the Palace of Earthly Tranquility (Kunninggong) is part of Beijing , Ancient Inner City , Ancient Imperial City (Beijing) , Forbidden City .

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forbidden city - those curious eyes
Made by Cåsver
Kunning Hall, Forbidden City, Beijing. 北京故宫 坤宁宫 The Forbidden City, or the Former Palace in Mandarin, was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For five centuries it served as the home of the emperors of China. Built from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings with 8,707 rooms and covers a total of 720,000 m2 (7,800,000 sq ft). The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. The Forbidden City is surrounded by a 7.9m high city wall and a 6m deep, 52m wide moat. The wall is pierced by a gate on each side. At the southern end is the main Meridian Gate. To the north is the Gate of Divine Might, which faces Jingshan Park. The east and west gates are called the East Glorious Gate and West Glorious Gate. At the four corners of the wall sit towers with intricate roofs boasting 72 ridges, reproducing the Pavilion of Prince Teng and the Yellow Crane Pavilion as they appeared in Song Dynasty paintings. These towers are the most visible parts of the palace to commoners outside the walls, and much folklore is attached to them. According to one legend, artisans could not put a corner tower back together after it was dismantled for renovations in the early Qing Dynasty. Traditionally, the Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The Outer Court or Front Court is the southern sections, and was used for political and ceremonial purposes. The Inner Court or Back Palace is the northern sections, and was the residence of the Emperor and his family.


Palace of Earthly Tranquility
Made by Bernt Rostad
The Palace of Earthly Tranquility, also known as the Hall of Earthly Peace, was the residence of the Empress inside the Forbidden City. The Palace of Earthly Tranquility is a double-eaved building, 9 bays wide and 3 bays deep. In the Qing Dynasty, large portions of the Palace were converted for Shamanist worship by the new Manchu rulers. Thus, the front part of the hall featured shrines, icons, prayer mats, and a large kitchen where sacrificial meat was prepared.


Hall of Union
Made by Bernt Rostad
The Hall of Union stands between the Palace of Heavenly Purity and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility in the centre of the Inner Court of the palace complex of the Forbidden City. Stored here are the twenty-five Imperial Seals of the Qing Dynasty, as well as other ceremonial items, including the clocks that set the official time in the palace (first a water clock, later a mechanical clock, both still displayed in the hall.


Incense Burner
Made by f0rbe5
Enormous incense burner in the Forbidden City. There was clearly a great need for incense burners - there was a large variety of them and they were all on a very large scale indeed. I suspect that this was not all based on the status of the Emperor and was partially based on how smelly a city without a sewage system could get, particularly in the hot, humid summer.


Forbidden City - Entrance
Made by f0rbe5
View of the third gateway building within the Forbidden City in Beijing. Taken from the second gateway building, having entered the City from Tienanmen Square through the first gateway which is behind me. It is certainly architecture on a grand scale and must have really impressed visiting dignitaries over the years.


Inner Sanctum Entrance
Made by f0rbe5
An entrance into the inner sanctums of the Forbidden City, Beijing. Note the bronze lions guarding the entrance. Detail of one of them can be seen in the next photo on this stream. The guy with the megaphone was our guide for the day.


Guarding the Emperor
Made by f0rbe5
Seen on a roof in the Forbidden City, this range of deities is intended to prevent demons descending on the roofs and then threatening the occupants. Quite a menagerie and I'm glad they're not flesh and blood!


Emperor's 囍 Bridal Chamber
Made by Tolka Rover
If I remember correctly, this is the room where the Emperor consumated marriage to his wives. Notice the 囍 double-happiness character, still associated with weddings in Chinese culture. [DSC_8939]


China_014
Made by mikemannion_ie
A gilded bronze lion in front of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity. When bronze lions are in front of a residence, they signify the occupant is an official.


Entrance Ceiling, Forbidden City
Made by f0rbe5
Looking up at the ceiling during our passage through one of the multitude of entrance buildings on the route into the Forbidden City. Very ornate and colourful.


A heating Vent
Made by Mark Griffith
Heat was provided to some buildings by burning a fire in a remote locaiton and then piping the hot air under the buildings to vent inside.


Inside the Forbidden City
Made by Bernt Rostad
Tourists in the Forbidden City flocking to the Hall of Union, on the left, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility on the right.


China tour '07 0233 (Beijing - Forbidden City - Palace of Earthly Tranquility)
Made by crazybluepanda
There's a story behind these little things on the roofs, but I don't remember. I think they're should be 7 or so of them.


Bronze Lion
Made by f0rbe5
One of a pair guarding an entrance in the Forbidden City. See the previous photo in this stream for context.


P1010291
Made by MikeTnT
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty


GLP Day 8 (May 10)
Made by onalius
GLP visits the Wonder Dairy Milk Farm, the Tinamen Square, the Forbidden City and Imperial Palace.


Palace of Earthly Tranquility
Made by Bernt Rostad
Information at the wall of the Palace or Hall of Earthly Tranquility in the Forbidden City.


China tour '07 0239 (Beijing - Forbidden City - Palace of Earthly Tranquility)
Made by crazybluepanda
One of the few chances of taking a picture in the Forbidden City without people around you.


Royal Ceiling
Made by TandooriCheckin
Details from a roof inside one of the many halls within the Forbidden City.


Dachreiter
Made by sQuadrat
D5000_DSC_3511 aufgenommen mit dem Silhouettenprogramm der Nikon D5000