The Compassionate Palace is located on the West Road of the Forbidden City. It was built in the 15th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1536). The early and middle period of the Qing Dynasty was the prosperous period of the Palace of Compassion and Ning. At that time, Empress Xiaozhuang Wen and Empress Xiaoshengxian also lived here. Emperor Shunzhi, Emperor Kangxi, and Emperor Qianlong were famous for their filial piety, and the Palace of Compassion and Ning often held grand ceremonies to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday.
The western area of the Forbidden City used to be called "Women's World". It was the place where the Empress Dowager, Concubine, and concubines lived together. It has never been opened since the Palace Museum was founded 88 years ago, so it is quite mysterious. The West Road Harem of the Forbidden City, represented by the Palace of Compassion and Peace and Shoukang Palace, has been serving as a "warehouse" before its opening: large and small pieces of the Forbidden City are filled with sundries, and the gates are closed more than when they are opened.
From October 2015, the western part of the Forbidden City, including the Palace of Compassion and Garden, Shoukang Palace, etc., will be opened to the public as a whole. After the opening, the Palace of Compassion and Ning was transformed into a sculpture gallery for display to tourists. The 10,200 sculptures collected by the Palace Museum were systematically exhibited according to materials and ages after the renovation of the Palace of Compassion and Ning Sculpture.
The Garden of Compassion and Ning was rebuilt in the thirty-fourth year of Qianlong (AD 1769) on the former site of Renshou Palace, an early Ming Dynasty building. The trees in the garden are mainly pines and cypresses, with sycamores, ginkgoes, magnolias, and cloves among them, which are concentrated in front of Xianruo Pavilion and around Linxi Pavilion. Its spring blossoms and autumn fruits, and the four seasons of morning and evening have different tastes. In the Forbidden City with strict etiquette, it is the only place where the concubines of previous generations can find spiritual comfort.
Shoukang Palace is the residence of the empress dowagers and empress dowagers in the Qing Dynasty. The concubines and concubines lived here. The emperor came here every two or three days to pay his respects.
