Palace of Heavenly Purity - Qianqinggong of Forbidden City

Palace of Heavenly purity, also called Qianqinggong is the first building in front of you when you enter the inner court of Forbidden City.

Discover the architecture and display
In front of the Palace of Heavenly purity, there is a small miniature pavilion on each side. One is called Jiangshan pavilion. Representing territorial integrity; the other is Sheji Temple, the God of Land and Grain, Symbolizing a bumper harvest.

In the main hall, there hangs a plaque with the inscription written by the first Qing emperor Shunzhi (reigned 16414-1661), which reads: "Be open and aboveboard". Starting from Qing emperor Yongzheng, the name of the successor to the throne was no longer announced publicly for the reason of security. Instead, the emperor wrote the name on a piece of paper, had it placed in a small box and had the box stored behind this plaque. The box would not be opened until the emperor passed away.

Announcing the function of this hall
The Palace of Heavenly purity was the palace where the emperors used to live and handle daily affairs in the Ming and early Qing dynasties.