Old Summer Palace
Old Summer Palace is located in the western suburbs of Beijing, east of Haidian District. It was originally a large royal garden in the Qing Dynasty, covering an area of ??about 5,200 acres. Its layout is in the shape of an inverted Chinese character. The Old Summer Palace consists of three gardens: Yuanming Garden, Changchun Garden and Qichun Garden, with a total area of ??350 hectares.
Its land building area is as large as the Forbidden City, and its water area is equal to the Summer Palace. The Old Summer Palace brought together the characteristics of several famous gardens and scenic spots in the south of the Yangtze River at that time, and integrated the essence of ancient Chinese gardening art. It used the artistic technique of a garden within a garden to blend poetry and painting into the ever-changing scenery.
The southern part of the Old Summer Palace is the imperial area, where the emperor conducts official business. There are 40 scenic spots scattered in the rest of the area, of which more than 50 scenic spots directly imitate famous gardens and scenic spots in other places, such as the Ten Scenic Spots of West Lake in Hangzhou, which not only imitate the architecture, but also copy the names. What’s even more interesting is that there is also a Western-style garden scenic area in the Old Summer Palace. The most famous "Water Viewing Method" is a Western fountain, as well as a maze of thousands of flowers and a Western-style building, all of which have the style of the Italian Renaissance. There is also a model of Venice city in the lake. The emperor can enjoy the "water city scenery" thousands of miles away while sitting on the mountain on the shore.
The Old Summer Palace is a treasure house, which contains rare cultural relics such as famous calligraphy and paintings, secret classics, bells and tripods, gold and silver jewelry, etc., which concentrates the essence of ancient culture. The Old Summer Palace is also a garden of exotic trees and flowers, with millions of rare flowers and trees. Westerners who have fully witnessed the Old Summer Palace call it the "Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens".
Indeed, if it were still the same today as it was 140 years ago, this super giant garden would be the well-deserved "King of Gardens in the World." Regrettably, the British-French Allied Forces and the Eight-Power Allied Forces ransacked the Old Summer Palace twice in 1860 and 1900. The buildings in the garden were burned down and cultural relics were looted. The miraculous and mythical Old Summer Palace was turned into ruins, with only broken walls left for people to pay homage to.
Old Summer Palace
A famous royal garden in the Qing Dynasty. In the forty-eighth year of Kangxi (1709), Emperor Kangxi (i.e. Xuanye, the Holy Ancestor of the Qing Dynasty) gave his fourth son Yinzhen a garden one mile north of Changchun Garden in the northwest suburbs of Beijing, and personally inscribed the garden with "Old Summer Palace". In the third year of Yongzheng's reign (1725), Emperor Yongzheng (i.e. Zong Yinzhen of the Qing Dynasty) built an additional palace office in the south of Old Summer Palace, and the area was expanded from more than 600 acres to more than 3,000 acres. Since then, the Old Summer Palace has not only been a place for the Qing emperors to rest and visit, but also a place for them to meet with ministers, receive foreign envoys, and handle daily government affairs. After Emperor Qianlong (namely Hongli, Emperor Gaozong of Qing Dynasty) came to the throne, he adjusted the garden landscape in Old Summer Palace, added architectural groups, and built Changchun Garden and Qichun Garden (renamed Wanchun Garden during Tongzhi) in the east and southeast neighbors of Old Summer Palace. . These three gardens are all managed by the ministers who manage the Old Summer Palace, and are called the Three Gardens of the Old Summer Palace.
The Three Gardens of Yuanming Dynasty cover an area of ??more than 5,200 acres and have more than 150 scenes. Among them, the most famous are the Zhengda Guangming Hall where the emperor listened to government affairs, the Anyou Palace where ancestors were worshiped, the high mountain and long water tower where banquets were held, the Pengdao Yaotai that simulated the "Fairy Mountain Pavilion Picture", and the spring scenery of Wuling in the realm of "Peach Blossom Spring". Some famous gardens and scenic spots in the south of the Yangtze River, such as the Lion Forest in Suzhou and the Ten Scenes of the West Lake in Hangzhou, have also been imitated in the gardens. There is also a group of European-style buildings in Changchun Garden, commonly known as Western-style buildings.
The Old Summer Palace is also a large royal museum, housing many treasures, books and artistic masterpieces.
