Hall of Mental Cultivation in Beijing's Forbidden City Reopens to the Public

On December 26, 2025, the Hall of Mental Cultivation (Yangxin Dian) at the Palace Museum in Beijing, a site of significant public interest, officially reopened to visitors. Following nearly a decade of systematic conservation and research, this palace hall, which witnessed pivotal historical events, has once again unveiled its secrets to the world.

The restoration and display of the reopened Hall of Mental Cultivation do not follow a uniform "one-size-fits-all" approach of restoring all rooms to a single historical period. Instead, curators have selectively restored each room to its most characteristic era, allowing historical highlights from different times to coexist within the same complex. The central bay of the main hall has been arranged to reflect its appearance during the "small court assemblies" held since the reign of Emperor Yongzheng. The Western Warmth Chamber is furnished according to the styles of the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, displaying the plaque inscribed with "Diligence in Governance and Affinity for the Virtuous" and a couplet that reads, "Should the ruler govern all under heaven alone? Should all under heaven serve the ruler alone?" The Sanxi Tang (Hall of Three Rarities) has been restored to its function as Emperor Qianlong's study, showcasing the refined elegance of a literati's space. The Eastern Warmth Chamber, which underwent the most significant changes in interior furnishings within the hall, is not presented in the more famous "Opening the Window on New Year's Day" layout. Instead, it features the kang (heated platform) where Empress Dowagers sat and the throne of the young emperor, separated by a curtain, vividly recreating the historical scene of "holding court from behind a screen."