Located in the heart of Beijing for the past 600 years, the Forbidden City has been considered the imperial palace of China from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Not only was it the residence of the royal family, but it was also home to numerous concubines and servants who were willing to betray and harm each other to gain influence. Statistics show that thousands of people were killed in the bloody history of the Forbidden City.
Illustrative image
The Forbidden City covers an area of 720,000 square meters, boasting over 800 palaces of varying sizes and nearly 10,000 rooms. Each area is clearly divided into functional zones: the emperor's court, the state's administrative offices, and the imperial harem for hundreds of concubines. However, what surprises many is that the original design of the Forbidden City did not include toilets.
Not only is the Forbidden City awe-inspiring in its scale, but it is also a marvel of construction that has astonished archaeologists for centuries. Having withstood over six centuries and hundreds of earthquakes, both large and small, the Forbidden City still stands remarkably strong.
Amidst the thousands of gilded roofs of the Forbidden City, there remains a secluded area that has never been opened to visitors. It is not merely a forgotten corner, but a symbol of the deepest loneliness and tragedy in the feudal imperial harem.
Inside the cold imperial palaces. Photo: Sohu.
The secluded palace was where disgraced concubines, palace maids who committed offenses, or those no longer favored by the emperor were banished to live out the rest of their lives in solitude.
Without the sounds of court music or dazzling lights, the secluded palace was left with only an eerie silence. Once inside, there was almost no chance of returning to the outside world . The entire complex had only one entrance and exit for delivering food and water daily.
Over time, prolonged isolation led many to despair, depression, and even madness. Therefore, the secluded palace was often rumored to be a "haunted" place within the vast imperial city.
Images of abandoned palaces within the Forbidden City. Photo: 163/
What surprised many people was that the "cold palace" was not actually a fixed location. In his memoir "My First Half of Life," Puyi revealed that there was no palace called the "cold palace" within the Forbidden City.
Any room or area used to confine disgraced concubines could become a "cold palace" (a place where concubines are held in seclusion).
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Today, although the Forbidden City has become a world-famous tourist attraction, the areas that were once considered the imperial palace's private quarters remain closed off.
Partly because many areas have seriously deteriorated, posing potential dangers and requiring costly restoration. But more profoundly, they also hold the most painful memories of the imperial harem, the fates of those buried behind the crimson walls of the imperial palace.
Perhaps that is why the secluded palace remains the darkest secret in the history of the Forbidden City, a place where the light of power can never reach.
Truc Chi (compiled)