Welcoming the spring and embracing fortune, the beckoning cats

In the Forbidden City, this place of high walls and deep courtyards, aside from the motionless artifacts of emperors and their consorts from dynasties past, there also resides a group of little sprites that are not easily seen by visitors—the stray cats. Of the 32 departments within the Forbidden City, more than 20 have taken in stray cats. Over the past 5 years, the Forbidden City has set up a special account for the neutering of these stray cats, spending a total of 18,410 yuan. Where do these cats come from? And why do they not leave this place? Unveiling the dust-covered history, we might find some clues. Historical records show that since ancient times, many people in the palace kept cats. During the Ming dynasty, the practice of keeping 'palace cats' reached its pinnacle. The eunuch Liu Ruoyu recorded in 'Zhu Zhong Zhi · Nei Fu Ya Men Zhi Zhang': 'The Cat Room, attended by three or four servants, was dedicated to feeding the famous cats before the Emperor. Those favored by the Holy Heart were also promoted to managerial positions.' The Cat Room was the administrative body for the 'palace cats.' Its duties were not only to manage a large number of 'palace cats' but also to select the best among them to be presented to the Emperor. The ones the Emperor liked were kept for himself, and the others were bestowed upon the royal relatives. As history has changed, the whereabouts of the palace cats once beloved by the emperors and their consorts are now unknown. It is likely that some of these stray cats are their descendants. However, there is also a rumor in old Beijing that these cats are the reincarnations of the consorts of the Qing dynasty. Perhaps due to wrongful accusations or perhaps due to lingering attachment. Today, in the places where the emperors' consorts once lived, these cats still roam freely.