A new lighting system is in use at the Palace of Gathered Elegance (Chuxiu gong) in the Palace Museum in Beijing. Chuxiu gong is located in the northeast of the Six Western Palaces. Notable among the consorts who lived here throughout the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties was the Empress Dowager Cixi. She lived here when she was young as Consort Yi. In the rear hall, she gave birth to Zaichun, the only son of the Xianfeng Emperor and who became the Tongzhi Emperor. Walls of the roofed corridors in the courtyard have inscriptions written by the courtiers for her fiftieth birthday in 1884. The new lighting system, which is not a fire risk, is said to be enhancing visitor experiences. (Photo/VCG)
A new lighting system is in use at the Palace of Gathered Elegance (Chuxiu gong) in the Palace Museum in Beijing. Chuxiu gong is located in the northeast of the Six Western Palaces. Notable among the consorts who lived here throughout the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties was the Empress Dowager Cixi. She lived here when she was young as Consort Yi. In the rear hall, she gave birth to Zaichun, the only son of the Xianfeng Emperor and who became the Tongzhi Emperor. Walls of the roofed corridors in the courtyard have inscriptions written by the courtiers for her fiftieth birthday in 1884. The new lighting system, which is not a fire risk, is said to be enhancing visitor experiences. (Photo/VCG)
A new lighting system is in use at the Palace of Gathered Elegance (Chuxiu gong) in the Palace Museum in Beijing. Chuxiu gong is located in the northeast of the Six Western Palaces. Notable among the consorts who lived here throughout the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties was the Empress Dowager Cixi. She lived here when she was young as Consort Yi. In the rear hall, she gave birth to Zaichun, the only son of the Xianfeng Emperor and who became the Tongzhi Emperor. Walls of the roofed corridors in the courtyard have inscriptions written by the courtiers for her fiftieth birthday in 1884. The new lighting system, which is not a fire risk, is said to be enhancing visitor experiences. (Photo/VCG)
A new lighting system is in use at the Palace of Gathered Elegance (Chuxiu gong) in the Palace Museum in Beijing. Chuxiu gong is located in the northeast of the Six Western Palaces. Notable among the consorts who lived here throughout the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties was the Empress Dowager Cixi. She lived here when she was young as Consort Yi. In the rear hall, she gave birth to Zaichun, the only son of the Xianfeng Emperor and who became the Tongzhi Emperor. Walls of the roofed corridors in the courtyard have inscriptions written by the courtiers for her fiftieth birthday in 1884. The new lighting system, which is not a fire risk, is said to be enhancing visitor experiences. (Photo/VCG)
