Palace of Eternal Longevity in the Forbidden City

The Palace of Eternal Longevity in the Forbidden City was the very place where the mother of Emperor Hongzhi died suddenly and mysteriously. In the Qing dynasty, due to the Palace’s close distance to the Pal- ace of Benevolent Tranquility and the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Palace was often used to give banquets. For example, when Emperor Qianlong’s favorite daughter Princess Hexiao got married, imperial banquet was given and court music was played there. The emperors in ancient China had numerous consorts, and there was a saying of “three palaces, six courtyards and 72 concubines”. However, the number of Ming and Qining concubines did not reach this amount, e.g. Emperor Kangxi (r. 1662-17:?) had 55 concubines. By the time of the Guangxu period(1875-1908), the Emperor had only one empress and two concubines.

As the Inner Court was the residence of imperial consorts and the place to give birth to princes and princesses, the plaques of palaces and gates in it have something to do with how to be a dutiful wife and good mother. The examples are the Palace of Obeying the Heaven, the Palace of Assisting the Earth, the Gate of Thousand Babies, the Gate of Hundred Sons, etc.

Relevant attractions in the Forbidden City

Palace of Concentrated Beauty
Hall of Manifesting Harmony
Palace of Assisting the Earth
Palace of Everlasting Spring
Hall of Ultimate Supremacy
Palace of Eternal Longevity
Palace of Universal Happiness