Thanks to a collaboration between the Palace Museum and the Beijing Capital Museum, a special exhibtion is allowing visitors to get a firsthand look into the ancient imperial life.
The Hall of Mental Cultivation inside Beijing's Forbidden City used to serve as an emperors' residence during the Qing dynasty, China's last imperial dynasty. Today, for the sake of protecting the ancient structures, you'll know that as a tourist, it's almost impossible to get a good glimpse inside. But now, thanks to a collaboration between the Palace Museum and the Beijing Capital Museum, a special exhibtion is allowing visitors to get a firsthand look into the ancient imperial life.
From memorials to thrones, and to the emperors' private collections of calligraphy and inctricate buddha statues, a total of over 200 cultural relics are on display at the Beijing Capital Museum exhibition.
They are all part of the collections from the Palace Museum's Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"About 500 million people visit the Forbidden city year round, but one of the most important places, the Hall of Mental Cultivation is not fully opened to the public. Because of the need to protect these ancient structures, visitors can only see them from the outside. And because the hall is currently undergoing a major makeover, we're really glad to work with the Beijing Capital Museum and move our treasure trove outside the Forbidden City. Usually during renovations, we would put these relics inside the warehouse, but this time we want the public to really see them up close," said Shan Jixiang, director of Palace Museum.
A feast for both the eyes and mind, this exhibit showcases hidden treasures and reveals the mystery and secrets of imperial life in the Forbidden City.
The exhibition itself has been carefully arranged to resemble the actual hall with chambers for different purposes.
Visitors can see the throne and emperors' desk at the center, with books containing instructions for the new emperor on how to rule over his empire placed behind the throne.
And there is also the East Warmth Chamber, where the Empress Dowager Cixi attended to state affairs, all while sitting behind a curtain.
"More than 180 years have passed from the time the Hall of Mental Cultivation became the residence of the Emperor Yongzheng the abdiction of the Emperor Xuantong in 1932. It has witnessed the golden era and the downfall of the Qing empire. When we were planning the exhibition we really tried to create a specific scene or dig into the story behind these relics, so visitors are not just appreciating the relics, but also examing history," said Guo Xiaolin, director of Beijing Capital Museum.
Apart from the various items on diplay, the museum also features video projections and virtual reality goggles so that visitors can get a more interactive experience.
For example, this screen is transforming the paper reports between the emperor and his minister into what people of the digital age find to be more familiar: a casual conversation on the popular social media app, Wechat.
The exhibition will run until Feburary of next year.
