The Palace Museum must be one of the places you have wanted to visit the most on earth, because you can catch a glimpse of the emperor’s audience’s hall inside it and tour the back garden of the emperors’ consorts and concubines. Now the Palace Museum has opened more areas to the public including Cining Palace, Cining Garden and other related areas, and it has also opened Emperor Qianlong’s mother's (with a surname ofNiohuru) living palace Shoukang Palace to the public. The two palaces have never been opened to the public, and we are all curious about them. Now let’s enter these palaces with our curiosity to explore the mysteries of them.故宫游热火朝天地进行着，游客挤破脑袋也要进去瞧一瞧皇帝的金銮宝殿，逛一逛娘娘们的后花园。最近故宫博物馆院再次放大招，首次开放慈宁宫、慈宁花园等区域，并晒出乾隆朝皇太后钮钴禄氏的寿康宫。这两处是故宫里从未对外开放过的地方，我们都充满好奇。现在就让我们带着这份好奇走进娘娘们的寝宫一探究竟吧。
Shoukang Palace:Empress Xiaoshengxian寿康宫：孝圣宪皇后
Chinese TV Series:The Legend of Zhen Huan
Shoukang Palace (Palace of Longevity and Good Health) was initially built in the 13th year of Emperor Yongzheng’s reign and finished in the first year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign. During the ruling period of Emperor Yongzheng, one of his high-ranking concubines with a surname Xi lived in the palace after she became an empress dowager, but she was never the only one who lived inside it. Another high-ranking concubine with the surname Ying of Emperor Jiaqing, and Empress Xiaojingcheng of Emperor Xianfeng all once lived and died here, and even the most notorious Empress Dowager Cixi lived here for a while. The exterior of the palace looks solemn but plain, but you will find its luxury as you step into it. The interior of the hall even has an extremely precious horizontal inscribed board which reads “Ci Shou Ning Xi (which literally means mercy and longevity can form happiness)” written by Emperor Qianlong, and the west chamber was once the place where the empress dowagers worshiped the Lord Buddha. The bedroom is located in the north of the palace’s back hall, which has extremely good access to sunshine. Tourists visiting the bedroom can see the luxurious furniture and items these empresses and concubines once used. For example, tourists can see the court beads (made of tourmaline) they once wore.寿康宫始建于雍正十三年，于乾隆元年竣工，雍正朝熹贵妃是在当了太后之后住进了寿康宫，不过寿康宫并非她一人住过，嘉庆朝颖贵妃、咸丰朝孝静成皇后都在此颐养天年，就连最著名的慈禧太后也在寿康宫小住过。寿康宫正殿的外观庄重且简朴，但走进一看却十分华贵，殿内还悬挂着价值连城的乾隆皇帝御书“慈寿凝禧”匾额，寿康宫的东暖阁是皇太后礼佛的地方。而寝宫是在寿康宫后殿的西侧，采光极好，游客不但可以看到寝宫中的高级家具，还能看到娘娘使用过的器物，比如娘娘佩戴的朝珠可是货真价实的碧玺。
Cining Palace:Empress Xiaozhuangwen慈宁宫：孝庄文皇后
Chinese TV Series:Xiaozhuang Mishi
Cining Palace was a living room for the emperors’ high-ranking concubines during the Ming Dynasty. In the early and middle periods of the Qing Dynasty, Empress Xiaozhuangwen once lived in the palace. Her annual birthday ceremony was held here and the emperor would lead others to worship the Empress Dowager. This was always a spectacular ceremony. Cining Palace was initially built in the 15th year of Emperor Jiajing’s reign, the old site of Renshou Palace, and it was renovated in the reign of Emperor Wanli. The Cining Palace of the Ming Dynasty was a place for the high-ranking concubine of the current emperor’s father to stay, but it turned into the living room for each empress dowager in the reigns of Emperor Shunzhi, Kangxi and Qianlong after the palace was renovated. After the reign of Emperor Daoguang ended and when the Qing Dynasty rolled into its downfall, Cining Palace gradually lost its radiance. In front of it is a square, and inside the main hall there are two horizontal inscribed boards which read “Bao Lu Bian Xi” and “Qing Long Zun Yang”, which literally mean blessing, happiness and good health. A garden named Cining can also be found here, and this is the only place where the concubines of the former emperors felt comfortable and relieved.慈宁宫是明朝皇贵妃的居所，在清朝前期和中期，孝庄文皇后在这里居住过，太后庆寿大典也常在慈宁宫举行，皇帝会亲自率众行礼，十分隆重。慈宁宫始建于明嘉靖十五年，原仁寿宫旧址，万历年间重建过，明朝慈宁宫是作为前代皇贵妃的居所，在顺治、康熙、乾隆年间也都进行过修葺，并将其作为皇太后的居所。直到道光之后，由于清王朝开始走向没落，慈宁宫才慢慢失去光辉。慈宁宫门前有一块广场，慈宁宫正殿悬挂着乾隆皇帝的御笔"宝箓骈禧"和"庆隆尊养"两副横匾，此外还有一处慈宁花园，这座花园是唯一能令前代后妃们得到心灵慰藉的地方。
Changchun Palace:Empress Xiaoxianchun长春宫：孝贤纯皇后
Chinese TV series: Those Things ofEmperor Qianlong
长春宫位于西六宫区域，明嘉靖朝更名为永宁宫，万历朝恢复为长春宫。这里是后妃居所，乾隆皇帝第一任皇后孝贤皇后和著名的慈禧太后都居住过长春宫。长春宫殿前有鎏金铜狮和铜鹤，庭院廊内绘有13幅《红楼梦》壁画，这13幅壁画最是彰显了女主人的高贵和趣味。Changchun Palace (Palace of Eternal Spring) is located in the West Six Palaces’ area. Its name was changed to Yongning Palace (or Ever Peace Palace) in the reign of Emperor Jiajing and back to Changchun Palace in the reign of Emperor Wanli. This was the living room for the emperor’s concubines, and both Emperor Qianlong’s first empress consort Empress Xiaoxianchun and the notorious Empress Dowager Cixi once lived in the palace. In front of the palace are a pair of gilded bronze lions and a pair of cranes, and on the passage inside the courtyard are drawn 13 frescos ofDream of the Red Chamber, which present the nobility and interest of the female owner.
