1790, Qing dynasty
The National Palace Museum holds a limited collection of Qing dynasty imperial architectural engineering drawings, with an estimated total of around fifty pieces. However, the exquisite craftsmanship of these drawings and their significant historical value should not be overlooked. With ongoing exhibitions and research, interpretation of these drawings has gradually deepened. Among them, the Topographical Drawing of the Qingning Palace in Shengjing, dated to 1790, is likely the most complete architectural floor plan of Shengjing in the Qing dynasty. In the context of Qing dynasty imperial architecture, topographical drawings were similar to modern architectural blueprints and were relatively common among surviving Qing architectural documents, forming the foundation of various construction projects.
The Qingning Palace was built during the reign of Emperor Hong Taiji (1592–1643, reigned 1626–1643) as the imperial residence for the emperor and empress. After the Qing conquered China, the palace became a site for Qing emperors to pay homage to ancestral tombs during their eastern tours to Shengjing. The Topographical Drawing of the Qingning Palace in Shengjing emerged after a report by Shengjing General Songchun in September 1790 stating that rainwater leakage had occurred at the palace. Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianlong dispatched Yilinga (?–1795), the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, to investigate the matter. The drawing was created based on the findings of Yilinga, who instructed the artist to mark the 12 areas in need of repair and presented the results to the emperor.
The drawing features various yellow and red tags: the yellow tags indicate the names of the buildings in Shengjing, whereas the red tags mark the areas requiring repair due to leakage. These yellow and red tags were part of a detailed report on the engineering work, known as “presenting the floor plan” at the time, which was submitted for the emperor’s review. The drawing serves as an important reference for the architectural history of Shengjing in the late 18th century.