The Palace of Eternal Longevity (), also known as Yongshou Palace, is one of the Six Western Palaces in the inner court of the Forbidden City. It is the closest residence to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the living quarters of the Qing emperors since 1722.
History It was built in 1420 as the "Palace of Eternal Pleasure" (). In 1535, the Jiajing Emperor renamed it as the "Palace of Embodying Morality" (). It received its current name in 1616, during the reign of the Wanli Emperor, and underwent renovations in 1697 and 1897. During the Qianlong era, the palace was used for the wedding banquets of Princess Heke of the Second Rank in 1772 and Princess Hexiao of the First Rank in 1789.
Residents Ming dynasty YearEmperorImperial consortNote1466–1475ChenghuaEmpress Xiaomu1638–1643Chongzhen He used it as a shelter from natural disasters
Qing dynasty Year Emperor Imperial consort Note Shunzhi Consort Jing She moved here from the Palace of Earthly Tranquility after being deposed as empress 1657–1667 Consort Ke She lived here before being promoted to the rank of consort 1675–1711 Kangxi Consort Liang 1682–1694 Noble Consort Wenxi Imperial Noble Consort Jingmin Yongzheng Empress Xiaoshengxian Qianlong Imperial Noble Consort Huixian 1742–1777 Consort Shu She moved here after being promoted to the rank of concubine 1757–1784 Concubine Cheng 1766–1788 Noble Lady Shun 1766–1794 Consort Fang 1796–1800 Noble Consort Ying She moved here after the Qianlong Emperor's abdication 1801–1821 Jiaqing Imperial Noble Consort Gongshun
See also Imperial Chinese harem system Forbidden City
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