The best way to describe the palace, which is named after the Qianlong Emperor, is that the front looks like the Haiyantang from the Old Summer Palace, but three stories tall. From an areal view, you can see some design elements taken from the Berlin Palace of in terms of locations of the courtyards. The palace serves as the main imperial residence of the Guangxu Emperor and his successors and is where state affairs are handled, while the Forbidden City is used for formal ceremonies. Occasional western-style galas are also held there.
In a part of Beijing far from the Forbidden City, a western-style palace called the Qianlong Palace is built as a gift for the Guangxu Emperor.
- Thread starter PrussianQing2015
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Who Build and why? who give the gift? anf for the later you might need an embassy to give that needed to do those...
Just now, I imagine that it would be built by the French or the English designers as a token of apology for destroying the Old Summer Palace during the Second Opium War. Or it could be built by Germans seeing as I imagine a timeline where the Qing Dynasty develop strong ties with the German Empire and Gunagxu attending a school in Berlin for a western education as you've seen in a past forum.
I doubt the former as they where hacking china piece to piece via unequal treaties, maybe the germans?
Where would you want the palace to be located? On the site of Old Summer Palace? Or the New Summer Palace? Or within today’s Zhongnanhai?
Firstly, the name of the palace. In Chinese culture, using the era name “Qianlong” directly would be considered too blunt, and affront to the naming taboo a son was supposed to observe for his forefathers. If you want to generate Qianlong, probably Shiquan Palace (十全宫) would be a good idea.
Secondly, how do you finance building of the palace? OTL Guangxu Emperor was suffering from chronic financial shortages, as Qing power fell apart after Taiping Rebellion.
To build such a palace, probably Cixi and her Summer Palace has to go. Her replacement (say Empress Dowager Ci’an) would want to fund building such a palace for the emperor instead of for herself.
Or, the death of Sengge Rinchen had to be avoided, so that the central government would have more military leverages against Han Chinese local warlords, and would be able to take away their financial autonomy.
Or alternatively, legalize opium and tax it.
Firstly, the name of the palace. In Chinese culture, using the era name “Qianlong” directly would be considered too blunt, and affront to the naming taboo a son was supposed to observe for his forefathers. If you want to generate Qianlong, probably Shiquan Palace (十全宫) would be a good idea.
Secondly, how do you finance building of the palace? OTL Guangxu Emperor was suffering from chronic financial shortages, as Qing power fell apart after Taiping Rebellion.
To build such a palace, probably Cixi and her Summer Palace has to go. Her replacement (say Empress Dowager Ci’an) would want to fund building such a palace for the emperor instead of for herself.
Or, the death of Sengge Rinchen had to be avoided, so that the central government would have more military leverages against Han Chinese local warlords, and would be able to take away their financial autonomy.
Or alternatively, legalize opium and tax it.
That is not a gift? but yeah running the palace might cose some good money regardless if the building and furniture was a gift
If not a gift make zero sense they would build another 'barbarian house' specially after opium wars
At first I was considering the sight of the Old Summer Palace, but I didn't want to demolish more of the place. Parts like Wànhuāzhèn maze deserve to be restored. Perhaps the sight of where the new Summer Palace was built in the OTL could work.
I like it, Seeing as the number 9 is considered a lucky number in Chinese culture and th common myth of the Forbidden City having 9,999.5 it would make sense for the Shiquan to basically be a tenth Palace. Another name could simply be Shigong Palace (十宫).
As I've said to Nivek, I imagine that it would be built by French or English designers as a token of apology for destroying the Old Summer Palace during the Second Opium War. Or it could be built by Germans seeing as I imagine a timeline where the Qing Dynasty develop strong ties with the German Empire with Gunagxu attending a school in Berlin for a western education
I like that approach. It would make a nice gift for Guangxu when he returns from Germany. To add to that, in my ideal alternate timeline, I imagine Cixi dying in 1875 shortly after Guangxu becomes emperor.