Yuanmingyuan
was mainly built in the last years of Kangxi and Yongzheng. By the end of Yongzheng, the landscape group had spread over 3, mu of the whole park. During the Qianlong period, there were many additions and renovations in the park. The main landscape groups of the park, There are the famous "Forty Scenes of Yuanmingyuan" (namely, aboveboard and bright, diligent and virtuous, Jiuzhou Qingyan, Twilight of the Moon, natural pictures, Bitong Academy, Ciyun Puhu, Shangxiatianguang, Xinghuachun Pavilion, magnanimous, Ruguhanjin, Changchun Fairy Pavilion, Wanfang Anhe, Wuling Chunse, the mountains are high and the waters are long, the moon and the land are cloudy and the earth are long, and Hongci is eternal. Siyi Bookstore, Square Pot Scenic Spot, Bath Bath, Pinghu Qiuyue, Pengdao Yaotai, Xiushan House, Unique Cave, Qinjing Mingqin, Hanxu Langjian, Broad Grand Duke, Sitting on a Stone Facing the Flow, Quyuan Wind Lotus, Deep Cave), and Zibi Mountain House, Algae Garden, Ruofan Pavilion, Wenyuan Pavilion, etc. At that time, there were about 6 main garden buildings hanging plaques, which was the highest among royal gardens at home and abroad.
Changchun Garden
was built around the 1th year of Qianlong (1745). When the general manager of the Garden was formally set up in 1751, the main scenic spots in the middle and west roads of the Garden were basically completed, such as Lianhuaitang, Hanjingtang, Yulinglong Pavilion, Siyongzhai, Haiyue Kaijin, Dequan Pavilion, Liuxiangzhu, Fahui Temple and Baoxiang. Later, Qianyuan Garden and Xiaoyoutian Garden were built one after another. The eastern scenery of the park (Yingqingzhai, Ruyuan, Jianyuan and Lion Forest) was built on a large scale from 31 to 37 years of Qianlong, including Xiyanglou Scenic Area, and Changchun Garden * * * covers an area of one mu. There are about 2 garden buildings hanging plaques.
Qichun Garden
It was originally the mansion given by Prince QIA Yunxiang, and was built around the end of Kangxi. Later, it was given to Fu Heng, a great scholar. In the thirty-fifth year of Qianlong (177), it was officially included in the imperial garden and named Qichun Garden. At that time, the scope did not include its northwest. In the fourth and sixteenth years of Jiaqing, the western part of the garden was successively endowed with two gardens, one was Xishuang Village, which became a prince, and the other was Hanhui Garden, a princess of Zhuang Jing and Shuo. After large-scale repair, reconstruction and addition, the garden began to have a scale of 1, mu and became one of the main gardens of the Qing emperor's garden. At this point, Yuanming Three Gardens are in its heyday. Jiaqing first had the poem "Thirty Scenes of Spring Garden", and then more than 2 sceneries were successively created. At that time, the famous landscape groups were Fuchun Hall, Qingxiazhai, Hanqiuguan, Shengdongshi, Siyi Bookstore, Chunzezhai, Fenglinzhou, Weizaotang, Zhonghetang, Bixiang, Chikurinin, Xiyushan House, Yanyulou, Hanhui Building, Chengxin Hall and Weizaotang. There are more than 1 garden buildings with plaques. The Palace Gate of Qichun Garden was built in the 14th year of Jiaqing (189). Because it was built more than half a century later than the Grand Palace Gate of Yuanmingyuan and the Second Palace Gate of Changchun Garden, it is also called the "New Palace Gate" and has been in use ever since. Since the early years of Daoguang, the Fuchuntang area on the East Road of the Garden has been rebuilt as a place to support the Empress Dowager. However, the scenery of Yuanxi Road has always been the garden residence of Daoguang and Xianfeng emperors. After the garden was destroyed in 186, it was renamed Wanchun Garden when it was tried to be rebuilt during the Tongzhi period.
