Nurhaci and the Imperial Palace (Background): I and other Shenyang, China Things to Do Tips

For many centuries, the north-east of China had been in constant turmoil as different ethnic groups, including the Chinese and the Jurchens wrestled for control over the fertile plains.
By the middle of the 17th Century, Chinese Ming control was growing weaker, and others grew to fill the gap.
One local Jurchen king, Nurhaci established his Later Jin kingdom in Laocheng, Xinbin County, to unite the Jianzhou and Haixi tribes. He was from the Gioro clan of the Suksuhuhe. It has been suggested that Nurhaci was brought up by the family of the Chinese general who killed his father in battle. From the 1580s onwards, young Nurhaci started to fight for control of the region, in time developing the eight banners that were to become the hallmark of Manchu military organisation. When he finally had control of the region, Nurhaci gave himself the royal title Tiangming. Just six years later, he won control of the cities of Liaoyang and Shenyang, moving his capital from Laocheng first to Liaoyang and then Shenyang in 1625. He continued battling local tribes, as well as the Ming Chinese and the Korean Joseon Dynasty. In March 1625, the construction of the Shenyang Imperial Palace began, although Tianming died in August that year and never got to see the product of his work, as he died after losing a battle against the Ming.

There is an excellent review of Nurhaci's life on Wikipedia.

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Directions: Central Shenyang
[41.7956, 123.4496]

Huangtaiji, the former monarch’s eighth son, ascended to the Latter Jin throne as Tiancong and continued the work on the huge palace, completing the work some eleven years later in 1636. In 1635, Huangtaiji changed the name of the burgeoning empire from the Jurchen to the Manchu: one theory behind the name change is that it was out of respect for his father, who had claimed to be an incarnation of the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, Manjusri.

But for all its magnficence and beauty – arguably considerably more attractive than Beijing’s Imperial Palace – the palace in Shenyang was only used for a few years, until 1644 when the Manchu king Shunzhi dispaced the Ming dynasty and moved the court from Shenyang to Beijing. Huangtaiji never lived to see his dream of conquest over the rival Ming Dynasty, as he died less than a year before the occupation of Beijing.

Throughout the Qing Dynasty, successive emperors never forgot their roots, and Shenyang remained the eastern palace, and a further summer palace was constructed in Chengde on the way from Beijing into the Manchu heartlands. Emperor Qianlong, in particular, can be credited with creating what we see today at the Imperial Palace.
Today, the plan of the city of Shenyang shows that the palace covered the majority of the area of the city in those days.
Each of the three north-south aspects of the palace complex are treated separately, as is the current status of the site as a cultural heritage site.

An excellent review of Huangtaiji's life is at Wikipedia.

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Directions: Central Shenyang
[41.7956, 123.4496]

The symbolic eastern axis of the Imperial Palace complex is a unique group of buildings, recreating in stone and wood, the tented military camps of the steppe and the grass plians of Manchuria and Mongolia.
On the plains, the king’s tent would sit at the end of an avenue of tents – one for each area or ub-tribe or grouping. At Shenyang, the eight banner tribes lie either side, with one pavilion for each banner. Inside these small rooms, the senior officials of the banner would convene to discuss official matters.
In the earliest days, this pavilion was used almost exclusively for ceremonial activities, including the enthronement of the king, and the reviewing of troops and issuing royal decrees. It took some generations for these warrior-kings to give up the psychological hold of the military camps of the open grasslands.
Perhaps the most monetous decision made in this pavilion was the decision to march on Beijing in 1644.
Today, each of the pavilions contains a small display on the weapons and customs of the different banners, together with the banner itself, and a bannerman wearing the distinctive colourful clothes of the 17th Century.
Either side of the raised imperial pavilion, two extra pavilions held the senior royal courtiers and officials. At the southern end of the avenue, two small towers held musicians to play music and beat the ceremonial drums during processions. In a curious blend of history repeating history, todays tourists gaze upon a recreation of a historical symbol, as the bannermen and Manchu officials recreated their rural symbols and structures in the city.