In August of the 10th year of Xianfeng (1860), the British and French forces invaded Beijing. On October 6, the Old Summer Palace was occupied. Starting from the next day, officers and soldiers carried out frantic looting and destruction. In order to force the Qing government to accept the peace terms as soon as possible, the British Minister Elgin and the British commander-in-chief Grant used the excuse that the Qing government had imprisoned British and French prisoners in the Old Summer Palace. , ordered Lieutenant General Michael to lead more than 3,500 invading troops on October 18 to go straight to the Old Summer Palace and set it on fire. The fire lasted for two days and two nights, burning the Old Summer Palace into ruins.
During the Tongzhi period (1862-1874), Emperor Tongzhi prepared to restore the Old Summer Palace for Empress Dowager Cixi to live. Later, due to financial difficulties, it was forced to stop and rebuild other buildings. In 1900, the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing and the Old Summer Palace was destroyed again.
The word "Yuan" here means "completeness and comprehensiveness", while the word "Ming" means "brightness and wisdom". Therefore, the name "Yuanmingyuan" is nothing more than a flaunt by the ruling class. His moral character, talent and wisdom are beyond ordinary people. Emperor Kangxi's title also expressed his expectations for the prince.
The Old Summer Palace is located to the north of Guajiatun, about one mile away from Changchun Garden. It is now north of Peking University and west of Tsinghua University.
The Old Summer Palace in the Kangxi era had water surfaces such as the Front Lake and the Back Lake, and there were gardens such as the "Peony Terrace" and the "Natural Pictures". When the Old Summer Palace was still a vassal-granted garden, its regulations could not exceed the emperor's Changchun Garden, so there were not many scenes built and its reputation was not as great as Changchun Garden. But later, as the owner ascended the throne. , the peaceful and prosperous age of the Qing Dynasty came. After more than 60 years of continuous expansion, the most magnificent royal garden in China's history was finally built.
The Old Summer Palace in history is composed of the Old Summer Palace, Changchun Garden and Qichun Garden. (Wanchun Garden). The three gardens are closely connected and are commonly known as the Old Summer Palace. It covers an area of ??more than 5,200 acres (about 350 hectares), which is nearly a thousand acres larger than the entire Summer Palace. It was a feudal garden in the Qing Dynasty. It was a large-scale royal palace built and operated by the emperors for more than 150 years. Emperors of the Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng dynasties all lived in the Old Summer Palace for many years to enjoy themselves, hold court meetings, and conduct political affairs here. Together with the Forbidden City (Forbidden City), it was the national political center at that time and was specifically called the "Imperial Garden" by the Qing emperor.
The northwest suburbs of Beijing have always been famous for their beauty of mountains, springs, lakes and marshes. It was the place where feudal emperors and their relatives and dignitaries built palaces and gardens. By the Kangxi and Qianlong periods of the Qing Dynasty, the social economy had developed significantly and the treasury was full. In order to pursue a garden life of "peace of mind and blessing", the Qing emperors built a garden here. An unprecedented scale of garden construction has emerged in this area.
The Old Summer Palace was originally a garden given to the fourth son of Emperor Kangxi, the later Emperor Yongzheng, in the 46th year of Kangxi, that is, in 1707. At that time, the garden had begun to take shape. In November of the same year, Emperor Kangxi visited the Old Summer Palace in person. After Emperor Yongzheng came to the throne in 1723, he expanded the original garden and built the Zhengda Guangming Hall, Qinzheng Hall, and the Cabinet in the south of the garden. The Sixth Department and the Military Aircraft Department were all responsible for "avoiding the noise and listening to the government". During the 60 years of Emperor Qianlong's reign, he spent tens of millions of dollars on constructing and constructing the Old Summer Palace every day, dredging water and removing stones. In addition to partial additions and reconstructions, the Changchun Garden was built immediately to the east, and the Qichun Garden was merged into the southeastern neighborhood. By the 35th year of Qianlong's reign, that is, 1770, the layout of the Three Gardens of the Yuanming Dynasty was basically formed. Qichun Garden was mainly repaired and expanded to make it one of the main garden residences. During the Daoguang Dynasty, the state was declining and financial resources were insufficient. However, it was better to remove the furnishings of the "Three Mountains" of Wanshou, Xiangshan and Yuquan and stop the summer heat in Rehe. Hunting with Mulan, still not giving up the renovation and decoration of the Three Gardens of the Old Summer Palace:
