page_title: List of palaces
section_title: List of Chinese imperial palaces, in chronological order
hierarchical_section_title: List of palaces / China / List of Chinese imperial palaces, in chronological order
caption_attribution_description: Čeština: Brána „Nová Čína“ Čung-nan-chaj, Si-čcheng, Peking, Čínská lidová republika English: Xinhua Gate (新华门), Zhongnanhai, Beijing, China
context_page_description: Darul Aman Palace, Kabul – the country's most famous palace.
  Tajbeg Palace – inaccurately known as the Queen's Palace in English
  Arg Presidential Palace – Home of the President of Afghanistan
context_section_description: This is an incomplete list of Chinese palaces.
  Xianyang Palace (咸陽宮), in (Qin) Xianyang (咸陽), now 15 km/9 miles east of modern Xianyang, Shaanxi province: this was the royal palace of the state of Qin before the Chinese unification, and then the palace of the First Emperor when China was unified.
  Epang Palace (阿房宮 – probable meaning: "The Palace on the Hill"), 20 km/12 miles south of (Qin) Xianyang (咸陽), now 15 km/9 miles west of Xi'an (西安), Shaanxi province: the fabulous imperial palace built by the First Emperor in replacement of Xianyang Palace.
  Weiyang Palace (未央宮 – "The Endless Palace"), in (Han) Chang'an (長安), now 7 km/4 miles northeast of downtown Xi'an (西安), Shaanxi province: imperial palace of the prestigious Western Han dynasty for two centuries. This is the largest palace ever built on Earth, covering 4.8 km² (1,200 acres), which is 6.7 times the size of the Forbidden City, or 11 times the size of the Vatican City.
  Southern Palace (南宮) and Northern Palace (北宮), in Luoyang (洛陽), Henan province: imperial palaces of the Eastern Han Dynasty for two centuries, the Southern Palace being used for court hearings and audiences, the Northern Palace being the private residence of the emperor and his concubines.
  Taiji Palace (太極宮 – "Palace of the Supreme Ultimate"), also known as the Western Apartments (西内), in (Tang) Chang'an (長安), now downtown Xi'an (西安), Shaanxi province: imperial palace during the Sui dynasty (who called it Daxing Palace – 大興宮, "Palace of Great Prosperity") and in the beginning of the Tang dynasty (until A.D. 663). Area: 4.2 km² (1,040 acres), imperial section proper: 1.92 km² (474 acres).
  Daming Palace (大明宮 – "Palace of Great Brightness"), also known as the Eastern Apartments (東内), in (Tang) Chang'an (長安), now downtown Xi'an (西安), Shaanxi province: imperial palace of the Tang dynasty after A.D. 663 (it was briefly named Penglai Palace (蓬萊宮) between 663 and 705), but the prestigious Taiji Palace remained used for major state ceremonies such as coronations. Area: 3.11 km² (768 acres), almost 4.5 times the size of the Forbidden City.
  Kaifeng Imperial Palace (東京大内皇宮), in Dongjing (東京), now called Kaifeng (開封), Henan province: imperial palace of the Northern Song dynasty.
  Hangzhou Imperial Palace (臨安大内禁宮), in Lin'an (臨安), now called Hangzhou (杭州), Zhejiang province: imperial palace of the Southern Song dynasty.
  Karakorum (哈拉和林), site of the imperial palace of the Mongol Empire.
  Shangdu (元上都) and Khanbaliq (元大都), locations of the imperial palaces of the Yuan dynasty.
  Ming Imperial Palace (明故宮), in Nanjing (南京), Jiangsu province: imperial palace of the Ming dynasty until 1421.
  Forbidden City (紫禁城), now known in China as Beijing's Old Palace (北京故宫), in Jingshi (京師), now called Beijing (北京): imperial palace of the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty from 1421 until 1924. Area: 720,000 m² (178 acres). The Forbidden City is the world's largest palace currently in existence.
  Apart from the main imperial palace, Chinese dynasties also had several other imperial palaces in the capital city where the empress, crown prince, or other members of the imperial family dwelled. There also existed palaces outside of the capital city called "away palaces" (離宮) where the emperors resided when traveling. The habit also developed of building garden estates in the countryside surrounding the capital city, where the emperors retired at times to get away from the rigid etiquette of the imperial palace, or simply to escape from the summer heat inside their capital. This practice reached a zenith with the Qing dynasty, whose emperors built the fabulous Imperial Gardens (御園), now known in China as the Gardens of Perfect Brightness (圓明園), and better known in English as the Old Summer Palace. The emperors of the Qing Dynasty resided and worked in the Imperial Gardens, 8 km/5 miles outside of the walls of Beijing, the Forbidden City inside Beijing being used only for formal ceremonies.
  These gardens were made up of three gardens: the Garden of Perfect Brightness proper, the Garden of Eternal Spring (長春園), and the Elegant Spring Garden (綺春園);
caption: Xinhua Gate, formal entrance to the Zhongnanhai compound.
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