Museum of the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo

Background

The Museum of the Imperial Palace of Manchukuo is in Kuancheng District, Changchun, Jilin Province, in the northeast of the city. Puyi, the last emperor, lived and ruled here from 1932 to 1945. Manchukuo was a puppet state set up by Japan; Puyi was its nominal head of state but was in fact under Japanese control. The palace is divided into an outer court for state affairs and an inner court for daily life. Qinmin Building, Jixi Building and Tongde Hall are its three representative buildings, blending Chinese, Japanese and European styles. The grounds also hold a rockery, a fish pond, a swimming pool, a tennis court and other ancillary facilities. The 1987 film The Last Emperor was partly shot here. The complex was originally the office of the Jilin-Heilongjiang Salt Administration, which managed the salt affairs of Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. Puyi moved in in 1932 and held his enthronement ceremony in Qinmin Building in March 1934. In August 1945 the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, Manchukuo collapsed, and Puyi was captured by Soviet troops while fleeing. In 1962 the site became the Puppet Imperial Palace Exhibition Hall; from 1982 items from the Jilin Provincial Museum enriched its exhibitions; it took its current name in 2001 and was fully renovated in 2004. It is now a national 5A tourist attraction.

Local customs

• We suggest you see the outer-court administrative area first and then the inner-court living quarters: in Qinmin Building, see the restored office and audience scenes
• in Jixi Building, the living quarters and family furnishings
• in Tongde Hall, the throne and palace items. The remains of the rockery and fish pond, the swimming pool, the tennis court and other ancillary facilities in the grounds are also worth seeing.

Travel tips

• Opening hours differ between summer and winter
• check the official website. Allow half a day. Guided tours are available in the museum, subject to on-site arrangements.
• From central Changchun, take a bus to the Imperial Palace area, or take the metro and transfer to a bus
• check local bus information for routes. The exhibitions are mostly indoors, so the museum is good to visit in any season, including winter.