The time of emperors

The Palace Museum and Chengde Mountain Resort highlight a collection of imported and domestic antique clocks, Wang Kaihao reports.

While the Palace Museum, China's imperial palace in Beijing from 1420 to 1911, also known as the Forbidden City, houses myriad artifacts that showcase traditional Chinese craftsmanship, it also boasts some 1,500 unique antique timepieces.

Most of these clocks, in various sizes and with dazzling ornaments, were made in Europe, mainly in the 18th and 19th centuries. Nonetheless, even in their home countries, it might be difficult to find such an ornate extravaganza of horology in one place, considering the wealth of their buyers－Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) emperors.

The emperors loved these ticking devices so much that they even took some to a mountain resort in Chengde in Hebei province, where they often spent their summers. More than 200 kilometers to the northeast of the Forbidden City, the resort was, back then, another center of governance.