Palace of Earthly Tranquility

The Palace of Earthly Tranquility (simplified Chinese: 坤宁宫; traditional Chinese: 坤寧宮; pinyin: Kūn Níng Gōng) is the northernmost of the three main halls of the Inner Court of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. The other two halls are the Palace of Heavenly Purity and Hall of Union.

The Palace of Earthly Tranquility is a double-eaved building, nine bays wide and three bays deep. In the Ming dynasty, it was the residence of the Empress. In the Qing dynasty, large portions of the Palace were converted for Shamanist worship by the Manchu rulers. Thus, the front part of the hall featured shrines, icons, prayer mats, and a large kitchen where sacrificial meat was prepared. From the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor onwards, the Empress moved out of the Palace following the Emperor's move out of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. However, two rooms in the Palace of Earthly Harmony were retained for use on the Emperor's wedding night. The wedding ceremony would be held in the main room, and afterwards the Emperor and Empress would retire to one of these rooms.^[1]

References

1. ↑ pp 80-83, Yu, Zhuoyun (1984). Palaces of the Forbidden City. New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-53721-7. 

Coordinates: 39°55′9.8″N 116°23′25.7″E / 39.919389°N 116.390472°E / 39.919389; 116.390472

Old city of Beijing
Subdivisions	Inner City Outer City Imperial City Forbidden City
Fortifications and towers	Yongdingmen Gate Zhengyangmen Gate Zhonghuamen Tiananmen Gate Deshengmen Gate Bell and Drum towers
Forbidden City	Meridian Gate Gate of Supreme Harmony Hall of Mental Cultivation Hall of Supreme Harmony Hall of Central Harmony Hall of Preserving Harmony Palace of Heavenly Purity Hall of Union Palace of Earthly Tranquility Gate of Divine Might
Imperial gardens, temples and offices	Jingshan Park Beihai Park Zhongnanhai Taimiao (Imperial Ancestral Temple) Zhongshan Park Confucius Temple Guozijian Beijing Ancient Observatory Beijing Zoo Old Summer Palace Summer Palace Fragrant Hills Jade Spring Hill Temple of Heaven Temple of Earth Temple of the Sun Temple of the Moon Xiannongtan (Temple of Agriculture)
Temples and gardens	Shichahai Yonghe Temple Fayuan Temple White Cloud Temple Zhenjue Temple Miaoying Temple Wanshou Temple Temple of Azure Clouds Badachu Dongyue Temple Guanghua Temple Tanzhe Temple Wofo Temple Big Bell Temple Bailin Temple Guangji Temple Fahai Temple Changchun Temple Zhihua Temple Yunju Temple Tianning Temple
Mosques and churches	Xuanwumen Cathedral Xishiku Cathedral Xizhimen Cathedral Wangfujing Cathedral St. Michael's Church Niujie Mosque