In the Qing Dynasty, it was the place where emperors, sitting on the throne
set in the middle of the gate, heard reports and made decisions. The huts
standing left and right are duty rooms and waiting rooms for ministers waiting
for interviews, etc.
Outside of the gate, against the red wall are ten gilded bronze vats,
shining. The huge vats are decorations and reservoirs in case of fire. Every one
of these vats weighs 4 tons itself and can hold 4 tons water. There are totally
308 vats in the whole palace, including 22 of this kind.
Qianqinggong (Palace of Celestial Purity)
Inside Qianqingmen (Gate of Celestial Palace), you will see Qianqinggong (the
Palace of Celestial Purity), which used to be the bedroom palace of emperors.
The Palace of Celestial Purity is the smaller twin of the Hall of Supreme
Harmony. Every item similar with that of the Hall of Supreme Harmony is smaller
than the latter. However, it is the largest structure in the Inner Court since
it is superior to any other structures in the Inner Court. It was built in 1420
and rebuilt in 1798. Ming emperors and the first two Qing emperors live inside
the palace and attended to daily state affairs. They also read, signed
documents, interviewed ministers and envoys. Banquets and rites occasionally
would be held here too. In 1722 and 1785, Banquet for A Thousand Seniors was
held here twice. Old men over 60 from the nation presented the events.
Moreover, in the Qing Dynasty, no matter where the emperor died, his coffin
should be set in the palace for a few days to hold memorial ceremonies. Later
the coffin would be moved to Jingshan, and then buried in the mausoleum on a
selected day.
In the middle of the palace, the throne is seated on stairs, surrounded by
decorations like cloisonne incense burners, long red candles, and big mirrors,
which were placed beside the throne to ward off evil spirits. On the columns
surrounding, there are two pairs of couplets written by Qing emperors. Over the
throne hangs a plaque engraved with four Chinese characters, which were written
by Emperor Yongzheng and means Justice and Brightness. From Emperor Yongzheng,
crown princes' name would be written on duplicate documents and a copy would be
hidden in a box behind the plaque. The other copy would be carried by the
emperor. If the designated names on the two copies were the same, the designated
prince would take the crown.