Noah Reidy- Palaces of the Qianlong Empire

Palaces of the Qianlong Empire

Chinese palaces were designed in their own unique way. They had their own recognizable design, with certain places and objects built only for the emperor. But exactly what were the objects depicted in the palace section of scroll used for? Was the palace design which is seen here typical of other Qianlong palaces? How was the Chinese government at the time organized, and who was allowed in the palace? In the simplest terms, government positions in the Qianlong Dynasty ranged from the emperor, all the way down to those in charge of individual districts. It is assumed that the high-ranking officials of each district resided in the palaces of each city, with the royal family living in the palace at the capital (Hucker, 1958). The women appearing in the palace grounds are what Hucker refers to as “palace women”. These included both wives, and servants who resided in the palace grounds. One late Ming emperor was said to have as many as 9000 palace women residing in the palace at one point in his life (Hucker, 1958). Governors were chosen by civil service exams and divided into nine levels. These governors were assigned to work within the palace, residing there most of the time. Imperial guards were another group who spent a significant amount of time within the palaces of the Qianlong Dynasty. The government during the Qianlong dynasty was a strong bureaucracy, with the emperor at the top, and those in charge of counties and local militia having the lowest governmental rankings (Hucker, 1978). This government was heavily focused on stabilizing social order, the country's defenses, and the economy (Hucker, 1978). 

There are places and objects depicted in the scroll which most likely were reserved for only the emperor, who at the time of the scrolls painting was Emperor Qianlong. For example, there is a golden chair on the boat at the palace docks. This throne-like chair is the highest seat on the boat, it is also empty. This could mean that Emperor Qianlong was somewhere in the palace, as the boat appears to be manned on the palace side of the body of water. The emperor could also be elsewhere, as the boat may have been used to transport others, with the chair left empty. The highest tower inside the palace grounds was also likely where the emperor would have resided during his stays in the city. The emperor’s quarters may have been designed as such to be a show of force, or power over others. The theme of exclusivity continued in the placement of the palace in relation to the rest of the city. In the scroll, the palace and gardens are separated from the rest of the city by a body of water, with the only way to get across being by boat. The separation of the palace from the rest of the city is a common occurrence in Qianlong China. An example of this is the Yuanming Yuan, a garden and palace complex in which the emperor often resided (Finlay, 2007). The complex was walled off from the public, with the palace being even more exclusive. The palace was in its own walled off section in the lower left-hand side of the complex (Finlay, 2007). The exclusivity of the palace, and its separation from the rest of the population, is a common theme throughout Qianlong China.

Unlike the palace depicted on the scroll, the design of the palace at Yuanming Yuan was heavily influence by European architecture. The wooden and stone buildings we see in the scroll, were replaced with what the author describes as a “rustic or Tuscan style” set of buildings (Finlay, 2007). The other buildings and arches are designed in a way which resembles an English or French palace. Yuanming Yuan is not alone in this style of architecture, as according to Finlay, “The Qianlong emperor was also not the first Qing emperor to construct buildings in European style.” In fact, many scrolls show imperial buildings with fusions of both European and Chinese architecture (Finlay, 2007).

The Chinese government during the Ming Dynasty was structured into many levels, ranging from the emperor to those in charge of counties and military units. Those who frequently visited or stayed in the palace included said government officials, as well as palace women and imperial guards. The exclusivity of the palace was also physical, with bodies of water or walls often separating the palace grounds from the rest of the population. The design of palaces differed, especially in the late Qianlong Dynasty, as Chinese architecture became more heavily influenced by Europe.

Works Cited

Hucker, C. 1958. Governmental Organization of the Ming Dynasty. Harvard-Yenching Institute.

Hucker, C. 1978. The Ming Dynasty, its Origins and Evolving Institutions. University of Michigan Center for Chinese Studies.

Finlay, J. 2007. The Qianlong Emperor's Western Vistas: Linear Perspective and Trompe l'Oeil Illusion in the European Palaces of the Yuanming yuan. École française d’Extrême-Orient