Palace of Tranquil Longevity

Palace of Tranquil Longevity
寧壽宮
The Nine Dragons Screen, made of glazed tile, on the front wall of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity
Map
Alternative names
  • Qianlong Garden
  • Qianlong Palace
  • Qianlong District
  • Palace of Tranquility and Longevity
General information
LocationInner Court of the Forbidden City
Town or cityBeijing
CountryChina
Coordinates39°55′06″N 116°23′39″E / 39.9184°N 116.3941°E / 39.9184; 116.3941
Construction started1771 (1771)
Renovated2010-
ClientQianlong Emperor
Detail of one of the nine dragons,

The Palace of Tranquil Longevity (Chinese: 寧壽宮), literally, "peaceful old age palace", also called the Qianlong Garden, Qianlong Palace, Qianlong District or the Palace of Tranquility and Longevity, is a palace in Beijing, China, located in the northeast corner of the Inner Court of the Forbidden City.

Construction of the palace began on the Qianlong Emperor's orders in 1771, in preparation for his retirement, although the emperor himself never moved into the palace. Its beautiful apartments, pavilions, gates and gardens feature "some of the most elegant spaces at a time widely considered to be the pinnacle of Chinese interior design."[1] Throughout the Qing dynasty, the palace was almost never used, largely because of the Qianlong Emperor's imperial decree ordering his retirement retreat remain unaltered.

  1. ^ Powell, Eric (Spring 2006), "Restoring an Intimate Splendor" (PDF), ICON Magazine / WMF, World Monuments Fund, pp. 12–17, archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2011, retrieved 15 July 2011