Mention the Imperial Palace, and most people, Chinese and foreign alike, immediately think of the Forbidden City in Beijing. But there is an Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty in Shenyang, a mini version of its Beijing counterpart. And China’s longest-running dynasty got started here.
The Shenyang Palace Museum covers an area of about 11 standard football fields. It was the home of dynasty founder Nurhaci (1559-1626) and his son Huangtaiji (1592-1643) before the Qing army conquered the Central Plains. It was also here that Emperor Shunzhi (1638-1661) was born and took the throne at the age of 6. He later relocated the capital to Beijing after the Ming Dynasty was overthrown in 1644.
Early construction of the Shenyang Palace Museum began in 1625, after Nurhaci moved the capital from Hetu Ala, today’s Xinbin County in Liaoning, to Shenyang. More structures were added during the reign of Huangtaiji, who officially changed the name of the dynasty to Qing in 1636 when the palace was completed. The whole complex of 114 historical buildings and more than 500 rooms was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
The Shenyang Palace Museum is a small but fascinating facsimile of the Forbidden City in Beijing, which is 12 times larger with over 9,000 rooms. However, Manchu culture is the centerpiece here.
One distinct difference lies in the roof style. In Beijing, the glazed tiles are all golden, showing the higher status of the imperial court. In Shenyang, however, golden roof tiles are edged with green, meaning the site’s inferior status to its Beijing counterpart.
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