were presents, and some people even gave tablecloths.
After the Qianlong reign, during the Jiaqing period, Noble Consort Ying and Noble Consort Wan lived in Shoukang Palace; in the Daoguang period, it was Empress Dowager Xiaoherui, Jiaqing’s second empress; in the Xianfeng period, it was Empress Dowager Kangci, Daoguang’s Imperial Noble Consort Jing and Xianfeng’s adoptive mother. During the Tongzhi reign, the two dowagers Ci’an and Cixi ruled from behind the curtain and resided in the Yangxin Palace; after returning power to the throne, they both went back to their original palaces—Ci’an to Zhongcui Palace and Cixi to Changchun Palace—unwilling to leave the Six Palaces. Thereafter, Shoukang Palace stood empty. Cixi would later receive the honorific rites of Grand Empress Dowager in Cining Palace. In the Tongzhi reign, the interior furnishings of Shoukang Palace were removed.
The mistresses of Shoukang Palace were all widowed empresses. No matter how splendid their earlier years, once they moved into Shoukang Palace, they became, as Bai Juyi wrote: 'Women of Shangyang, women of Shangyang, your youthful beauty fades and white hairs appear,' living days where 'Orioles and swallows leave in silence; springs and autumns pass without counting the years.'
(To be continued)
