Copper Pavilion is the common name of Baoyun Pavilion. It is 7.55 meters high and weighs 207 tons. Beams, columns, arches, rafters, pavilions, roofs, window sashes and Kowloon plaques are all made of copper, but their styles, scales and workmanship are exactly the same as those of wooden pavilions, so they are commonly called copper pavilions. It is cast by the traditional techniques of China, namely "wax pulling method" and "sand breaking method". The surface was treated with crab blue and cold bronze, which was also the world's leading technology at that time. At that time, it was a miracle to cast such a thick and exquisite copper pavilion on such a high hillside! 1860, the British and French allied forces burned down Qingyi Garden, and its interior furnishings were looted. I don't know when the window sash on the pavilion was lost, and 10 copper window was lost overseas on 19 12.
The tour guide said: 1975 An antique shop in Paris, France, wrote that the Summer Palace has copper windows for sale at a high price. After repeated checking by the wife of the French ambassador to China and a person from an international exhibition company in the United States, it was found that 10 bronze window was exported from China in 19 12. 1993, Greenberg, the chairman of the American Industrial and Commercial Insurance Company, invested 5 15000 dollars to buy these ten copper windows and returned them to China for free. The Summer Palace has filled other lost copper windows. 1993 65438+On February 2, 2003, the donation ceremony of American Industrial and Commercial Insurance Company was held in the former site of Tongting Pavilion. 1996, France returned another copper window for free. The bronze pavilion finally restored its integrity.
There is a copper table in the copper pavilion, and several people can't lift it with all their strength. This precious cultural relic was stolen by the Japanese army at the end of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, with the intention of melting and manufacturing arms. It is said that when the ship was loaded in Tianjin, it happened that Japan surrendered and the treasure was preserved.
Built in Qianlong for 20 years, it is the place where Empress Dowager Cixi prayed for blessings and recited scriptures. Together with the stone tablet of "Kunming Lake in Wanshou Mountain" in the east of Foxiang Pavilion, it symbolizes a gold and a jade. The bronze pavilion is built on the white marble platform in the center of a group of buildings in Wufangge, which means that the five parties gather the colors of the five parties, which means that the world will return to the heart and the four seas will be peaceful. Copper architecture is closely related to Buddhism.
Time has given the bronze pavilion a new life; Times endow the Summer Palace with dignity; We can get unique appreciation and enjoyment in Beijing, and we should cherish this opportunity.