Located
15km from Beijing, the Summer Palace is the largest
and best-preserved royal garden in China.
The Summer Palace has a history of over
800 years. Early in the Jin dynasty, an imperial
palace named Golden Hill Palace was built on the
present site of the Summer Palace. In 1750,with 4.48
million taels of silver, Emperor Qian Long of the
Qing dynasty built the Garden of Clear Ripples here
and renamed the hill Longevity Hill to celebrate his
mother’s birthday.
In 1860, the Anglo-French Allied Forces
invaded Beijing and set fire to the garden. In 1888,
Empress Dowager Cixi, with funds embezzled from the
Imperial Navy, restored the grand garden. The
construction had lasted for ten year and after
completion, she renamed it Yiheyuan - Garden of
Peace and Harmony. In 1900, the garden was plundered
again by the eight powers. This time, nearly all big
temples and halls at the back of the Longevity Hill
were destroyed and only one survived. Only when the
fugitive Cixi returned to Beijing in 1903, did the
full-scale restoration begin.
Mainly consists of Longevity Hill (which
can be divided into Front Hill and Rear Hill) and
Kunming Lake, this present Summer Palace covers a
vast area of 294 hectares, in which three quarters
are water. The garden can be divided into three
parts, namely, administration, residence and scenery
browsing area. The administration area, taking Halls
of Benevolence and Longevity as its principal part,
is the place where Cixi dealt with state affairs and
received officials. Residence area mainly consists
of Hall of Jade Billows, Garden of Virtue and
Harmony, and Hall of Joyful Longevity. The Kunming
Lake and Longevity Hill then serve as the scenery
browsing area.
The Summer Palace has two entrances, one
is the East Palace Gate and the other is North
Palace Gate. Most visitors enter the garden from the
East Palace Gate.
All the man-made hills, halls, pavilions
and temples, including Kunming Lake and Longevity
Hill, blend together harmoniously in spite of their
individual styles. Ingeniously conceived and
elaborately designed, this garden, concentrating the
features of the gardens in southern and northern
China, can be reputed as the soul of the Chinese
gardens.
The Summer Palace of today is more or
less the same as the palace rebuilt in 1903. After
the last Qing Emperor Puyi was thrown out of the
Summer Palace in 1924, this garden was turned into a
park. But at first, due to the admission charge was
very high, the normal people still had no chance to
view the magnificent royal garden. Today, most
people can afford the ticket. This old imperial
garden now becomes an ideal place for Beijing locals
to retreat from the hot summer in Beijing.
Eastern Palace Gate
It is the main entrance to the Summer
Palace. The opening in the center was for the
emperor and empress exclusively. The two side
openings were for the use of princes and court
officials. Eunuchs and soldiers used side gates to
the south and north. The name plaque "Yiheyuan" in
front of the gate was written by Emperor Guang Xu.
The stone slab in front of the gate bears a carving
in relief of two dragons playing with a pearl, a
symbol of imperial authority.
Grand Opera Tower
The imperial theater in the Dehe Garden
is the largest of its kind in China today. It is 21
meters high and has three floors. An opening is in
the ceiling of the first floor, in which a winch
could lower performers and props down onto the first
floor. Performers could appear on the three floors
at the same time.
Long Corridor
The 728-meter-long corridor runs from a
moon gate in the east to Shizhang Pavilion in the
west. All the 273 sections are painted with pictures
either of ancient stories or landscapes. It is the
longest and most famous corridor in China.
Qingyanfang
Also known as Stone Boat, it was made
with huge stone blocks in 1755. The 36-meter-long
immovable boat has two tiers. It was placed in lake
to symbolize the steadfast rule of the Qing Dynasty.
Bronze Bull
Cast in 1755 the bull has upturned horns
and ears. Its eyes look intensively ahead. A note of
80 characters inscribed on its body tells that it
was used to suppress flood.
17- Arch Bridge
The 150-meter-long stone bridge links
the South Islet with the eastern shore of Kunming
Lake. On the heads of balusters of the bridge there
are 544 stone lions of various postures and looks. |