A Secret Garden - The Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City

Constructed in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), this pavilion is essentially square with a round roof and verandas on four sides. It has carved overhanging eaves and multiple angles with the same cross shape and structure as Pavilion of Ten-thousand Springs (万春亭) on the garden's east side. Buddhist statues were enshrined here, as well as the spirit tablet of the Tongzhi Emperor (r. 1862-1874). This pavilion is located on the west, the direction that in Chinese philosophy correlates with autumn.

Pavilion of Auspicious Clarity (澄瑞亭)

Constructed in 1583 during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), this pavilion with veranda stands on a single-arched bridge spanning a fish pond. This square pavilion has four open sides and a pyramid-shaped roof with green glazed tiles. The attached veranda has a rolled roof. The pavilion is symmetrical paired with the Pavilion of Floating Jade on the garden's east side.

Pavilion of Floating Jade (浮碧亭)

Built on a single-arched bridge spanning a rectangular fish pond, this pavilion was an addition of the Jiajing emperor (r. 1522-1566) in 1583 during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The square pavilion has a pyramid-shaped roof covered with green-glazed tiles and edged with yellow-glazed tiles. It complements the Pavilion of Auspicious Clarity on the west side of the garden.

Studio of Establishing Teachings (位育斋)

The Studio of Establishing Teachings can be found in the northwestern part of the Imperial Garden. It was renamed several times and assumed the current name in Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The name Weiyu is derived from a sentence in The Doctrine of Golden Mean, embodying one of the political ideals of Confucius teaching.

In front of the studio locates a fishpond above which an arch bridge was constructed. Over the bridge is the Pavilion of Auspicious Clarity. The studio had been used as a hall for worshiping the Buddha.

Five Chinese flowering crab-apple trees once grew in front of the pavilion. When the trees were in full bloom, the falling crimson petals looked like dancing snowflakes, which inspired the name. After the Chinese flowering crab-apple trees died, Beijing mock oranges were planted.

The Kangxi (r. 1662-1722) and Qianlong (r. 1736-1795) Emperors admired flowers and composed poems with their officials here. The scale and floor plan of the Belvedere of Crimson Snow is complemented by the Lodge of Spiritual Cultivation (养性斋) in the same position on the west side of the garden. Buildings like these were part of the original layout of the Imperial Garden in 1420.