Palace of Heavenly Purity

Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qian Qing Gong), one of three imperial harems, is the main hall of the imperial palace in Beijing Forbidden City. It is the place for the residence and the day-to-day public affairs of Ming and Qing emperors in the Forbidden City. It is the first of the three imperial harems, locate inside the Gate of Celestial Purity. "Qian" means "Heaven", and "Qing" means "Purity"; the name of this palace means: lucid sky - a symbol of national stability, also a symbol of the emperor's clear and magnanimous behaviour.

Structure
Palace of Heavenly Purity has double eaves, hip roof, yellow glazed tiles, located above the single-layer white marble pedestal, covering an area of 1400 square meters. There are 9 spinal animals on the eaves angle, decorated with golden dragons pattern. The palace was paved with gold brick. In the spacious front of the palace, on both side of the platform, there are copper turtle, the copper crane, sundial, grain measure, 4 gilding incense burners.

History
Palace of Heavenly Purity was first built in the Ming Dynasty Yongle 18 Year (1420), and suffered several times burned and reconstruction during Ming and Qing dynasties. The existing building was built in the Qing Dynasty Jiaqing 3 Year (1798).

As the resting place of the Ming Dynasty emperor, since Yongle Emperor Zhu Di to Emperor Zhu Youjian, a total of 14 emperors lived here. During Qing Dynasty, in Emperor Shunzhi and Emperor Kangxi period, the palace was pretty close with government affairs. The emperor read and studied here, read over documents, summoned officials, met with foreign diplomats and held the inner court ceremony and family dinner. Since the Yongzheng Emperor migrated to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, this palace was regarded as an important place for emperor to summon courtier, deal with day-to-day government affairs, hold banquet, etc. Daily offices, including the Prince of reading on the study, also moved to the veranda room around the Palace of Heavenly Purity, greatly enhance the use of the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

Above the throne of the main hall of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, there is hanging a horizontal inscribed board written "Zheng Da Guang Ming" by the Qing Dynasty Emperor Shunzhi which means frank and righteous. Behind the board, there is a small box which is the place for hiding the posthumous edict of former emperor. At that time, the strife openly and secretly between prices for seizing the throne was quite intense. In order to ease the conflict, since the Emperor Yongzheng, the box for the posthumous edict of former emperor appeared. That is, the emperor would not announce the crown prince to the public before his death, instead, he would write down the name of the successor of the throne and put it into the small box behind the board. After the emperor's death, the assisting ministers would take down the secret imperial edict and then declare it to the world.

Family Feast in Palace of Heavenly Purity
New Year's Eve is a traditional Chinese reunion day and ordinary people should have dinner on this day, which is the same to the Qing emperors. Along with the queen and all the concubines, they would also gather together in Palace of Heavenly Purity to hold a private banquet on the New Year's Eve. As they usually had dinner separately, with respect to the common people, family feast in Palace of Heavenly Purity had more special significance of reunion.