Wenyuan Pavilion
Wenyuan Pavilion is located behind the Wenhua Hall in the Donghua Gate of the Forbidden City, at the site of the original Shengji Hall in the Ming Dynasty. It was built from the 39th to 41st year of Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1774-1776 AD). It is the library for the royal collection of "Sikuquanshu". In the thirty-eighth year of Qianlong's reign (1773), the emperor issued an edict to open the "Sikuquanshu" to compile the "Sikuquanshu". In the 39th year, an edict was issued to build a library, and the Wenyuan Pavilion was ordered to be located behind the Wenhua Palace to store the "Sikuquanshu" in a suitable location. It was built in the 41st year of Qianlong (1776).
The Wenyuan Pavilion is located in the north and faces south. The structure of the pavilion is imitated by Fan's Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo, Zhejiang. The exterior has two floors, with a dark floor at the waist and eaves, and 6 rooms in width. There is a staircase in the west end room connecting the upper and lower floors. The two gables are built with blue bricks up to the roof, which is simple and elegant. The black glazed tile roof and the green glazed tile trimmed edges symbolize that black dominates water and uses water to suppress fire to preserve the safety of the library. The front porch of the pavilion is equipped with fringed railings, upside-down lintels hanging under the eaves, green eaves columns, and fresh and pleasing Su-style paintings, which is more of a garden architectural style. A pool was dug in front of the pavilion, allowing the Jinshui River to flow in. A stone bridge was built over the pool. The stone bridge and the fences around the pool were carved with aquatic animal patterns, which were elegant and beautiful. Behind the pavilion, the lake rocks are piled up into a mountain, which is like a barrier. Pines and cypresses are planted in the mountains. It lasted more than 200 years and became vigorous, tall and lush. There is a stele pavilion built on the east side of the pavilion, with a unique shape and yellow glazed tiles on the top of the helmet. There is a stone tablet in the pavilion. The front is engraved with "The Record of Wenyuan Pavilion" written by Emperor Qianlong, and the back is engraved with an imperial poem about a banquet given by Wenyuan Pavilion.
Since the Wenyuan Pavilion was built in the 41st year of Qianlong (1776), the emperor held Buddhist feasts here every year. When the "Sikuquanshu" was completed in the forty-seventh year (1728), Emperor Qianlong held a banquet in Wenyuan Pavilion to reward officials and participants at all levels who compiled the "Sikuquanshu". It was an unprecedented event.
The "Sikuquanshu" and the "Collection of Ancient and Modern Books" were put into the Wenyuan Pavilion of Tibet and placed according to the four parts of the Classics and History Collection. There are 22 shelves, including the Confucian classics of the Ministry of Classics, and the "General Catalog of Sikuquanshu" and the "Collection of Ancient and Modern Books" are placed on the first floor, and the emperor's throne is set in the middle, which is the place for scripture lectures and banquets. Three rooms on the second floor are connected to the first floor, surrounded by floors and bookshelves, containing 33 shelves of history books. The second floor is a dark floor with very weak light. It can only store books but is not conducive to reading. On the third floor, except for the west end room, which is a stairwell, the other five rooms are connected. Each room is separated by bookshelves according to the front and rear columns, making it spacious and bright. 22 shelves of Zibu books and 28 shelves of Jibu books are stored here, and an imperial couch is set up in the open room for the emperor to read in the pavilion at any time. Emperor Qianlong was proud of having such a luxurious collection of books. He once wrote a poem saying: "Bingshen Gaoge ranks Qiange, and now I am happy to write a book in Yejialuo..." The Qing Palace stipulated that if any ministers and officials were fond of ancient books, they should diligently Students, with permission, can go to the pavilion to read books, but they are not allowed to damage the books, and they are not allowed to take the books out of the pavilion.
After the "Sikuquanshu" was compiled, it initially took six years to copy the four original parts. Except for one part, which is hidden in Wenyuan Pavilion, the other three parts are hidden in Wenyuan Pavilion, Wenjin Pavilion, and Wenjin Pavilion. Wensu Pavilion and the Four Pavilions are also called "North Four Pavilions". Later, three more copies were copied and hidden in Wenzong Pavilion, Wenhui Pavilion, and Wenlan Pavilion, called "Nansan Pavilion". Some of the seven volumes have been lost or are in the collections of various libraries. The Wenyuan Pavilion copy is now in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei.
Wenyuange Academician
The academician system established in the Ming Dynasty prevented the prime minister from having exclusive power and established a complete central operating mechanism. In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the position of prime minister to avoid the loss of imperial power. However, in this way, the military and political power of the country was concentrated in the emperor. The emperor was very busy with government affairs and had no one to consult when things happened. Therefore, he set up a palace, and the members of the palace were bachelors, who served as advisors. However, the bachelors at this time were only high counselors and had no real power. By the time of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, cabinet ministers gradually participated in machine maintenance and assisted in the administration of the government. , slowly formed a cabinet system. Later, when Xu Guangqi was appointed as a bachelor, the power of the cabinet was already very great, almost equivalent to that of the prime minister. Moreover, Xu Guangqi also served as the Minister of Rites, an official responsible for national ceremonies, education, and imperial examinations. He was also considered to have power over the entire government.
The Ming Dynasty's top bachelors included Zhongji, Jianji, and Wenhua , Wuying and other halls, and Wenyuange, Dongge and other majors.
The portrait of the grand scholar of the Diange Palace on the screen is the image of the grand scholar of the Wenhua Palace in the 16th year of Hongwu. He wears a lacquered gauze futou with spread horns on his head, with horns one foot and two inches long on both sides. It is said that this is to prevent each other from whispering when going to court. Wearing a purple robe with a coiled collar and wide sleeves, there are patches on the chest and back that symbolize rank, and there are tooth tags and tassels hanging on the waist. The official title and name are engraved on the tooth tag, which is a certificate for entry and exit. The bachelor wore soap boots and held a wat in both hands, as if he was respectful to the emperor when he went to court to perform an official mission.
In July of the fifteenth year of Shunzhi (AD 1658), the Qing Dynasty changed the three inner chambers into the cabinet based on the Ming system. The title of Grand Bachelor was changed to the title of "Grand Bachelor of Zhonghe Hall", "Grand Bachelor of Baohe Hall", "Grand Bachelor of Wenhua Hall", "Grand Bachelor of Wuying Hall", "Grand Bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion", "Grand Bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion", "Dongge University Scholar" (in the 13th year of Qianlong's reign, the Zhonghe Hall was removed and the Tiren Pavilion was added, making it three halls and three pavilions).