Hall of Earthly Tranquility 坤宁殿
Not far from the Hall of Union and Peace is the Hall of Earthly Tranquility. This one is larger than the previous hall though. It is also an example of Manchu architectural touch. The gate at this hall was placed at the eastern side as opposed to the more traditional center of the Ming style. This feels like a palace, and with good reason, this place used to serve as the residence of some emperor, some notable ones are Emperor Kangxi 康熙, Guangxu 光绪 and Puyi, the last emperor.
Crowds at the Hall of Earthly Tranquility 坤宁殿
The hall has several rooms befitting an emperor’s residence, it even has a worship room reflecting the emperor tremendous piety. Rightly so, these halls are all blocked off and closed to visitors. You can, however, view the inside of the hall. Unfortunately, there were so many people are the hall that I only caught a glimpse of the inside. It was like all the people coming to the Forbidden City were all being funneled into a much small space. It was quite irritating, but there isn’t much I can do about it.
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