In the courtyard behind the hall, the Qingning Palace is where the emperor and his concubines resided. The Qingning Hall is a row a five chambers that communicate with each other via a covered corridor at the front and rear. The eastern chamber is divided by a partition wall leading into a southern chamber. In 1643, Emperor Taizong passed away on the earthen bed in the southern chamber. His body was removed via a window, following the Manchu tradition of never allowing a dead body to cross a threshold, lest malevolent spirits become wise to the death and create mischief. The northern chamber served as the bedroom of the emperor and the empress, their joint 'wan zi kang' (heatable brick bed) used during the colder seasons. The four other chambers form one big hall which are surrounded on three sides by earthen kangs and are connected to each other on the south, west and north sides reflecting the old yurt style living customs of the Manchu. The floor is paved with huge square bricks that have been soaked with oil and then ground smooth. Stoves were added for additional warmth in the frigid climate of the far north. At the western end of the main hall is a shrine surrounded by incense burners. To one side of this stands a large butchering table and two cauldrons for cooking.

A practice unique to the Qing Dynasty was to butcher and offer animals in sacrifice within the bed chambers of the emperor. Sacrifices were offered three times a day - in the morning, at noon and evenings respectively. In addition, offerings were also presented in spring and autumn and on other regal or significant religious occasions. The sacrifices were, as a rule, offered in the direction of the west. Ceremonies were officiated by a professional shaman called a 'chama' wearing an elaborate costume with head-dress and bells at the waist. During the ceremony, the chama held a single-faced drum presenting a song and dance ritual of prayer. When the singing and dancing was complete, boiling wine was poured into the pig's ear. This was known as 'lingsheng' or 'pointing the way' for the sacrificial animal. It was supposed that by virtue of this, the pig became a medium between mankind and the heavens. The pig was then butchered, cooked and shared. This was known as 'chi'fu'rou' or 'eating lucky meat.'

Near the southern end of the the Qingning Palace's front courtyard, stands a 'spiritual post' 索伦竿 饲养鸟雀用, the Solun pole, for feeding crows, (which was holy bird in Manchu culture) at which the Imperial family traditionally presented offerings to heaven. Painted red, the wooden post stands on a stone base with a bronze container at the top. Coarse-ground rice and small pieces of pork intestine were placed in the bronze container after each meal for crows to feast upon and take up to heaven. Behind this and across another courtyard is a four meter high plateau with a staircase that led up to the Fenghuang Tower. This is where the emperor, the empress and the concubines dined and relaxed. It was a favorite pastime to enjoy the great scenery from the upper floors.

The three steps of the Fenghuanglou (the Phoenix Tower), the tallest structure within the palace complex, are built on a 4-metre-high black brick foundation with a triple-eave saddle roofed tower decorated in yellow glazed tiles with green edges. 'Viewing the sunrise' from the Phoenix Tower was a traditional morning activity for the Manchu emperors.

West:
The buildings the western fringe of the Mukden Imperial Palace were expanded and renovated by Emperor Qian Long (1736-1795) in 1781-1782, his 46 and 47th year of reign. These included a residential area with small living quarters, a conference hall and some shamanistic structures. The Wensu Pavilion, a lofty, magnificent and richly ornamented structure, housed a copy of the Qianlong anthology, the great encyclopedia that Qianlong had ordered compiled. It contains the 'Si Ku Quan Shu, the 'Complete Collection of Four Treasures,' or 'Complete Library of Four Branches of Books' and has a black roof. Manchu shamans considered black as representative of water which could be used to extinguish a fire and therefore protect the priceless books contained inside. Pillars and doors of the library were painted in green to render a peaceful and graceful impression.

In front of the library and just northwest of Siwen Gate, he erected an opera house, complete with a theatrical stage, dressing rooms, prop storage areas and an emperor's seating building where he and his entourage could enjoy performances. Qianlong is credited with being the founding patron of the Beijing Opera.

Behind the library, Qianlong erected the Yangxi House, which served as the emperor's study. This is where he would read, write and paint when visiting Mukden palace. It is a seven bay building connected to the library with a stone pass and porches on both sides. In the rear of the western palace section lies the Jiajian Hall, a building used as temporary residence by officials accompanying the emperor on his north eastern inspection tours.

While on his eighth north-eastern inspection tour in 1778, Qing emperor Qianlong ordered that the dilapidated ancestral temple inside Shenyang Imperial Palace be restored. The ancestral temple complex was originally erected in the south-eastern corner of Chongzheng Hall, just east of Daqing Gate. A separate temple gate with corner doors on each side was built into the main palace wall and the ancestral temple was surrounded by its own wall, within the palace walls. The space is narrow, with the main temple building was only three rooms wide. The eastern and western annexes are also both three rooms wide and their small connecting houses each have just two rooms. The three bay front gate doors are studded with nine rows of nine nails, an artifice reserved exclusively for the use by the 'Son of Heaven' as are the yellow tiles of the temple roofs. Despite its small size, the Shenyang Temple for Ancestors is a flawless edifice.

Also in 1778, Qianlong commenced the construction of the Qijian Storehouse with the view that it could also used as temporary residence for non-family persons accompanying him on his north-eastern inspection tours. Two storehouses were added behind these, each having a decorated corridor ending in a gazebo, gardens and water features.