Monday, May 5, 2008Beijing
The Inner Court consists of three halls, from south to north, as I walk through them:
The Palace of Heavenly Purity comes first, and is where the Emperor lived. As representative of Yang and the Heavens, this was the single most important hall in the Inner Court.
The Palace of Earthly Tranquility comes last, at the north end of the trio, and was the home of the Empress, who represented Yang and the Earth.
The small building in the middle, The Hall of Union, is just what it sounds like—the place Yin and Yang would meet to produce harmony (intricate carvings on the exterior feature the Imperial Dragon and the Phoenix, symbolizing the Emperor and Empress) . Today, the twenty-five Imperial Seals of the Qing Dynasty are stored, along with other ceremonial items and the official palace clocks.
Compared to the three halls in the Outer Court, the three Inner Court halls are much smaller, but make no mistake—they’re large and grand by anyone’s standards.
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