Abstract
The imperial palace complex of the Eastern Han dynasty consisted of the Southern Palace and the Northern Palace. Moreover, each of those had its own “eastern” and “western palace,” making in all four rather independent building complexes. This article first identifies the main buildings of each complex: the front hall of the “eastern palace” in the southern palace complex was the Yuntai Hall, with the Yutang Hall and other buildings behind it. The front hall of the “eastern palace” in the northern palace complex was the Deyang Hall, and behind it were the Zhangde Hall and other buildings. The front halls of the “western palaces” were the Jiade Hall in the south and the Chongde Hall in the north, and each had its own affiliated buildings. In the Eastern Han dynasty, the eastern palace served as the residence of the emperor, while the western palace was that of the empress dowager. As control of the empire alternated between emperors and empress-dowager regents, the seat of power shifted between the eastern and western palaces. This physical east-west divide made it easier for the powerful empress dowager to hold regency from her own residence, and it contributed to the growing involvement in court politics of imperial in-laws and the rise of eunuchs.
Keywords
Eastern Han, the Southern Palace, the Northern Palace, the Eastern Palace, the Western Palace
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