Hall for Ancestral Worship

Fengxiandian, Hall for Ancestral Worship, was built in 1656 during the Qing dynasty. It has a front hall and a rear hall, which are connected, by a lobby. Its main function was to offer sacrifices to imperial ancestors. Grand sacrifices ceremonies would be held in its front hall on important occasions. On the days of their ancestors' birth, death and traditional festivals, ceremonies would be held in the rear hall.

 

Shrines and statues in the hall were destroyed in the Cultural Revolution and the lobby has been expanded. Now the hall looks almost square inside and is open to the public as Clock and Watch Exhibition Hall. Different kinds of clocks and watches were given as gifts to the imperial family by foreign envoys in the Qing dynasty, worth seeing.

 

Go east to visit Ningshougong (Palace of Tranquil Longevity).