Yuan Shikai fasted for 3 days in his own residence rather than here, as tradition dictated. Perhaps this was his undoing (he died 1 1/2 years later). Real emperors would fast and pray for 5 days, spending their final night in the Living Hall (Qin Dian) at the rear of this compound. Note the rare swastika emblems, a symbol of longevity in China, on the door piers. This green-tiled double-moated compound faces east, the best side at which to enter. The grounds are agreeably dilapidated, and are on a more human scale than the rest of the compound.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Beijing, 5th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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