Where is the Hall of Supreme Harmony?

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, commonly known as the Golden Throne Hall, is a palace building of the Forbidden City in Beijing in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, one of the three largest halls in the East, and the largest existing wooden hall in China. It is located in a prominent position on the north-south main axis of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

In the 18th year of Yongle in Ming Dynasty (1420), the Fengtian Hall in Nanjing Forbidden City was built in imitation of it, and it was called Fengtian Hall. In the forty-first year of Jiajing in Ming Dynasty (1562), it was renamed as Neiting, and in the second year of Shunzhi in Qing Dynasty (1645), it was renamed as today.

After the completion of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, it was burned and rebuilt many times. This temple was rebuilt in the thirty-fourth year of Kangxi in Qing Dynasty (1695).

It carries the roof of the double-eaved palace, sits on three white marble steps, and uses golden dragons and seals to paint. There are as many fairy beasts on the roof as 1 1, and the bays of 1 1 all adopt the highest shape.

It is 64 meters long and 37 meters wide, with a building area of 2377.00㎡ and a height of 26.92 meters. Together with the abutment, it is 35.05 meters high and is one of the largest existing wooden structures in China. The plaque "Jianji Sui Yu" in the Hall of Supreme Harmony is the imperial pen of Emperor Qianlong, and the existing plaque is a replica.

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Historical function

Nowadays, many people think that the Hall of Supreme Harmony is usually used to go to court, but it is not. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is actually a place where important ceremonies are held, and it is rarely used in fact. The main places where the Ming and Qing emperors went to court were Taihe Gate, Gan Qing Gate (for the Imperial Gate to listen to politics), Gan Qing Palace (where the emperor summoned ministers when there were important events or things) and hall of mental cultivation (for the late Qing Dynasty to listen to politics), which was not the usual Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Twenty-four emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties held grand ceremonies in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, such as the emperor's accession to the throne, the emperor's wedding, the appointment of the queen, and ordering the expedition. In addition, every year, the emperor receives congratulations from officials of civil and military affairs and fetes princes and ministers.

In the early Qing Dynasty, the Jinshi exam was also held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Since the fifty-fourth year of Qianlong (1789), it has been held in Baohe Hall, and Biography is still held in Taihe Hall. Regarding the position of the emperor's court, it is actually not in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Throughout the Ming and Qing Dynasties, emperors usually took part in court activities at Taihe Gate and Gan Qing Gate, which is called Imperial Gate.

When there is something urgent or important, the emperor called ministers in Gan Qing Palace. In the late Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi listened to politics, so the place where she went to court became hall of mental cultivation.