The 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 ever-changing scenes.
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 bank of the mountain.
The Old Summer Palace is a treasure house, which contains rare cultural relics such as famous people's 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 "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 Yuanming Gardens 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 government was conducted, 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 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.
A husband with a round face is entranced, and a gentleman is in the right moment.
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 a 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 on 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 3,000 acres of the entire garden. 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.
Changchun Garden: It was first built around the 10th year of Qianlong (1745). When the general manager of the garden was officially established in 1751, the main scenic spots on Yuanzhong Road and West Road had been basically completed, such as Danhuaitang. , Hanjing Hall, Yulinglong Hall, Siyongzhai, Haiyue Kaijin, Dequan Pavilion, Liuxiangzhu, Fahui Temple, Baoxiang Temple, Aishan Tower, Zhuanxiangfan, Congfangxie, etc. Later, Qian Garden and Xiao Youtian Garden were built successively. The scenic spots in the eastern part of the garden (Yingqingzhai, Ruyuan, Jianyuan, and Lion Grove) were added on a large scale from the 31st to the 37th year of Qianlong's reign, including the Western-style Building Scenic Area and the Changchun Garden's largest area. One dry acre. There are approximately 200 garden buildings with plaques hanging on them.
Qichun Garden: It was originally a residence given to Prince Yunxiang of Qia. It was built around the end of Kangxi. Later, it was given to Fu Heng, a great scholar. It was officially returned to the emperor in the 35th year of Qianlong (1770). Entering the Imperial Garden, it was named Qichun Garden. The scope at that time did not include its northwest. In the fourth and sixteenth years of Jiaqing, two more gardens were granted to the western part of the park, one was Xishuang Village owned by Prince Cheng Yongxuan, and the other was Hanhui Garden owned by Princess Zhuang Jing and Heshuo. After large-scale repairs and reconstructions, , after the expansion, the garden began to reach a scale of one thousand acres and became one of the main gardens where the Qing emperors lived. At this point, the Three Gardens of Yuanming Dynasty were in their heyday. Jiaqing first wrote the poem "Thirty Scenes of Qichun Garden", and then successively created more than 20 new scenes. The more famous garden scene groups at that time included Fuchuntang, Qingxiazhai, Hanqiu Pavilion, Shengdong Room, Siyi Bookstore, Chunzezhai, Fenglinzhou, Weizaotang, Zhonghetang, Bixiang, Zhulinyuan, Xiyushanfang, Yanyu Tower, Hanhui Tower, Chengxintang, Changhetang, Zhanqingxuan, Zhaoliangxie, Ling There are nearly 30 places including Xu Pavilion. There are more than a hundred garden buildings with plaques hanging on them. The Qichun Garden Palace Gate was built in the 14th year of Jiaqing (1809). Because it was built more than half a century later than the Grand Palace Gate of the Old Summer Palace and the Second Palace Gate of the Changchun Garden, it is also called the "New Palace Gate" and is still in use today. Since the early years of Daoguang's reign, the Fuchuntang area on East Yuan Road has been renovated and used as a place to support the empress dowager. However, the scenery on West Yuan Road has always been the garden residence of Emperor Daoguang and Xianfeng. After the garden was destroyed in 1860, it was renamed Wanchun Garden when attempts were made to rebuild it during the Tongzhi period.
The Old Summer Palace is a large-scale artificially created garden with magnificent scale and beautiful scenery. The flat land is stacked with mountains and waters, the garden buildings are refined, and trees and flowers are widely planted. Intermittent hills, zigzag water surfaces, pavilions, winding corridors, islands, bridges, embankments, etc. divide the vast space into more than a hundred landscape groups of different sizes, surrounded by mountains and rivers. The water surface in the park accounts for about four-tenths of the total area of ??the three gardens. Large, medium and small water surfaces are artificially excavated on the flat land, and are connected in series by looping rivers to form a complete river and lake system. The garden is dotted with 250 large and small earth hills, which are combined with the water system. The water rotates with the mountains, and the mountains are active due to the water, forming a garden space with mountains and water, and layers upon layers. The entire garden is as blurred as the water town in the south of the Yangtze River. It can be said that although it is made by humans, it seems to have been created by heaven.
