The Mukden Palace is the residence of the first emperors of the Manchurian dynasty Nurkhatsi and Abahai in Shenyang (also known as Mukden in South Manchuria, northeast of Beijing). Its construction was carried out in 1625-31. The first buildings of the palace complex, built under the emperor Nurkhatsi, resembled yurts. The Emperor Abahai made some changes to the appearance of the palace, and he acquired elements of the Manchu, Chinese and Tibetan architecture.
After the transfer of the imperial residence to the Forbidden City in 1644, the Mukden Palace remained for a while on "second roles", one of the suburban palaces of the emperors . In 1780, he was even expanded by Emperor Qianlong - after that Mukden acquired the appearance of the traditional Chinese palace complex.
The exterior of the palace
In front of the imperial pavilion of the Mukden Palace is the main square. In the palace itself there is a rich reception hall for official ceremonies. Imperial power symbols, imperial dresses, samples of weapons, as well as ornaments from jade, jasper, malachite, vases and other items made from ancient Chinese porcelain, metal mirrors, sacred vessels made of bronze, silk were kept nearby in the nearby building.
Right wing Palace was given to officials who worked in the Imperial Library. In a separate building, there were stories of emperors and books written by the emperors.
In the left wing there was a house temple of the emperor, as well as an armory and a repository of imperial seals, portraits of rulers and their pedigrees.
Next are the gates that lead to the courtyard, surrounded by two-story buildings, where the storerooms were located. In the back of the courtyard was the throne room of the emperor. The throne was made of ebony wood and richly decorated with carvings and gilding.
The gates from the throne room lead to the second courtyard, which also housed two-story pantries. From here you can get to the third courtyard where the entrance to the four-story tower "Phoenix" is located. From its peak the emperor could see the entire city.
In 1955, the Mukden Palace was declared the National Museum of China, and in 2004 it became one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites
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| Mukden Palace, panorama |
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| @ Mukden Palace |
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| Imperial Library, Mukden Palace |
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| Imperial Throne, Mukden Palace |
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| Chinese Painting, Mukden Palace |
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| One of the buildings of the complex, Mukden Palace |
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| Sculptures, Mukden Palace |
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| Traditional Chinese Garden, Mukden Palace |