All of the exhibits on display, including costumes, accessories, utensils and furnishings, as well as works of calligraphy and art, are usually housed at the Shenyang Palace Museum in Northeast China's Liaoning province. They were moved there from Beijing in the 1950s.

The Shenyang Palace Museum, also called the Mukden Palace, was built in 1625. It was once the formal residence of Qing Dynasty founder Nurhaci and his son Hong Taiji, before the dynasty moved to Beijing in 1644.

Since then, Shenyang - named Mukden (Shengjing) at the time - had served as the alternate national capital. Between 1671 and 1829, the emperors Kangxi, Qianlong, Jiaqing and Daoguang made 10 visits to Shenyang and each spent a short time living there to worship their ancestors.

Emperor Qianlong paid four visits to Shenyang, not only launching renovations and expansion of the palace, but also storing a large number of treasures there.