Fengxiandian,
The Hall for Ancestry Worship, was built in 1656 during the Qing
dynasty. It has both a front and a rear hall, which are connected
by a lobby. Its main function was for the offering ofsacrifices
to imperial ancestors. Grand sacrificial ceremonies would be held
in the front hall on important occasions. On the days of an ancestor's
birth, death and other traditional festivals, ceremonies would
be conducted 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 the 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 and
are worth seeing.
Go east to visit Palace
of Tranquil Longevity (Ningshougong).