Plaque of the Hall of the Supreme Principle

Hall of the Supreme Principle (pinyin: Tàijí Diàn) is one of the Six Western Palaces of the Forbidden City, which used to be the residences of imperial concubines.[1] The palace is west of the Palace of Eternal Longevity, north of the Palace of Eternal Spring, and south of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. They are all found in Beijing, China.

History

The palace was built in 1420 and named "Palace of Endless Good Omens" (Chinese: 启祥宫; pinyin: Qǐxiáng Gōng) by the Jiajing Emperor in 1535. The palace was renamed as "Hall of Supreme Principle" in 1741. In 1860, Taiji hall was connected with Changchun Palace by converting its rear, Tiyuan hall, into an Opera stage with veranda, where Empress Dowager Cixi could watch Peking opera performances.

The Hall of the Supreme principle has five rooms, two side halls, and a rear hall. The Qixiang gate is equipped with a wooden screen, believed to protect the house from mischievous spirits. The main hall has a gabled roof covered with yellow glazed tiles like most palaces in Forbidden City.[2] The beams are decorated with Suzhou style paintings, golden dragons, and phoenixes. The walls are intricately decorated with medallions of phoenixes sitting on the mountain, untypically for other palaces.

Residents

Ming Dynasty

Year Emperor Imperial Consort Notes
1476-1522 Chenghua Empress Xiaohui She became Empress Dowager Shou'an[3] but didn't have her

own residence as empress dowager

1590 Wanli The palace became the emperor's temporal residence

because the 3 main palaces of the Inner Court burnt down.

1640-1642 Chongzhen Emperor Imperial Noble Consort Gongshu She moved out from Chengqian palace[4]

Qing Dynasty

Year Emperor Imperial Consort Notes
1861-1874 Xianfeng/Tongzhi Empress Dowager Cixi She was also living in Changchun palace as a regent of the Tongzhi Emperor
1872-1924 Tongzhi Imperial Noble Consort Xianzhe She followed Puyi, who was forced to leave the Forbidden City
1908-1913 Guangxu Empress Dowager Longyu She moved out from Zhongcui palace[5]

References

  1. ↑ 魏/Wei, 莉/Li (2004). 从北京故宫到避暑山庄/"A review of the Forbidden city in Peking". 山东画报出版社/Shandong Typography. p. 42.
  2. ↑ "清朝宫廷陈设欣赏,明清古典家具,红木家具,家具历史,家具文化_历史传承_中华古典家具网". www.cfucn.com. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  3. ↑ "香艷叢書"十六集卷四 /"The stories of Beauties", book 16, volume 4.
  4. ↑ "田贵妃犯了大忌-生活日报数字报". paper.dzwww.com. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  5. ↑ "Hall of the Supreme Principle (Taiji dian)|The Palace Museum". en.dpm.org.cn. Retrieved 2020-08-19.

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