The Hall of Martial Valor (Wuying Dian)

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Hall of Martial Valor was where the emperor summoned ministers and practiced abstinence before sacrificial ceremonies.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng, a peasant rebel leader, captured the Forbidden City and ascended the throne at the Hall of Martial Valor. However, he was forced to retreat from Beijing the next day.

In the early Qing Dynasty, the hall became the place where Regent Dorgon handled government affairs. In 1669, Emperor Kangxi lived here for a short time when his dwelling palace was under maintenance.

In 1680, the Qing court set up an office responsible for compiling and publishing books at the Hall of Martial Valor. From then on, it served as a royal publishing house, and many official books were collated and printed here, known as "palace editions".

Many of the palace editions were printed in movable types, with exquisite craftsmanship and design. Emperor Kangxi displayed the books in his study or gave them as gifts to his ministers.

After the abdication of the last emperor Puyi, the government of the Republic of China (1912-1949) established an antiquities exhibition hall in 1914, and the Hall of Martial Valor became a showroom for royal treasures from Shenyang, Chengde, and other places.

The Hall of Martial Valor now serves as the ceramics gallery in the Palace Museum to display porcelain masterpieces from various eras, showcasing the long history and brilliant ceramic culture of China as a key porcelain producer globally.

武英殿

明初，武英殿是皇帝召見大臣及參加祭祀前齋戒居住的場所。明末農民軍領袖李自成攻入紫禁城后，在武英殿登基，但第二天便被迫撤出北京。清初，武英殿成為攝政王多爾袞處理政務的場所。康熙八年（1669），因皇帝寢宮維修，康熙皇帝也曾在此短暫居住。

康熙十九年（1680），清廷在武英殿設立“修書處”。此后，這里作為皇家出版所，大量官方圖書在此校勘、印裝，稱“殿本”。殿本圖書不少采用活字印刷，工藝精湛，版式考究。皇帝將圖書陳設于書房，或作為禮物賞賜大臣。末代皇帝溥儀退位后，民國政府于1914年成立古物陳列所，武英殿成為陳列室，展示來自沈陽、承德等處的宮廷珍寶。

武英殿現為陶瓷館，常年展出歷代陶瓷精品文物，呈現中國作為瓷器大國的悠久歷史和傳承不斷的陶瓷文化。