[1] During the early Qing dynasty under the reign of the Kangxi Emperor the hall was mostly used as a workshop, wherein artisan objects like clocks were designed and manufactured.

From 2006, the Palace Museum instigated a research and conservation project aimed at restoring the hall, and preserving its cultural relics like thangkas.

[3] From 1691, most of these craft workshops and ateliers were transferred to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility Archived 2022-01-21 at the Wayback Machine (Cining gong) which was built in 1536.

[1] The Yongzheng Emperor moved from the Palace of Heavenly Purity to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, since he felt uncomfortable sleeping inside the place where his father died.

[1] It was up until 1912 after the abdication of the Xuantong Emperor who ascended to the throne in 1908, that the Hall of Mental Cultivation stood as the political hub of the Qing dynasty.

[1] During the early years of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, part of the hall was dedicated to constructing clocks, many of which were designed by European artisans.

[17] However, in the 1950s under the orders of Premier Zhou Enlai, China's Ministry of Culture re-acquired this work, together with Letter to Boyuan by Wang Xun.

[4][19][1] From 1862 to 1866, while ruling behind the curtain and the child emperor Tongzhi, Empress Dowagers Cixi and Ci'an were also lectured about peaceful governance by academics from the Hanlin Academy.

[22] Inside the main hall's central bay, the domed coffered ceilings exhibited traditional patterns like dragons and golden decorations (douba-zaojing), reflective of the architectural and artistic style that pervaded the Ming dynasty.

[24] It was a common feature in ancient Chinese halls, palaces, religious temples, and physically represented the "unity of heaven and man on the one hand, and a hierarchical society on the other.

[24] The decorative polychrome paintings like that of the "ridge tie-beam" of the main hall were created with mineral pigments like azurite and atacamite, and featured patterns and motifs reflective of the artistic style of the ruling dynasty at the time.

[1] Thangkas which are cotton or silk artworks painted by Lamas who historically worked inside the Forbidden City were often hung on the wooden walls of the Buddha Room.

[27][8] The preservation of thangkas is particularly difficult, since not only insect damage but environmental conditions like changes in winds and temperatures, exposure to light, effects of pollution and dust, paint loss and natural ageing can quickly cause the artworks to tear, wrinkle, or become brittle.

[8] The hall's glazed tiling, which was also a common feature in ancient Chinese architecture, has also experienced degradation and poor conservation due to hundreds of years of exposure to constant changes in environmental conditions, particularly rain.

[9] Discovering the Hall of Mental Cultivation is the first digital exhibition in China that integrates ancient architecture, traditional culture and technology.