The Palace of Earthly Tranquility (Kunning Gong)

The Palace of Earthly Tranquility was built in the early Ming Dynasty as the empress' dwelling palace. After reconstruction in the early Qing Dynasty, the eastern side of the palace served as the bridal chamber on the emperor's wedding day, and the western side was used to worship deities.

Kangxi, Tongzhi, and Guangxu, three Qing-dynasty emperors who ascended the throne at an early age, all made the Palace of Earthly Tranquility their nuptial chamber, as did Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty.

Today, the chamber retains the furnishings from when it served as the nuptial chamber for Emperor Guangxu. With red as the main tone, the quilt on the bed is embroidered with the image of a hundred children playing, and the mattress is embroidered with the auspicious patterns of dragons and phoenixes. There is a treasure bottle in the middle of the bed, which contains gold, silver, pearls and other treasures, symbolizing a prosperous country, a peaceful life for the people, and fertile offspring.

The western chamber of the Palace of Earthly Tranquility was a major place for shamanic sacrifices during the Qing Dynasty. Every morning and evening, sacrificial ceremonies were held here, accompanied by chanting of sacred songs and instrumental music.

During a sacrificial ceremony, the emperor only ate boiled pork without any seasoning, and he would also reward princes and ministers with the meat, but few liked to eat such bland and tasteless food.

Unlike other buildings on the central axis of the Forbidden City, the door of the Palace of Earthly Tranquility is not in the middle, but slightly to the east for the sake of shamanistic sacrifices. The palace also features mullioned hanging windows, showing a distinctive architectural style fusing Manchu and Han elements.

坤寧宮外景

Outside the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.

坤寧宮

坤寧宮始建于明代初年，為皇后寢宮。清代初年改建后，東側為皇帝大婚的洞房，西側為祭神場所。

康熙、同治、光緒三位幼年登基的皇帝，大婚洞房即在坤寧宮，末代皇帝溥儀的婚禮洞房也在這里。如今洞房按光緒皇帝大婚場景布置，紅色基調，喜床上的被子繡百子圖，褥子繡龍鳳雙喜，床正中放有寶瓶，瓶內盛裝金、銀、珍珠等物，寓意國泰民安、多子多孫。

坤寧宮西間，是薩滿教祭祀的重要場所。每天早晚都有祭祀，不僅有誦神歌，還有樂器伴奏。祭祀時食用僅以白水煮制的豬肉，皇帝還會將肉分賜給王公大臣，但不少人并不喜食這樣寡淡無味的食物。

不同于紫禁城中軸線上的其他建筑，為薩滿祭祀考慮，坤寧宮的門并不居中，而是偏東，窗戶采用直欞吊搭式窗，體現出明顯的滿漢融合建筑風格。