Palace's hidden glories unearthed

Royal workshop

Discovery of the early Ming palatial ruins was accidental. When archaeologists began excavations in 2020, they expected to find more clues to a disappearing but well-known royal workshop from centuries before, known in Chinese as Zaobanchu.

More-detailed documentation of this area since the late Ming period is available for today's researchers, giving a better idea of royal life in a number of respects. In 1627, a warehouse for the emperor's stationery was located in this area, while a kitchen serving the nearby Cining Gong can be seen on a map from 1679.

In 1691, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty ordered the royal Zaobanchu workshop to be set up, marking the start of a booming century for traditional craftsmanship that lasted until his grandson Qianlong's reign (1736-95).

The workshop operated until the early 20th century. None of its facilities and artisans' residences are visible above ground today, but the site is an ideal location for archaeology.

Xu said: "We know that abundant heritage is buried in this palatial compound, but we cannot demolish the palaces and dig up the ground. The current site creates a perfect and rare chance for us to see the Forbidden City's past within a relatively small area, like minimally invasive surgery."