The Old Summer Palace was mainly built in the late Kangxi and Yongzheng dynasties. By the end of the Yongzheng Dynasty, the garden scenery had spread over an area of ??3,000 acres. During the Qianlong period, many additions and renovations were made in the garden. The main garden scenery groups of the garden include the famous "Forty Scenes of the Old Summer Palace" (namely, Upright and Bright, Diligent Government, Qingyan of Jiuzhou, Clouds in the Moon, Natural Pictures, Bitong Academy, Ciyun Puhu, Shangxia Tianguang, Xinghuachun Pavilion, Frankness and magnanimity, Rugu Hanjin, Changchun Fairy Pavilion, Wanfang Anhe, Wuling spring scenery, high mountains and long waters, moon and earth clouds, Hongci Yonghu, Huifang Academy, Ritian Linzi , tranquility, the fragrance of orchids reflected in the water, the clear water and trees, the happy place of Lianxi River, many crops like clouds, flying fish and flying kites, Beiyuan Mountain Village, the beautiful scenery of Xifeng, Siyi Bookstore, Fanghu Scenic Spot, bathing body and bathing virtue, Pinghu Qiuyue, Pengdao Yaotai, Jiexiu Shanfang, Biyoudongtian, Jiajing Mingqin, Hanxulangjian, Kuoran Grand Duke, Sitting on a Stone and Linliu, Quyuan Fenghe, Deep in the Cave), as well as Zibi Shanfang, Zaoyuan, Ruo Fanzhi Pavilion, Wenyuan Pavilion and other places. At that time, there were about 600 major garden buildings with plaques hanging on them, which was actually the highest number of royal gardens at home and abroad today.
There is a large lion head spraying water below, forming a seven-layer water curtain. There is an oval chrysanthemum-style fountain at the front and bottom. In the center of the pool is a copper sika deer, which sprays eight jets of water from its antlers. There are ten bronze dogs on the two servants, which spray water columns from their mouths and hit the deer's body directly, causing waves to splash. Commonly known as "hunting dogs chasing deer". There is a huge water spray tower on the left and right fronts of the Great Water Method. The tower is square and has thirteen floors. Water jets spray out from the top. There are eighty-eight copper pipes around the tower, all of which spray water at the same time. At that time, the emperor sat at the Guanshui Fa opposite to watch this group of fountains. The British envoy Macartney and the Dutch envoy Sheng Sheng all "visited" the wonders of the Water Fa here. It is said that if all the fountains are opened, it will be like a mountain torrent. The sound will be so loud that people must make gestures when talking close by. You can imagine how spectacular it will be.
The Array of Ten Thousand Flowers is a garden modeled after a European labyrinth. Its main feature is that it is divided into a number of mazes with four-foot-high carved brick walls with Chinese characters, so it is called the "Ten Thousand Flowers Array". During the heyday, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Qing emperor would sit in the round pavilion in the center of the array. The palace ladies would hold lotus lanterns made of yellow silk and run around. The first person to arrive would receive the emperor's reward. Therefore, it is also called Huanghua Array or Huanghua Lantern. Although the diameter distance from the entrance to the central pavilion is only more than 30 meters, because this formation is easy to enter and difficult to exit, and it is easy to walk into a dead end, the Qing emperor took pleasure in sitting on a high place and watching the lotus lanterns flowing east and west.
The entire area of ??the Xiyanglou Scenic Area does not exceed one-fiftieth of the total area of ??the Three Yuanming Gardens, and is only a small part. But it is a successful attempt to imitate European-style gardens in my country. This plays an important role in the history of Chinese gardens and in the history of exchanges between Eastern and Western gardens. Its construction has caused strong repercussions in Europe. A Western European missionary who had witnessed it praised the Western-style building: It is a collection of beautiful scenery and interesting things in one place. It has all the magnificent and strange fountains that people can imagine. The largest of them can be compared with the Palace of Versailles and the Saint-Claude Church. Fountains go hand in hand. The missionary concluded: The Old Summer Palace is China's Versailles.
The Old Summer Palace embodies the essence of ancient Chinese gardening art and is the most outstanding large-scale garden at that time. Emperor Qianlong said of it: "This is the area where the real treasures of the earth and the emperor travel, and there is no way to surpass this." It also occupies an important position in the history of world garden architecture. Its fame spread to Europe and it was known as the "Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens". The great French writer Hugo made this comment in 1861: "Just imagine that it is a fascinating building like a castle like the Moon Palace. The Summer Palace (referring to the Old Summer Palace) is such a building." People often do this. Say: Greece has the Parthenon, Egypt has the pyramids, Rome has the Colosseum, and the East has summer palaces. ""This is a breathtaking and unparalleled masterpiece."