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Directions: [41.7956, 123.4496]

The Dazheng Hall, built in 1625 and possibly one of the first structures in the palace to be finished, is octagonal, raised up on a high platform. The building is supported by 24 wooden pillars in a double-line, supporting the double eaves above. It forms the almost archetypal Chinese pavilion, with its curved ridges and beautifully decorated finial. If you look closely at the eight ridges, you can see a figure of a small man pulling a chain, symbolising the eight banners of the Manchu kingdom pulling together to support the kingdom.
Perhaps the most striking aspect is the two gilded dragons climbing the two outer front pillars: in late 2004, a foreign paint company upset the Chinese nation by suggesting that it that companies paint was used, the dragons would slip to the bottom.
Just beyond the Dazheng Hall, lining a short stretch of wall are a number of important stelae. The furthest one is particularly poignant: it was created in honour of the head of Huangtaiji’s personal bodyguard who insisted on being buried alive with his regent when the later died, to protect him in the after-life.
Note that if you are visiting the eastern axis first, it is easy to miss the second line of palace buildings by entering the back garden, from where there is access only to the central and western axes of buildings.

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Directions: [41.7956, 123.4496]

The Daqingmen, or Daqing Gate, is best seen from the street outside, where from the back of the plaza, the golden rooftops promise so much exploration beyond. The five-bay gateway is now closed and locked, and the entrance to the palace complex is just to the west of the Wugongmen archway which straddles the street outside. The eastern archway, just 100 metres away is the Wendemen; officials were forbidden to pass these gates on horseback and had to dismount before arriving at the gateway. As with all imperial entrances, the officials and courtiers entered through the side doorways of the Daqingmen, with the central gateway reserved for the emperor.
On entering the palace complex, the back of the Daqingmen is to your right, with the Chongzheng Hall straight in front: it is a pity that the visitor does not get to experience the Chongzheng from the front first as it is impressive – much more subtle and graceful than most of the structures in Beijing’s Forbidden City, but sadly spoilt now by scattered arrays of cheap potted plants and often loudspeaker gantries.
Originally, the building was slightly simpler: Emperor Qianlong added the platform in front of the hall, the interior screens and the throne, and apparently the sundial in front.
Behind the Chongzheng Hall is a wonderful courtyard, shaded by trees – spoilt only by the unbelievably crass placement of a commercial drinks vending machine in the main entrance doorway. The courtyard, and the subsequent one beyond the Fenghuang Tower are considerably more intimate than those in Beijing, feeling more like a royal home. On either side of the wide but shallow square are four small buildings used as offices and residences for princes at various times.

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Directions: Central Shenyang
[41.7956, 123.4496]

Above the courtyard, seeming higher than it really is because of its position above the high walls at the back of the courtyard, looming over the Chongzheng Hall, is the three-storey Fenghuang Tower. Originally a place of rest for the king and his concubines, it later became the royal art gallery, displaying portraits of the former emperors. For centuries, this was the highest point in Shenyang, and it was a noted spot for watching the sun rise in the east. Quite why it never became the notes spot for watching the sun descend in the west is not clear, but it must have been good for the predominantly rural early Qing monarchs to watch the sun rise over the plains outside Shenyang.
The private courtyard behind the Fenghuang Tower is surprisingly small, once again giving the impression that this was a family residence as much as a palace. The Qingning Palace lies at the back, facing the gateway, with six buildings on either side as sleeping and living quarters for concubines and close family members. The eastern end of the Qingning Hall was for the emperor, and Huangtaiji died in the building on his kang, suddenly, in August 1643. At the western end of the building, was the family shrine and area of worship.
In the yard near the Fenghuang Tower is the divine pole, on which sacrificed to heaven were offered.