Most of the garden landscaping in the Old Summer Palace is water-themed, and water is the source of interest. Many of them directly draw on the interest of the famous waterscapes in the south of the Yangtze River. The Back Lake Scenic Area of ??the Old Summer Palace has nine small islands built around the back lake, which are symbols of the "Yu Gong" and "Nine Continents" in the country's territory. The small gardens or landscape groups built on each island not only have their own characteristics, but also borrow from each other to create scenery. The skylight above and below the north bank is quite similar to the view of Dongting Lake from the Yueyang Tower. "A pendant rainbow dominates the lake, winding for hundreds of feet, with railings and wings, and a wide pavilion in the middle. The reflection of the pattern, between the lintel sills, overlooking from the sky, A vast expanse of green." The openness of the west bank resembles that of Yuquan Fish Watching in Hangzhou, commonly known as the Goldfish Pond. "The pond was dug to be a paradise for fish, with thousands of brocade scales surrounding the pond." West of the Yuanmingyuan, Wanfang Anhe, houses were built in the lake, shaped like The swastika is warm in winter and cool in summer. Looking at the other shore, the strange flowers are as delicate as embroidery. Emperor Yongzheng liked to live here. The Shuimu Mingse in the north of the Old Summer Palace uses the Taixi (Xize) water method to introduce water into the room and turn the fan. "Lin Sese, the water is cold, the stream wind is roaring, and the mountain birds are chirping." Emperor Qianlong liked to cool off here. Haiyue Kaijin in the West Lake of Changchun Garden has a three-story palace built on a huge round white jade platform, which looks like a mirage from a distance.
Pengdao Yaotai in the sea of ??blessings is based on the mythical Penglai Island, formerly known as Penglai Island. According to legend, Qin Shihuang once sent a man named Xu Fu to lead more than a dozen boys and girls across the sea to find fairy lands and elixirs for him, so as to achieve immortality.
It is 10,000 square meters larger than the entire construction area of ??the Forbidden City. The buildings in the park not only draw on the advantages of palace-style buildings in the past dynasties, but also break through the constraints of official norms in terms of plane configuration, appearance shape, and group combination. They are widely collected and come in various forms. It has created many architectural forms that are extremely rare in the south and north of my country, such as Zixuan, Meiyuexuan, Tianzidian, as well as fan-shaped, bow-shaped, round mirror-shaped, I-shaped, mountain-shaped, cross-shaped, square Victory shape, scroll shape, etc. In addition, in the layout of the garden, the scenery changes with the situation, and the scenery is in various shapes; the scenery in the garden is surrounded by each other and deepens layer by layer, forming an overall beauty that is rich, colorful, natural and harmonious. French missionary Wang Zhicheng once gave a vivid description. He said: The architecture of the Old Summer Palace has many changes in form, and is uneven and unconventional. Each of its small palaces seems to be made according to strange models, as if arranged at random, and no one is the same as the others. Everything is so interesting that one cannot take in the scene at a glance, but must study it carefully bit by bit.
The temple gardens of the Old Summer Palace also reflect an aspect of ancient Chinese culture. Anyou Palace (Hongci Yonghu) was built according to the old practice of Jingshan Shouhuang Palace. It is used to worship Emperor Kangxi and Yongzheng "Shenyu" and is the royal ancestral temple in the garden. The palace has nine rooms, with a main ridge and double eaves resting on the mountain, and a roof covered with yellow glazed tiles. It is the largest building in the garden. There are pine trees and caps around it, and there are two pairs of Chinese tables at the southern end of the central axis, giving people a sense of solemnity. Fanghu Scenic Spot, located on the shore of the northeastern bay of Fuhai, was built according to the fantasy fairy mountain Qiongge. According to historical records, here There are more than 2,200 Buddha statues enshrined and more than 30 pagodas. The front base of this building is made of white marble in the shape of a "mountain" and extends into the water. The whole building is huge and magnificent. Whenever the mist begins to rise in the morning, the building disappears and appears in the smoke, just like a Qiongge Yaotai. The style and momentum of this building are rare among existing garden buildings in my country. Savatthi City is a typical Buddhist building. It is said to be built after the layout of the capital of the ancient Indian state of Qiaosara. There are 326 palaces and houses in the city. Since the Kangxi reign, whenever the emperor, empress dowager and empress dowager celebrate their birthdays, the Buddha statues enshrined by princes, princes and ministers have been stored here. Among them are pure gold, silver-plated, jade carvings, and bronze sculptures. Year after year, there are hundreds of thousands of them. The Old Summer Palace was looted and burned. The damage caused by this single place, whether in terms of economic value or cultural and artistic value, is difficult to estimate in numbers.
In order to pursue various pleasures, the Qing Emperor also introduced an area of ??European-style garden architecture in the northern boundary of Changchun Garden, commonly known as the "Western-style Building". It consists of more than ten buildings and gardens, including Quecong, Fangwai, Haiyantang, Yuanyinguan, Dashuifa, Guanshuifa, Xianfa Mountain and Xianfa Wall. Planning began in the 12th year of Qianlong (1747) and was basically completed in the 24th year (1759). It was designed and guided by Western missionaries such as Lang Shining, Jiang Youren, and Wang Zhicheng, and built by Chinese craftsmen. The architectural form is the "Baroque" style of the late European Renaissance, and the gardening form is the "Le Notre" style. But it also absorbed many traditional techniques from my country in terms of gardening and architectural decoration.