Construction of the Garden of Virtue and Harmony (Deheyuan) commenced in 1891 and was completed in 1895. It was designed as a theatre for the Empress Dowager Cixi, and consists of a theater building, and two halls, Yiledian (Hall of Nurtured Joy) and Qingshantang (Hall of Celebrating Benevolence). It is the largest of the three famous theaters built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the other two being the Changyin Pavilion of the Forbidden City and the Qingyin Pavilion of the Mountain Resort in Chengde, Hebei Province.
