The English word "palace" is used to translate the Chinese word хоо . This character represents two rooms connected , under a roof . Originally the character applied to any residence or mansion, but starting with the Qin Dynasty it was used only for the residence of the emperor and members of the imperial family.
Chinese palaces are different from post-Renaissance European palaces because they do not consist of a single building only. Instead, Chinese palaces are huge spaces surrounded by one or more walls and moats and containing large separated halls for ceremonies and official business, as well as smaller buildings, temples, towers, residences, galleries, courtyards, gardens, and outbuildings, more like the or Carolingian ''palatium.''
Main imperial palaces, in chronological order
*Xianyang Palace , in Xianyang , now 15 km/9 miles east of modern Xianyang, Shaanxi province: this was the royal palace of the state of Qin before the Chinese unification, and then the palace of the when China was unified. Burnt down by Xiang Yu after the fall of the Qin Dynasty.
*Epang Palace , 20 km/12 miles south of Xianyang , now 15 km/9 miles west of Xi'an , Shaanxi province: the fabulous imperial palace built by the First Emperor in replacement of Xianyang Palace. Traditionally said to be burnt down by Xiang Yu, but may not have been completed at the fall of the Qin Dynasty.
*Weiyang Palace , in Chang'an , now 7km/4 miles northeast of downtown Xi'an , Shaanxi province: imperial palace of the prestigious Western Han Dynasty for two centuries. This is the largest palace ever built on Earth, covering 4.8 km? , which is 6.7 times the size of the current Forbidden City, or 11 times the size of the Vatican City. Used after the Han Dynasty, rebuilt in the Tang Dynasty.
*Southern Palace and Northern Palace , in Luoyang , Henan province: imperial palaces of the Eastern Han Dynasty for two centuries, the Southern Palace being used for court hearings and audiences, the Northern Palace being the private residence of the emperor and his concubines. Demolished by Dong Zhuo at the end of the Han Dynasty.
*Taiji Palace , also known as the Western Apartments , in Chang'an , now downtown Xi'an , Shaanxi province: imperial palace during the Sui Dynasty and in the beginning of the Tang Dynasty . Area: 4.2 km? , imperial section proper: 1.92 km? .
*Daming Palace , also known as the Eastern Apartments , in Chang'an , now downtown Xi'an , Shaanxi province: imperial palace of the Tang Dynasty after A.D. 663 , but the prestigious Taiji Palace remained used for major state ceremonies such as coronations. Area: 3.11 km? .
*Kaifeng Imperial Palace , in Dongjing , now called Kaifeng , Henan province: imperial palace of the Northern Song Dynasty.
*Hangzhou Imperial Palace , in Lin'an , now called Hangzhou , Zhejiang province: imperial palace of the Southern Song Dynasty.
*Ming Imperial Palace , in Nanjing , Jiangsu province: imperial palace of the Ming Dynasty until 1421. Used as a source of stone and gradually demolished in the Qing Dynasty and by the .
*Forbidden City , now known in China as the Beijing Gugong , in Beijing : imperial palace of the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty from 1421 until 1924. Area: 720,000 m? .
Other Places
Apart from the main imperial palace, Chinese dynasties also had several other imperial palaces in the capital city where the empress, crown prince, or other members of the imperial family dwelled. There also existed palaces outside of the capital city called "away palaces" where the emperors resided when traveling.
Imperial Gardens
The habit also developed of building garden estates in the countryside surrounding the capital city, where the emperors retired at times to get away from the rigid etiquette of the imperial palace, or simply to escape from the summer heat inside their capital. This practice reached a zenith with the Qing Dynasty, whose emperors built the fabulous Imperial Gardens , now known in China as the Gardens of Perfect Brightness , and better known in English as the Old Summer Palace. The emperors of the Qing Dynasty resided and worked in the Imperial Gardens, 8km/5 miles outside of the walls of Beijing, the Forbidden City inside Beijing being used only for formal ceremonies.
These gardens were made up of three gardens: the Garden of Perfect Brightness proper, the Garden of Eternal Spring , and the Elegant Spring Garden ; they covered a huge area of 3.5 km? , almost 5 times the size of the Forbidden City, and 8 times the size of the Vatican City. comprising hundreds of halls, pavilions, temples, galleries, gardens, lakes, etc. Several famous landscapes of southern China had been reproduced in the Imperial Gardens, hundreds of invaluable Chinese art masterpieces and antiquities were stored in the halls, making the Imperial Gardens one of the largest museum in the world. Some unique copies of literary work and compilations were also stored inside the Imperial Gardens.
In 1860, during the Second Opium War, the and expeditionary forces looted the Old Summer Palace. Then on October 18, 1860, in order to "punish" the imperial court, which had refused to allow Western embassies inside Beijing, the British general - with protestations from the French - purposely ordered the torching of this massive complex which burned to the ground. It took 3500 British troops to set the entire place ablaze and took three whole days to burn. The burning of the Gardens of Perfect Brightness is still a very sensitive issue in China today.
Following this cultural catastrophe, the imperial court was forced to relocate to the old and austere Forbidden City where it stayed until 1924, when the was expelled by a republican army.
Summer Palace
Empress dowager Cixi built the Summer Palace or Yiheyuan near the Old Summer Palace, but on a much smaller scale than the Old Summer Palace.
More Palaces
Some other palaces include:
* Mukden Palace in Shengyang
* Mountain Resort at Chengde
* Zhaigong, Temple of Heaven in Beijing
The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet was used by the Dalai Lama.
Recently, Chinese archaeologists have announced that they have found the ruins of an ancient Chinese palace in Dadiwan.
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