The Old Summer Palace is not only famous for its gardens, but also a royal museum with extremely rich collections, which can be called a cultural treasure house. Hugo once said: "Even if Even if all the treasures of Notre Dame cathedrals in our country (France) are put together, they cannot compare with the scale and splendor of this Oriental Museum. "The garden is luxuriously furnished and has a large collection of art treasures. According to descriptions from Westerners who have witnessed the Old Summer Palace, "the splendor and splendor of the garden is beyond description and beyond the imagination of Europeans." All kinds of precious treasures are accumulated in this royal villa, among thousands of households. "The finest carved red sandalwood furniture, exquisite ancient chipped porcelain and enamel bottles, gold and silver brocades, felts, leather goods, gold-plated French clocks, exquisite general map of the Old Summer Palace, and gem-inlaid archery There are pictures, plaques with lifelike landscapes and figures, as well as various other fine art products from China and various bizarre European decorations.
The Old Summer Palace has an extremely rich collection of books and cultural relics, to name just a few. Wenyuan Pavilion is a library built after Fan's Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo. It is one of the famous four royal northern pavilions. It was built in the 40th year of Qianlong's reign. "Sikuquanshu" is the largest comprehensive series of books in ancient my country, with more than 3400 kinds of books, nearly 80,000 volumes, and more than 36,000 volumes. The greatness of the nation.
Because the "Quanshu" contains so many chapters, the most important ones were selected and compiled into the "Siku Quanshu Collection", totaling 12,000 volumes. There are two copies of "Huiyao". One is stored in the Forbidden City's Azao Hall, and the other is stored in the "Weifu Study Room" in the east wing of the Sutra Hall in Changchun Garden. In addition, there is another famous literary pavilion in Hanjing Hall - Chunhua Pavilion, which was specially built to collect copies of the famous Dharma calligraphy "Chunhua Pavilion Calligraphy". "Ge Tie" was originally copied in the third year of Chunhua (992) in Beining, and includes the calligraphy works of 99 people including Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, Cang Jie, Xia Yu, and Confucius. The Tie is divided into ten volumes. It is the first large-scale collection of Tie in my country and is known as the ancestor of all Tie. During the Qianlong period, according to the Northern Song Dynasty's "Initial Expansion and Gift Edition" of "Ge Tie", after careful review and revision, the stone carvings were carried out. It took three years, and in the spring of the 37th year of Qianlong's reign (1772), the 144 imprinted boards were inlaid in the 24 corridors in front of the Chunhua Pavilion. This is the famous "Qianlong's engraving of Chunhua Pavilion Notes". Needless to say, when the Old Summer Palace was robbed and destroyed, the precious books and cultural relics collected in the garden such as "Sikuquanshu", "Quanshuhuyao", "Collection of Ancient and Modern Books", "Chunhua Pavilion Notes" and other precious books and cultural relics were not spared. This can reflect from one aspect the huge damage caused to human culture by the imperialist invaders burning the Old Summer Palace.
Of course, nothing is perfect. The Old Summer Palace is so large, and it was expanded and renovated by emperors of several dynasties. Coupled with the influence of the decadent consciousness of feudal emperors, no matter how you look at it, it still has shortcomings. However, overall, the Old Summer Palace is indeed an outstanding garden. It can be said that it is the culmination of thousands of years of excellent gardening art in my country and pushes my country's classical gardens to a new height. At that time, everyone who witnessed its grand occasion said that it was indeed good. Some Westerners started to take a new look at Chinese gardens from the Old Summer Palace. In short, the Old Summer Palace has won honors for our ancient civilization and was once the pride of our Chinese nation!
Old Summer Palace, a world-famous garden, was brutally looted and burned by the British and French forces in October 1860, the tenth year of Xianfeng's reign. It became a page of humiliation in the modern history of our country.
The garden masterpieces and artistic treasures that were robbed and destroyed in the Old Summer Palace are all the crystallization of the blood, sweat and wisdom of millions of working people. They not only reflect the splendid culture of our country’s feudal era, but also expose the corruption of the feudal emperors. Extravagant spending. Due to the arrogance and arrogance of the feudal rulers and the isolation of the country, by the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the entire country's science and technology had lagged far behind the West, and class conflicts had become increasingly severe