Chinese palace

A Chinese palace is a grand imperial complex where the court, government offices, royal gardens, and defensive areas were all located. These palaces are very large and have many detailed buildings. The Chinese word for palace, Gong, shows two connected rooms under one roof. At first, this word was used for any big home, but later it only meant the home of the emperor, starting from the Qin dynasty in the 3rd century BC.

A traditional Chinese palace has many buildings set inside big walls and moats. It includes large halls for special events and official work, as well as smaller buildings such as temples, towers, homes, walkways, gardens, and other helpful buildings.

The biggest palace ever built in the world was the Weiyang Palace, made by the Western Han dynasty for the Emperor Gaozu. Today, the largest palace that still exists is the Forbidden City, which was built by the Ming dynasty when the Yongle Emperor ruled.

Main imperial palaces, in chronological order

Archaeological evidence shows that the Daming Palace platforms were painted in rose red as opposed to the deep red of the later Forbidden City.

Frescoes depicting Tang architecture from the Mogao Cave.

• Xianyang Palace, in Shaanxi: this was the royal palace of the state of Qin before China was unified, and then the palace of the First Emperor when China was unified. It was burnt down after the fall of the Qin dynasty.
• Epang Palace, 20 km south of Xianyang, now west of Xi'an, Shaanxi: the imperial palace built by the First Emperor. It may not have been completed when the Qin dynasty fell.
• Weiyang Palace, in Chang'an, now Xi'an, Shaanxi: imperial palace of the Western Han dynasty for two centuries. It was the largest palace ever built on Earth, covering 4.8 km².
• Southern Palace and Northern Palace, in Luoyang, Henan: imperial palaces of the Eastern Han dynasty. The Southern Palace was used for court hearings, while the Northern Palace was the private residence of the emperor.
• Taiji Palace, in Chang'an, now Xi'an, Shaanxi: imperial palace during the Sui dynasty and early Tang dynasty. Its area was 4.2 km².
• Daming Palace, in Chang'an, now Xi'an, Shaanxi: imperial palace of the Tang dynasty. Its area was 3.11 km².
• Kaifeng Imperial Palace, in Kaifeng, Henan: imperial palace of the Northern Song dynasty.
• Hangzhou Imperial Palace, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang: imperial palace of the Southern Song dynasty.
• Karakorum: site of the imperial palace of the Mongol Empire.
• Shangdu and Khanbaliq: locations of the imperial palaces of the Yuan dynasty.
• Ming Imperial Palace, in Nanjing, Jiangsu: imperial palace of the Ming dynasty until 1421. It was demolished later.
• Forbidden City, in Beijing: imperial palace of the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty from 1420 until 1924. Its area is 720,000 m². It is the world's largest palace still existing today.
• Imperial Palace (Manchukuo), now a museum in Changchun: imperial palace of the Manchukuo.

Ruins of the Old Summer Palace, before it was destroyed.

Other palaces

Besides the main imperial palace, Chinese dynasties also had other important palaces in the capital city. These were homes for the empress, the crown prince, and other members of the royal family. Emperors also had special palaces called "away palaces" where they would stay when they traveled outside the capital.

Emperors often enjoyed visiting garden estates outside the capital city. These gardens offered a peaceful escape from the busy palace life and the summer heat. The Qing dynasty built famous Imperial Gardens, known today as the Gardens of Perfect Brightness or the Old Summer Palace, located near Beijing. These gardens were very large, with many buildings, lakes, and beautiful landscapes.

Empress dowager Cixi built another garden called the Summer Palace near the Old Summer Palace, though it was much smaller. Other notable palaces include Beihai and Zhongnanhai in Beijing, Mukden Palace in Shenyang, and the Potala Palace in Lhasa, used by the Dalai Lama. Recently, archaeologists discovered the ruins of an ancient palace in Dadiwan.