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Directions: Central Shenyang

Each of the four buildings at the side of the courtyard were named for particular concubines of Huangtaiji. The building in the south-west corner, to the right of the Fenghuang Tower as the visitor emerges through the gateway, is the birthplace of Fulin, the first Qing emperor of China. His mother, Bumubutai, has developed, over the centuries, a bad reputation as a wily old strategist who stooped to murder to assure the future for her offspring. As with many conspiracy theories surrounding powerful Chinese royal women, there seems to be no evidence of anything other than the usual court politics and positioning for power.
The interiors of all these buildings are in very poor condition, with roof beams rotting and wallpaper (original?) suffering from serious damp. However, unusually, the palace has very good explanatory panels and even an exhibition on the conservation of the complex (in the north-eastern building next to the Qingning Hall).
It is possible to leave the upper courtyard into the rear garden, admiring the huge blank wall of a modern shopping wall that overshadows the entire complex. In context, permission to build this mall here is akin to allowing a multi-storey car-park or a six-storey mall 20 metres from Stonehenge or the Acropolis.

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Directions: Central Shenyang
[41.7956, 123.4496]

The Shenyang Imperial Palace is worthy of exploration of every nook and cranny, and there is much to be learnt about the site and the Qing dynasty from the many exhibitions and displays in many buildings. The storage and kitchen areas in the long thin garden at the very back lead into the back of the three side axes of the palace as well as the main central axis. Apart from the thin line of barracks and court offices to the east of the upper courtyard, there are two lines of residences for the royal family and relatives – one to the east and one to the west. The line on the west is more interesting, and in particular the Chongmo Pavilion where the records of the Qing ancestors were stored. Although these buildings were all used by the empress dowagers and relatives, it is clear that the visiting emperors used certain buildings as libraries, offices and places for having more fun with concubines.

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Directions: Central Shenyang
[41.7956, 123.4496]

Just as the Dazheng Hall on the far eastern axis is especially worth seeing, so the far western axis is worth a detour (although in mid 2005, the theatre was being restored). The first part of the western axis is the theatre, with the Jiayin Hall behind constructed for Emperor Qianlong to watch the performance, while the remainder of the court huddled together in under the roof at the sides.
The Wensu Pavilion was the royal library and is a different architectural style from other buildings. It also has black tiles as with other imperial libraries: fire was an ever-present risk in these royal palaces, and the black roof tiles symbolized water, so acting as an additional talisman against the ravages of fire in a building full of papers and books.
The Wensu Hall was originally built, again by Qianlong, for storing the great Siku Quanshu encyclopedia of Chinese knowledge. Such was Qianlong’s devotion to studying the classics and learning, that each of the three floors of this library has a study, living quarters and a bedroom, to allow him to stay put while he read! It is notable that Qianlong had no qualms about living “in the air like a Western barbarian” here in Shenyang, yet when the Old Summer Palace was built in Beijing, all the apparently two-storey buildings were just one storey, under his strict instructions!
The Wensu Hall is one of the more eclectic buildings in the Imperial Palace, and still one of the quieter parts of the complex.

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Directions: Central Shenyang
[41.7956, 123.4496]

Zhongshan Square lies at the heart of Shenyang and Chairman Mao lies at the heart of Zhongshan Square.
Probably the best-known remaining statue of the former Chinese leader, who died in 1976.
This statue was originally built in 1969, during the Cultural Revolution, but was the focus of dissent in the early 1990s when protesters poured gasoline on it and set the statue alight.
Ignoring the rather predictable pose of the man himself, the statue complex is a remarkable example of Socialist art from the mid 20th Century. It is worth examining the huddled proletariat around the base, all in fierce mood, seemingly pushing forward and outward from the feet of Mao - presumably the precise desired impact.
Given that Shenyangren are predominantly employed in heavy industry, the masculine strength of these figures remains appropriate today.
As symbolically, Mao remains difficult to reach because the constant heavy traffic around the square makes it extremely dangerous to get close to Mao: now as then, one wrong move and you end up flattened.

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Address: Zhongshan Square
Directions: [41.7942, 123.4043]