Renshoudian

Renshoudian is located inside the Donggongmen (East Palace Gate) of the Summer Palace. It is the main political activity place in the park. In the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, it was called Qinzhengdian (Hall of Diligent Governance). When rebuilt during the Guangxu period, it was renamed Renshoudian. It is the hall where Cixi and Guangxu held court and listened to government affairs. Renshoudian faces east, with seven bays in width, a hip-and-gable roof with a shed, and there are south and north side halls on both sides.


In front of it is the Renshoumen. Outside the door are the south and north Jiuqing Houses, which form the political activity area in the Summer Palace. The plaque of Renshoumen is written in Chinese and Manchu characters. The left and right side halls in the courtyard are called the south and north Jiuqing Houses. They were originally the duty rooms of the nine ministers and six ministries in the Qing Dynasty.


Renshoudian takes the sentence “The benevolent live long” from The Analects of Confucius, meaning that those who practice benevolent governance live long. It is used to flaunt Cixi herself. Inside the hall are displayed a nine-dragon throne carved from red sandalwood. Behind the throne are palm fans woven with peacock feathers and a screen with more than 200 different writings of the character “longevity”.


There are also many precious flower baskets displayed in the hall, more than one meter high. All kinds of flowers are carved from precious stones. The large character “longevity” hanging on the wall of the warm pavilion of the hall is written on a pattern painted with bats and colorful clouds, named “Hundreds of Bats Holding Longevity”. Opening hours: Open all day all year round.



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