December 7｜Traveling around Hangzhou: Mr. Sanmiao-telling you the logic behind the palace fighting drama in the Southern Song Dynasty

Mr. Sanmao comes to Hangzhou, Zhejiang, to tell you the story behind the palace fighting drama in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Deoksugung Palace Site:

In the history of ancient China, if there is a prime minister with the highest status, who made the emperor guard against him all his life and could do nothing about it, Qin Hui is definitely a very strong candidate. Nowadays, when Qin Hui is mentioned, the death of Yue Fei is always mentioned. Qin Hui is also the number one traitor in history. His kneeling statue is still in front of Yue Temples in various places. Such a treacherous and evil person formed a political alliance with the then emperor Song Gaozong, which is still controversial. It was not until Qin Hui died that this seemingly unbreakable alliance collapsed. Now, nearly a thousand years have passed, and everything in the Southern Song Dynasty has long become a thing of the past. The stories of Song Gaozong, Qin Hui and Yue Fei have been adapted and told countless times. In addition to various novels, De Shou Palace, which truly witnessed these histories, has been excavated in recent years and is open to tourists.

De Shou Palace was not originally called a " palace " , but the residence of Qin Hui. After Qin Hui's death, it was taken over by Song Gaozong. After Song Gaozong abdicated to Song Xiaozong in the 32nd year of Shaoxing, Qin Hui's residence was named De Shou Palace as a place for retirement. After Song Gaozong abdicated the throne to Song Xiaozong, he settled here and finally died here. Not long after, Song Xiaozong abdicated to Song Guangzong and spent the last years of his life here. For a long period of time in the history of the Southern Song Dynasty, De Shou Palace was the residence of the retired emperor. If the term retired emperor meant the loss of power in other dynasties, it was not the case in the Southern Song Dynasty. After becoming the retired emperor, Song Gaozong was able to remotely control the government from De Shou Palace for more than 20 years. This was also a special political struggle phenomenon in the Southern Song Dynasty. The past of Deokshou Palace and Qin Hui, the story of the retired emperor, and a savage queen who was once witnessed here, the stories are very exciting, but few people have explored the logic behind them. However, only by knowing the logic behind them, the study of history will be meaningful.

The De Shou Palace we see today was rebuilt on the ruins. This is also an antique building that many people ridiculed as " not the Western Zhou Dynasty, not the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, but the Zhou Dynasty " . Due to the particularity of ancient Chinese architecture, there are basically no buildings left in the past. Archaeologists are only facing various ruins. So how did they reconstruct the past buildings based on such relics? How rigorous and speculative are the restorations of these antique buildings? What is the significance of antique buildings for our understanding of ancient times? These questions are difficult for tourists to think of. Many people go to places just to " check in and take pictures " . But the problem is that if ancient Chinese buildings need to be restored by antique buildings, then scientific research on this restoration has become a necessary experience, such as the De Shou Palace in Hangzhou, the Yuejiang Tower in Nanjing, and the Yingtian Gate in Luoyang. The scientific basis and stories in these restorations are also worth telling.

The Deshou Palace Ruins are a Southern Song Dynasty palace ruins in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, and are part of the Southern Song Dynasty Lin'an City Ruins. Deshou Palace was originally the residence of Qin Hui, located in the north of the Southern Song Dynasty palace city. Later, it became the palace of Song Gaozong and Song Xiaozong after they abdicated, so it was once called " Beinei " . After the middle and late Southern Song Dynasty, it was gradually abandoned. The Southern Song Dynasty Deshou Palace Ruins Museum is now built on the original site.

Team leader

Mr. Three Cats

Gold Medal Lecturer of Xunji Lecture Hall

Planner of high-quality courses such as "Seven Years' War" and "Ocean Empire"

Translator of books such as "Sinking the Battleship Tirpitz"

Event Highlights

Deoksugung Palace Site

De Shou Palace is located near the Drum Tower in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. De Shou Palace was originally a Feng Shui treasure land obtained by Qin Hui from Emperor Gaozong of Song Dynasty and built as a prime minister's residence. After Qin Hui's death, Emperor Gaozong rebuilt it as his residence after his abdication in his later years, and named it " De Shou Palace " . After several name changes and renovations, this palace completely fell into decline in the Qing Dynasty. 

Deoksugung Palace faces south and its layout is similar to that of the imperial city. The southern half is the palace area, and the northern half is the back garden area, with a total area of ​​about 170,000 square meters. There are more than ten palaces and courtyards in the palace, including Deoksugung Palace, Lingzhi Palace, and Shooting Hall. The back garden of Deoksugung Palace is centered on the large pond and is divided into four major areas: east, west, south, and north. It has landscapes such as Cold Spring, Feilai Peak, Juyuan Tower, Huanxi, Wansui Bridge, and Simian Pavilion, and is exquisitely arranged with flowers of all seasons for appreciation. After hundreds of years of damage caused by the overlapping of urban buildings, the main parts of the various buildings in Deoksugung Palace have long disappeared, leaving only some rammed earth platforms, piers, and column bases. 

De Shou Palace was the residence of Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty after he abdicated in his later years. It was called " Bei Nei " by people at that time, and its status was similar to that of the Imperial Palace (called " Nan Nei " by people at that time). De Shou Palace is a palace in the south and garden in the north. Its back garden is the palace garden of the Southern Song Dynasty with the most surviving materials. As an early garden of the Southern Song Dynasty, it has the significance of inheriting the past and ushering in the future. In the history of gardens, it is the most important case of the recognition of the royal gardens of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Registration Information

Event Time

● December 7 , 2024 (Saturday)

Event Location

●Hangzhou Deshou Palace Ruins Museum

* The specific meeting place will be sent to your mobile phone by our customer service staff about three days before the group starts. Please pay attention to the push notifications.

* After successful registration, you must go to the gathering place and participate in the event together. After the event, you will be dismissed at the same place.

Southern Song Deshou Palace Ruins Museum: 100 meters east of the intersection of Wangjiang Road and Zhonghe Middle Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province ( near Hangzhou Local Records Museum )

Number of participants

●No more than 30 people

●Children under 6 years old are not recommended to participate. Minors aged 6-14 years old must be accompanied by a guardian

●Refuse to temporarily parachute

Activity Fees

The fee includes: explanation by expert lecturer; tour guide service throughout the trip; audio guide.

The fee does not include: attraction tickets, round trip travel before and after the meeting; other personal expenses.

Refund Policy

● If the event is unable to take place due to the organizer’s reasons or force majeure, all fees can be refunded to you (the place can be reserved if it is postponed);

●In addition to the above, no fees will be refunded once the registration is successful (transferable places);

● Children under 6 years old are not allowed to participate in this event, and children between 6 and 14 years old are not allowed to participate in the event alone.

* Note: In order to ensure the sustainability of offline activities, recording and videotaping are prohibited throughout the event. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding

* Note: After successful registration, the fee is non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Please do not bid if you mind.