Hall of Literary Elegance 摛藻堂

Every corner of the inner court of the Forbidden City seems to have been purposefully built for the emperor for a specific task. Life in the Forbidden City can be quite boring since you see all the same buildings every single day. As a result, some of the emperors have taken to reading as a way to pass the time. Emperor Qianlong was an avid reader and he frequently read books here at the Hall of Literary Elegance.

Although the hall was built in the Ming dynasty, it remained in use until the Qing dynasty. As you might guess, the hall hosted a collection of literary works. However, one compilation was still in the process of completion as Emperor Qianlong was afraid he might not live to see it publication. He ordered the advance publication of the book so that he would be able to read it. One of the two books that were published was housed here and the second one in a nearby hall. Now, it is just a Chinese bookstore.

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