Xiyang Building
In order to pursue various kinds of fun, the Qing emperor also introduced a European-style garden building in the northern boundary of Changchun Garden, commonly known as "Xiyang Building", which consists of more than ten buildings and gardens, such as harmonious and interesting, linear bridge, flower array, bird cage, square appearance, Haiyan Hall, Yuanyingguan, Dashuifa, Shuiguanfa, linear mountain and linear wall. Planning began in the 12th year of Qianlong (1747) and was basically completed in the 24th year (1759). It was designed by Lang Shining, Michel Benoist and Wang Zhicheng, western missionaries, and built by China craftsmen. The architectural form is Baroque style in the late Renaissance in Europe, and the gardening form is Lenotre style. However, it has also absorbed many traditional techniques from China in gardening and architectural decoration.
The main body of the Western Tower is actually an artificial fountain, which is called "water method". It is characterized by a large number, great momentum and fantastic ideas. It mainly forms three large-scale fountain groups, namely, Harmony and Curiosity, Haiyan Hall and Dashuifa, which are quite interesting.
Harmony and Curiosity: It is the first building built in the autumn of the 16th year of Qianlong. The main building is three floors. In the south of the building, there is a large seawall-style fountain with fountains composed of bronze geese, bronze sheep and western fish. On the left and right sides of the building, the octagonal hall extends from the curved gallery, which is the place where Chinese and western music is played.
Haiyan Hall: It is the largest palace in the Western Tower. The main entrance of the main building faces west, and there is a large pool in front of the steps. There are twelve bronze statues of animal faces (rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs, which belong to the twelve zodiac signs in China) arranged in a figure of eight around the pool. They spray water in turn every day and night for one hour (2 hours), and at noon, the zodiac signs spray water together. This elaborate design of replacing the western nude statue with the bronze statue of the zodiac is really a masterpiece of combining Chinese and western. Originally, it was a European-style portrait of naked women, but Qianlong felt that naked women were not in line with the customs of China, so he changed it to the zodiac and made it out of bronze.
Dashuifa: It is the most spectacular fountain in the Western Building. The building is shaped like a stone niche, resembling a doorway. There is a large lion head spraying water below, forming a seven-layer water curtain. There is an oval chrysanthemum fountain in the front and bottom, and there is a copper sika deer in the center of the pool, which sprays water from the antlers eight times; Two servants have ten bronze dogs, spouting water from their mouths, shooting directly at the deer and splashing layers of waves. Commonly known as "hunting dogs compete for deer." On the left and right sides of Dashuifa, there is a huge water spraying tower, which is square and has thirteen floors, and the top spouts water columns. There are eighty-eight copper pipes around the tower, and they all spray water together. At that time, the emperor was sitting opposite to watch the water method, and watched this group of fountains. The British envoy Magalny and the Dutch envoy Shengli all "admired" the wonders of the water method here. It is said that if this fountain is fully opened, it will be like a flash flood. It is heard that people have to gesture when talking nearby, and its spectacular degree can be imagined.
A kaleidoscope is a garden modeled after the maze in Europe. Its main feature is that it is divided into several mazes with carved brick walls with four-foot high characters, so it is called "Wan Hua Array". In the heyday, whenever the Mid-Autumn Festival night, the Qing emperor sat in the circular pavilion in the center of the array, and the ladies-in-waiting held lotus lanterns made of yellow colored silk, looking for a way to fly, and the first one could get the emperor's reward. So it is also called yellow flower array or yellow lantern. Although the diameter distance from the entrance to the central pavilion is only more than 3 meters, it is easy to get in and out, and it is easy to walk into a dead end. The Qing emperor sits on a high place and looks around at the lotus lanterns, which is a pleasure.
The whole area of Xiyanglou Scenic Area is not more than one fiftieth of the total area of Yuanming Third Garden, but only a small part. But it is a successful attempt to imitate European gardens in pieces. This occupies an important position in the history of garden communication between the East and the West. It has aroused strong repercussions in Europe. A missionary in western Europe who witnessed it praised the Western Tower: it combines beautiful scenery and interests in one place, and there are all kinds of magnificent and strange fountains that people can imagine, the largest of which can keep pace with the fountains of Versailles and St. Crowe's Church. The missionary's conclusion is that the Yuanmingyuan is also the Palace of Versailles in China.