Beijing: Shufangzhai Palace

Occasionally, I see the Shufangzhai Palace today. I knew the big name of Shufang zhai from a popular Chinese TV series called “Princess Pearl(“Huanzhu gege” in Chinese)” ten years ago. As a matter of fact, Little Swallow(the Princess Pear), Little Desk and Little bench(the two servants of the princess ) etc did not lived in it. It is actually the place where Emperor Qianlong watch dramas. Shufangzhai is located in east of Chonghua Palace in the Palace Museum and is originally built in the 18th year of Yongle Reign(1420) in Ming Dynasty.

At present, the building and its interior fittings are well preserved. Being the VIP reception center, it served as the resting room for the national leaders and foreign leaders when they visit the Imperial Palace. It is the non-open area for tourists. If you visit the Imperial Palace in your Beijing Xian tour without seeing Shufangzhai, it is really a pity.

In late Qing Dynasty, the Peking Opera Master Mei Lanfang was invited to the Imperial Palace and put on plays. In 1922, when Qing Dynasty’s last Emperor Fu Yi got married, Peking Opera had been performed for three days and nights. Peking Opera stars such as Mei Lanfang, Yang Xiaolou, Yu Shuyan, Ma Lianliang and Li Wanchun were all invited to the stage.

Such architectures of Ming Dynasty also can be seen in a Xian tour, such as the famous Bell Tower and Drum Tower.