In Memory of Chongqing: A Son's Devotion

In this video, Daisy Yiyou Wang and Jan Stuart, co-curators of "Empresses of China's Forbidden City, 1644-1912" discuss the story of the Qianlong emperor's deep devotion for his mother, Empress Dowager Chongqing. The emperor commissioned the creation of this nearly 250-pound Buddhist stupa which holds a lock of the empress' hair. This golden reliquary is one of the largest and most iconic objects in this landmark exhibition currently on view at the Smithsonian's Freer|Sackler until June 23, 2019.