Forbidden City’s Secret Garden

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Within the former imperial palace is an 18th-century garden that has been closed since China’s last emperor departed, in 1924. Bamboo marquetry, silk painting, jade carving, and 18th-century glass art adorn 27 structures around four tree-lined courtyards in the Qianlong Garden, which was built between 1771 and 1776 as a retirement retreat for the Qianlong Emperor, the longest-reigning Chinese emperor. continue


Post-restoration interior of Juanqinzhai (2008) (photo by Si Bing/Palace Museum)