Palace of Prolonging Happiness

Hidden within the Forbidden City, the Palace of Prolonging Happiness whispers tales of resilience and change. The Palace of Prolonging Happiness, also known as Yanxi Palace, stands as a testament to time’s passage. It was originally built in 1420 as the Palace of Longevity. The name changed in 1535 to the Palace of Prolonging Auspiciousness. Its final name, Palace of Prolonging Happiness, came after renovations in 1686 during the Kangxi Emperor’s reign. The palace holds the stories of notable residents. These include Consort Xin, favored by the Jiaqing Emperor, and the Daoguang Emperor’s concubines: Tian, Chang, and Yu. Tragically, fire ravaged the palace multiple times between 1845 and 1855. Imagine the opulent halls reduced to ashes. The destruction was so complete that only the front gate remained. In 1909, ambitious rebuilding began. The vision was a modern marvel: a three-story, Western-style “Water Hall” surrounded by a moat fed by spring water. Empress Dowager Longyu christened it “Lingzhao Pavilion” (Pavilion of the Nimble Pond), but it became known as the “Crystal Palace.” This shimmering structure, with its iron frame and glass walls, was intended to house a basement aquarium. Visitors could marvel at fish swimming within the water-filled walls. Sadly, this vision never materialized. Funding dried up, and a bombing raid in 1917 further shattered the dream. Today, only fragments of the Crystal Palace remain: the iron cast and marble foundations. The palace, adapted and repurposed throughout its history, found a new role in 1931. Three two-story warehouses were added to store the Palace Museum’s precious artifacts. These warehouses are still in use today. Now they house the Ceramics Laboratory, the Research Centre for Ceramics, and the Research Centre for Traditional Calligraphy and Paintings. The Palace of Prolonging Happiness, though scarred by fire and unfulfilled ambition, continues to evolve within the Forbidden City’s walls.