The Yikun Palace was constructed in the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty in 1420 and called the Wan’an Palace at first. In the 14th year of Emperor Jiajing’s reign in 1535, it was renamed Yikun Palace. In the late Qing Dynasty, the Yikun Palace was connected with the Chuxiu Palace, forming a four-row courtyard.

The decorations of the Yikun Palace demonstrate safety and luckiness everywhere, such as Svastika patterns and patterns of five bats carrying the Chinese character “Shou”, which means longevity. In the outer room hangs an inscribed board with four characters meaning “tolerance is a virtue” written by Empress Dowager Cixi. The rosewood floor-length covers on both sides are respectively carved with magpies on plum trees and Chinese wisteria twining branches. In front of the hall are displayed a pair of bronze phoenixes, bronze cranes and bronze stoves.

Under the front corridor of the main hall, you can still see a swing built during the reign of Emperor Puyi.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Yikun Palace was the residence of imperial concubines, among whom the most famous one was Imperial Concubine Zheng of the Wanli Emperor. She was the most white-headed concubine of the Wanli Period and gave birth to the most white-headed prince Zhu Changxun. In the Wanli era, the Emperor and the courtiers fought for the successor for up to twenty years. The fight ended with the victory of the courtiers.

The rear hall of the Yikun Palace is the Tihe Palace, which was changed into a hallway leading to the Chuxiu Palace in the late Qing Dynasty. Empress Dowager Cixi received congratulations in the Tihe Palace on her fiftieth birthday. And Emperor Guangxu picked up brides here.