Museum of the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo 伪满皇宫博物院

About Museum of the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo

The mix of domestic rooms, official reception spaces and later palace buildings reveals a very different setting from Beijing's Forbidden City. Jixi Building interprets the family's private life, Qinmin Building the official role, and Tongde Hall the ambitious architectural setting. Reading these spaces together gives the visit a clear structure without treating the displays or restored interiors as a neutral account of the period.

The complex occupies the former office of the Jihei Salt Distribution Bureau, which Puyi's (溥仪) government took over as its seat in April 1932 after he became head of state of Manchukuo. Because the term for the Japanese emperor's palace was reserved, his residence was officially called only the Imperial Residence (帝宫). It was divided into an outer court for state business and an inner court for palace life, and suffered heavy damage after Manchukuo's collapse in 1945.

Jixi Building (缉熙楼), where Puyi and Empress Wanrong (婉容) had their private quarters, began in 1908 as a residence for salt warehouse officials; it was rebuilt in 1928 and renovated for Puyi's household, who moved in on 4 April 1932. Qinmin Building (勤民楼) served formal functions: its main hall hosted Puyi's 1934 enthronement ceremony, his 1932 reception of the League of Nations' Lytton Commission and the 1933 signing of the Japan-Manchukuo Protocol. Huaiyuan Building (怀远楼) combined a banqueting hall with a shrine to Qing emperors and empresses.

The site opened as an exhibition hall in 1962, became an independent museum in 1982 and fully reopened to the public in 1984, taking its present name in 2001. It was listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level in 2013 and rated a national first-grade museum in 2017.

What to look for

• Jixi Building's private living quarters and Qinmin Building's official rooms.
• Tongde Hall's large interior and the compound's mixture of Chinese, Japanese and European architectural influences.

The surrounding area

Provincial capital base for modern history, Xinmin Avenue and the separate Jingyuetan outdoor area.

Location & getting there

Getting to Museum of the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo

Use 5 Guangfu North Road in Kuancheng District, near Weihuanggong station on Metro Line 4. Follow the museum's current one-way or timed-entry arrangements.