A Study of Early Manchu Edifices in Mukden

Drake, Fred W.
University of Massachusetts

35^th Meeting of the PIAC, Taipei 1992

My paper inquires into the role of the Mukden imperial palace and the tombs of Nurhaci and Abahai as symbolic architecture, with slides to illustrate their present condition (as of August, 1991). It views the palace and tombs as emblematic of the vibrant cultural interaction (most dramatically displayed in the earliest phase of the palace) that resulted from the early Manchu attraction to Chinese culture. It suggests that the Manchu state’s first large-scale use of Chinese-inspired architecture, which demonstrated its willingness to adopt important features of Ming-era Chinese culture, should not be overlooked as a significan t early step to ward attaining political and cultural legitimation within the Chinese world order. It maintains that the early palace and tombs serve as a useful measure of Manchu identification with Chinese cultural standards during their rise to prominence in Mukden, and that post-1644 additions to the palace likewise depict the increasing degree of Manchu cultural adaptation as the K’ang-hsi and Ch’ien-lung Emperors increasingly embraced Chinese culture. Finally, it indicates that the palace and tombs continue to serve as local symbols in China’s Northeast for a Buddhist revival, for an ethnic Manchu identity, and for monarchist sentiment.