THE FORBIDDEN CITY, Palace Of Heavenly Purity

It’s now time to visit the Inner Court.

The Gate of Heavenly Purity leads into the palace of the same name. It’s a smaller version of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and since it was regarded as inferior, everything inside is smaller, although similar to the features in the other building. The palace is nonetheless the largest in the Inner Court.

The Palace of Heavenly Purity was built in 1420 and rebuilt in 1798 after a fire. It was the emperor’s main residence, and contained the administrative offices. As well as hosting several ceremonies in the inner court, this was the only palace foreigners were allowed to enter, because it was here that the emperor received diplomatic missions.

During the Qing dynasty, the palace also accommodated the emperor’s coffin during commemorative ceremonies, after which it was buried in the imperial mausoleum in Jingshan Park.

As you can see, the palace features a brass pavilion gilded on both sides. The left side was said to represent territorial integrity, while the right represented abundance and the harvest....