Studies in the Forbidden City

Though there is a three-floor royal library in the Forbidden City known as Wenyuan Ge ("Belvedere of Literary Profundity"), emperors usually preferred a cozy and private space when reading, reviewing documents and writing. Nearly 30 studies are scattered across the Forbidden City, and most of them were built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The most famous examples are:

Sanxi Tang (Hall of Three Rarities). It gained its name because Emperor Qianlong kept a collection of three milestone calligraphic works there, including one written by Wang Xizhi.