Scott No: 2649
Serial number: 1996-3
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: March 18, 1996
Designers: Wang Lan; Liu Wenbin
Size: 50*38mm
Perforation: 12
Sheet composition: 16
Printing process: offset

The construction of the Shenyang Imperial Palace was started in 1625, and finished in 1636. A palace built and resided by the founders of the Qing Dynasty Nurharchi and Huangtaiji before the dynasts entered inside the pass ( the area to the west of Shanhaiguan or to the east of Jiayuguan), it is one of the two ancient great palace building complexes preserved in good condition in China.

Located in the hub of the old city where Shenyang used to be, the Shenyang Imperial Palace occupies an area of 60,000 square meters, including more than 90 buildings with a total of over 300 rooms. The layout of the construction is arranged along three routes:

On the east route are Dazheng Palace and Shiwang Pavilion built during the reign period of Nurharchi;

On the mid-route are the imperial palace complex whose construction was continued into the reign period of huangtaiji, including the Daqingmen Gate, Chongzheng Palace, Phoenix Tower, Qingning Palace, Guanju Palace, Linzhi Palace, Yanqing Palace and Yongfu Palace;

On the west route are the Jiayin Hall, Wensu Pavilion and Yangxi Hall of Abstinence, which were added during the reign of Qianlong.

The front part of the Imperial Palace was built on the ground, while the rear part was on a 4-meter-tall support; showing a link to the customs of the Nuzhen people who lived on mountain slopes. Differing from the palace Museum in Beijing, the Shenyang palace widely uses the five-color glazed tiles and its gables are made of bricks. Meanwhile it boasts of a double-heating system by using "kang ( heatable brick beds)" and heatable floors. For example, there are "Wan Zi Kangs" in the west four rooms of the Qingning Palace. The kangs are connected to each other in the south, west and north sides. This reflects the old living customs of the Manzu people.

After the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, the Shenyang Imperial Palace became a museum, known as the ¡°domestic Palace Museum¡±. Now it is called the Shenyang Palace Museum.