Located in a remote area of the Forbidden City and described as one of its most "exotic" looking structures, this residence was built in 1420 as the "Palace of Longevity" (). In 1535, it was renamed the "Palace of Prolonging Auspiciousness" () by the
Jiajing Emperor. It received its current name after being renovated in 1686, during the reign of the
Kangxi Emperor. The palace was destroyed by multiple fires between 1845 and 1855. Rebuilding work began in 1909, with a main hall being replaced by the "Water Hall" (), a new three-story Western-style structure surrounded by a moat that was supposed to be filled with spring water from
Yuquan Mountain near
Beijing.
Empress Dowager Longyu inscribed the plaque for it, which read "Lingzhao Pavilion" (; ); the building is more commonly known as the "Crystal Palace" (). However, lack of funding and damage from a bombing raid in 1917 prevented the completion of the work. Today, only the iron cast and marble remain. In 1931, three two-story warehouses were added to house the
Palace Museum's artifacts. Since 2005, the warehouses have been used for the Ceramics Laboratory, the Research Centre for Ceramics, and the Research Centre for Traditional Calligraphy and Paintings. ==Residents==