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Palace of Earthly Tranquility

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Palace of Earthly Tranquility (Kunning Palace), the internal construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing, is one of the queen's palace. Since Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty, Kunning palace was nominal main palace, but the actual use was the shamanic's ritual spaces and the emperor's wedding bridal chamber. Palace of Heavenly Purity represents masculine gender, and Kunning palace represents feminine gender, combining them means combination of masculine and feminine.

History
Palace of Earthly Tranquility, was built in the Ming Dynasty Yongle 18 Year (1420), destroyed by fire twice in 1514 and 1596, reconstructed in 1605. It experienced two-time rebuilt in 1645 and in 1655. It was again destroyed by fire in Jiaqing 2 Year (1797), and then again was rebuilt in Jiaqing 3 Year (1798). Though through several times damage, it now still remains its most original layout.

Structure
During Qing Dynasty Emperor Shunzhi 10 Year (1656), the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, was reconstructed modeled the shaman ritual pattern of Shenyang Qing Forbidden City. There appears to be 9 rooms in the palace; the main entrance is not centered but inclined to east side; the partition door is boarded door; the windows are hanging windows. Both the ends of the eastern and western have passageways; the east room is the emperor's wedding bridal chamber room and the west is place for sacrificing the god.

Inside the Bridal Chamber Room, there is a dragon and phoenix wedding bed, decorations like palace lanterns written Chinese characters "Xi" which means happiness in a wedding.

The western part of the Kunning Palace ritual area has a variety of design. Three dedicated ritual boiled pork, steamed puddings cauldrons are located near the north wall of windows. In the Qing Dynasty, the ritual activities were hold throughout the year in the Forbidden City. Every day, there was so-called morning sacrifice and evening sacrifice; each lunar first day and the 15th day of the month there would be a great sacrifice; each New Year's Day, mid-spring there would be a great sacrifice. In a great sacrifice, the emperor and the queen would personally participate in.

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