The Hall of Supreme Pole is worth a visit because it is exceptionally well preserved, with painted, carved beams. The last Empress Dowager of the Qing dynasty, Longyu, lived here for three years. Incompetent and indecisive, in 1912, she signed a treaty in the name of her son, Emperor Puyi, with a warlord, to whom – perhaps without realizing it – she handed over political power. From that moment on, her physical and mental health declined, and she died of an illness just a year later.
