Hall of Preserving Harmony

The Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohe Dian) is the last main hall in the Outer Court. This rectangular wooden hall has multiple eaves, with ten different animal statues at each corner. It stands at the northern end of the three-tier marble terrace. Similar in style but somewhat smaller than the Hall of Supreme Harmony it is larger than the Hall of Central Harmony.

It was built in 1420, rebuilt in 1625 and renovated in 1765. The Ming Emperors would usually change into their ritual garments here prior to the ceremonial installation of an empress or crown prince. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), feasts were given to nobles and ministers on special occasions, such as the Spring Festival (lunar January 1st), the Lantern Festival (lunar January 15) and princesses' wedding days. The candidates who had won a series of preliminary contests took the Final Imperial Examination at the hall. The Final Imperial Examination took place every three years and the topic for an essay was assigned by the emperor himself.

You may notice a number of large marble blocks or rocks on the road. The most impressive one is the huge marble ramp behind the Hall of Preserving Harmony, which was carved with cloud and dragons design. It is 16. 07 meters long, 3.07 meters in width and 1.7 meters in thickness, and weighs about 200 tons. This huge rock was quarried from Fangshan District, around 70 kilometers southwest of Beijing. On the ramp, the nine dragons fly behind the floating clouds representing the unity of the great empire and the Emperor's divine power granted by the God .