The Hall of Literary Glory is an elegant building formed by two small pavilions, linked by a long corridor. The rear part is the Hall of Main Respect, a structure similar to the front hall, but smaller.
It is part of a complex of buildings that include the Palace of Tranquil Longevity and the Pavilion of Spreading Righteousness. The Pavilion was built as the main hall of the crown princes who studied here with a teacher.
Around the 16th century, however, the hall became the place where the emperors studied the Four Books of Confucianism – Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, Analects and Mencius – and the Five Classics of Chinese Literature, Book of Changes, Book of Odes, Book of Documents, Book of Rites, and Spring and Autumn Annals, considered the most important written works of Chinese culture, and the imperial examinations to become public officials were based on these. Even the emperor had to write reports on the books and then discuss them with ministers and officials.
Inside the building, you can now visit a splendid porcelain museum, which displays 429 masterpieces from all the Chinese schools of ceramics.
Now press pause, visit the interior, then turn back and go to the Hall of Military Eminence.
As you can see, the structure of this pavilion is very similar to the one you’ve just visited. It was built during the reign of Emperor Yongle who used it as an office. Later, at the beginning of the Qing dynasty, the emperors held religious rites and ceremonies here, while during the reign of the Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong of the Qing dynasty, it gradually became the official imperial publishing house.
Today it houses the Paintings and Calligraphy Gallery, a small museum that is a must for understanding Chinese art. The Hall of Bathing Virtue, featuring an Arab-style hammam is also interesting.
An interesting fact: the original roof of the Hall of Literary Glory was green, the color of the princes, because it was the place where the crown prince studied. It was changed to yellow, when the emperor’s study was transferred here.
Language: English