The middle of the three outer halls, the Hall of Union was the place for the empress to receive greetings from her high-ranking subjects during major festivals. It contains a clepsydra – a water clock made in 1745 with five bronze vessels and a calibrated scale. The hall also has a mechanical clock built in 1797 and a collection of imperial jade seals on display.
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Nearby attractions
1. Palace of Earthly Tranquillity
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This palace was originally the residence of the empress, and in later times became the imperial couple’s bridal chamber (they only spent the first two…
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This hall was the principal residence of the emperor in the Ming and early Qing dynasties, where the son of heaven slept and worked. Later in the Qing…
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Enclosed by 3.5km of citadel walls at the very heart of Beijing, the Unesco-listed Forbidden City is China’s largest and best-preserved collection of…
0.06 MILES
At the northern end of the Forbidden City is the Imperial Garden, where emperors and their consorts could retreat to read, relax, sip tea and stroll among…
5. Palace of Eternal Longevity
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One of the six western palaces in the Forbidden City, this was the residence of various empresses and imperial concubines. The Chongzhen Emperor (1628…
6. Palace of Great Benevolence
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One of the six eastern palaces in the Forbidden City, this was a residence of imperial concubines. Emperor Kangxi, most exalted of the Qing emperors (or…
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One of the six eastern palaces, this dates from 1420, and was used as a residence of imperial concubines. Today it houses a museum displaying a range of…
8. Palace of Gathered Elegance
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This hall contains interesting photos of the last emperor Puyi, who lived here as a child ruler at the turn of the 20th century. Empress Dowager Cixi also…