孝贤皇后出身满洲镶黄旗，而清朝时期，真正出身于满洲镶黄旗的皇后并不多。她姿容窈窕，性格恭俭，乾隆皇帝对其钟爱异常，孝贤皇后在紫禁城居住在长春宫，在圆明园居住在长春仙馆，而乾隆皇帝的名号是长春居士，可见乾隆皇帝对孝贤皇后的宠爱非同一般。孝贤皇后的去世对乾隆帝影响非常大，乾隆帝为悼念孝贤皇后创作了《述悲赋》。Empress Xiaoxianchun was born in the Manchu Fucha (富察) clan, which was under the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Eight Banners. In fact, empresses actually born in the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner were not many during the Qing Dynasty. She was slender and beautiful and had a well-nurtured character, so that Emperor Qianlong loved her very much. If in the Forbidden City, she lived in Changchun Palace, while if in the Old Summer Palace, she lived in the Changchun Xianguan (or Eternal Spring Fairy Studio). You may know, Emperor Qianlong’s Buddhist name was Changchun Jushi (a Buddhist follower’s position in the religion), which shares the same name with the palace. This proves his love of his first empress was beyond measure. The early passing of this empress affected Emperor Qianlong so much that he composed a poem named Shu Bei Fu (a poem that tells the sadness of the emperor) to mourn Empress Xiaoxianchun.
Chuxiu Palace: Empress Dowager Cixi储秀宫：慈禧太后
Chinese TV series: The Top Eunuch
Chuxiu Palace often appears in the Qing Dynasty’s Forbidden City-themed Chinese TV series, and it was initially given the name Shouchang Palace but changed to Chuxiu Palace in the reign of Emperor Jiajing. The most protruding concubine living in the palace was Cixi, who had already given birth to Emperor Tongzhi in Lijingxuan of the back hall of Chuxiu Palace even when she was still a lower-ranking concubine of the emperor. When she was 50 years of age, she moved to the palace again. Carved all over the passages inside it are the complimentary poems generally known as Wan Shou Wu Jiang Fu (Longevity Poems) composed on her birthdays by officials of that age. Wanru, the empress consort of the last Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, was the last owner of this palace.储秀宫在清宫剧中经常出现，初名为寿昌宫，明嘉靖朝改名储秀宫，居住在这里最出名的后妃是慈禧太后，她在懿嫔身份时于储秀宫后殿的丽景轩生下了同治皇帝，慈禧太后五十岁时再次住进储秀宫，宫内游廊刻满了大臣为她祝寿时所做的《万寿无疆赋》。末代皇帝溥仪的正妻婉容是居住在储秀宫最后的主人。
永和宫：孝恭仁皇后Yonghe Palace:Empress Xiaogongren
Chinese TV Series:Palace
Yonghe Palace (Palace of Eternal Peace) is located in the Six Palaces’ area, once named Yongan Palace (the similar meaning to Yonghe) but changed to Yongan Palace in the 14th year of Emperor Jiajing. This name symbolizes eternity and harmony, and is also a reflection of Changchun Palace. Emperor Kangxi’s Concubine De (Empress Xiaogongren), Emperor Qianlong’s Concubine Yu, Emperor Daoguang’s Concubine Jing and Emperor Guangxu’s Concubine Jin all once lived in this palace.永和宫在东六宫区域，曾名为永安宫，于嘉靖十四年更名为永和宫，有长久和谐的寓意，同时对应长春宫名。清康熙帝德妃(孝恭仁皇后)、乾隆帝愉贵妃、道光帝静贵妃、光绪帝瑾妃都曾经居住在永和宫。
Concubine De was originally the lowest class servant or slave in the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner, but she was specially adored by Emperor Kangxi. She earned a very high status from the lowest this way and gave birth to three sons and three daughters for Kangxi. Her position in the eyes of Kangxi and the palace’s servants was not comparable by other concubines of the Forbidden City.德妃原是满洲正黄旗包衣，身份十分低位，却受了康熙皇帝宠爱，从端茶送水的“官女子”一步步登上了永和宫主人的位置，德妃为康熙帝生育了三子三女，她在皇帝及宫人心里的地位，是其他宫妃难以相比的。
