Hong Kong Palace Museum | Entering the Forbidden City: Architecture, Collection, and Heritage

This bell is a musical instrument that was used in state rituals and functions. The Qing court used twelve bells in one set. Each has a unique pitch and corresponds to one of the twelve lunar months. This bell’s pitch “southern pipe” (nanlu) is the tenth of the twelve pitches, which was used as the fundamental for all ritual ceremonies during the eighth lunar month.

Many ancient objects in the Qing imperial household were upcycled. New elements were added to endow them with new functions. This jade cong was originally a ritual object. A cloisonné liner was added during the Qianlong period (1736–1795) to transform it into an incense burner. Due to the limited archaeological knowledge at the time, the imperial poem inside the jade cong was carved upside down.

In Tibetan Buddhism, Amitāyus, Buddha of Limitless Life, is venerated for his association with longevity.. Figures of this deity were produced annually at the Qing imperial court, especially for birthday celebrations. Specially made by the imperial workshops, the shrine here sets off the figures by imitating the screens behind the emperor’s thrones in the Qing court.

Puyi, the Xuantong Emperor, embraced both Chinese and Western culture. He purchased numerous records of Peking and clapper operas as well as Western classical music and played them on gramophones. Many records in his collection were products of the Pathé Orient, the first record company in China. The company was later incorporated into Electric and Musical Industries (EMI), which relocated to Hong Kong in 1952 and produced records for well-known singers, such as Roman Tam, Danny Chan, and Faye Wong.