The Imperial Garden is located in the axle wire of the Forbidden City behind the Kunning Palace. It was called Gonghouyuan, the “Rear Garden of the Imperial Court,” in the Ming Dynasty and the “Imperial Garden” in the Qing Dynasty. Originally built in 1420, the 18th Yongle year of the Ming Dynasty and expanded and repaired later, the garden retains the basic layout of the initial construction.

The garden is 80m long from the south to the north and 140m wide from the east to the west, covering an area of 12,00m2. The main building in the garden— the Qin’an Palace is built in double-eave Chinese even roof, located on the south-north axle wire of the Forbidden City. Pavilions terraces and open halls are spread out from this center. Inside the garden, mountains and stones are scattered among verdant pines, cypresses and bamboos, forming an evergreen garden landscape at all seasons.

The Imperial Garden was originally built for the emperor and concubines to have a rest or go sightseeing, but also used for worship, health maintenance, book stories and an outside study etc.