Photography Empty Qianqing Palace in the Forbidden City

• Skušek's Collection (SEM)
• Slovene Ethnographic Museum

A black-and-white photograph showing the vacated Qianqing Palace (Qianqinggong 乾清宫) in the Forbidden City (Gugong 故宫 or Zijincheng 紫禁城) in Beijing after the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911). The reception hall was for audiences the emperor gave to courtiers and foreign diplomats. In the place where the throne should have been, there are two pentagrams (wuse quoqi 五色國旗), which were the official flags of the Republic of China (Zhonghua minguo 中華民国) during the period 1912 to 1928. From top to bottom, the colours follow each other in the following order: red, yellow, blue, white, and black.

The photograph is the 304th of 449 photographs of Beijing and its surroundings in the album of Ivan Skušek Jr., purchased during his stay in Beijing (1914–1920). In the handwritten inventory of the album, the photograph is referred to as Ausgeräumte Thron-Halle (Nr. 300) nach Dynastie-Stürz. (DZ, MV)

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