Hall of Mental Cultivation Pictures

This “I”-shaped hall is divided into two parts: front rooms and rear rooms. The front rooms, which have two chambers on each side, were used for the emperor to conduct state affairs. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, the western chamber was changed into a study. The eastern chamber was the place where the Empress Dowager Ci’xi handled state affairs. The rear rooms were used as living rooms for emperors. On the sides of the hall, there are five rooms where empresses and other imperial concubines lived.