Chengqiangong

Chengqiangong is one of the east six palaces in living zone of Forbidden City of Beijing. In 1420, it was completed and originally named Yongninggong (Palace of Eternal Tranquility). In August, 1632, it was finalized to be Chengqiangong. In 1655 it was rebuilt and in 1832 it was also partially restored. In Ming Dynasty, this palace was lived by Concubines and in Qing Dynasty; it was still the residence of concubines.

Additionally, Chengqiangong was not only famous for the pear flowers, but also a very heart-broken love story surrounding in the palaces over the past hundreds of years. In the early time of Qing Dynasty, Concubine Dongefei loved deeply by Emperor Shunzhi lived here. Here, Dongefei lived happily with Emperor Shunzhi in this pear-flower-blooming palace. Their romantic love story was even adored and spread by many famous poets or scholars such as Wu Meicun, a patriotic poet who wrote a lot of poems connected with love and patriotism.