The summer palace(颐和园) HIstory: It has a history of over 800 years, which goes back to the Liao& Jin Dynasty.Firstly in Jin Dynasty, it was built to be a temporary palace, named Golden Hill and Golden Water Pond; Then in Yuan Dynasty, the Emperor Kublai Khan(忽必烈可汗) intent to develop the water transportation system, to response, water was brought from Shenshan Mountain to the Jade Spring Hill and then to Jar Hill Pond; In Ming Dynasty, as the 10th emperor was quite fond of the outstanding sceneries here, he ordered to build an imperial residence by the lake.From then on, the beautiful place with natural hill, neat pond and colorful botany became an ideal place for emperor.
The name of “The summer palace” was indeed given by expre Cixi, who loved here very much.She embezzled the navy funds to have the palace rebuilt under the excuse of setting up a navy academy inside.This led to big budget deficit in economy and what was worse resulted in Chinese defeat in the Sino Japanese War in 1894.To avoid war in 1902, Cixi escaped to Xi’an with the emperor Guangxu.The summer palace, as we can image, was badly destroyed and ransacked at that moment.When Cixi returned after the war, she spared no effort to rebuild the palace and came to live here every year from April to October.The summer palace today is more or le the same look as it was rebuilt in 1903.Reputation: Over the past 50 years, Chinese Government has spent lots of money to renovating it.In 1988, the summer palace was listed as a World Culture Heritage Site by UNESCO.Difference with The Forbidden City: The roofs here are covered with plain bluish gray tiles in harmony with the landscape.So it looks more like a garden than an imperial court.
1: the East Palace Gate(东宫门)
It is the main entrance of the summer palace.In ancient times, only emperor and empre can go through the central gate because of rigid hierarchy.We can see the relief style carving depicts two dragons playing with a pearl.It symbolizes the emperor’s dignity.
2: The Hall of Benevolence and Longevity(仁寿殿) The hall was a political area for emperor to handle state affairs.The name of this hall came from Lun yu’s saying” those who are benevolent can enjoy a long life.”
Look at this monster, it’s name is Bronze Qilin(铜麒麟).Qilin is regarded as one of the 9 sons of the dragon, which embodies power and bravery.Qilin has the head of dragon, antlers of dear, hooves of an ox, tail of a lion and the body of a fish with scales all over it.This creature is believed to detect any disloyal subjects.Another famous spot is the Long Life Well(延年井), it is said once Expre Cixi once got heatstroke when she was in the Summer Palace, she quickly recovered herself after drinking the water here and gave the name for the wishes of long life.3：Long Corridor(长廊) The long corridor is about 728 meters long with 273 sections.It is the longest, biggest and most famous one in China and even in the world.There are totally 14,000 paintings and pictures painted on the beams and crobeams.What attracts me most is that each of these paintings is almost different from the other! So it is really art gallery! The colorful paintings on the beams include landscapes, scenic spots, human figures, stories, flowers, birds and so on.Most of These figures were copied from beautiful sceneries in Hangzhou.That is because during the inspection trips to the south of China, Emperor Qianlong was deeply attracted by the splendid sceneries there, in order to keep long memory , he order the painters to draw them on the ceiling of the long corridor for regular visit.To added, the Long Corridor was also a birthday gift that Emperor Qianlong gave to his mother.In 1990, the Long Corridor was listed in the Guinne World Records as the longest painted corridor in the world.In 1998, it was listed as a world Culture Heritage Site by UNESCO.4：The Hall of Jade Ripples(玉澜堂) In the late Qing Dynasty, it was Emperor Guangxu’s private living quarters。 But after the failure of the Reform Movement in 1898, it has become a forbidden area, just like a prison, that Emperor Guangxu was under the house arrest for 10 years here till he died in the age of 38.5: The Hall of Happine and Longevity(乐寿堂) It was Empre Cixi’s residence and she came to live here from April to October every year during the rest of her lifetime.This hall consists of 4 chambers, including breakfast and tea room, dreing room, bedroom and her office.Cixi was ratter crazy about luxurious life so that she requested fancy food, porcelain plate（瓷器盘）, embroideries(刺绣)， chandeliers(水晶灯) etc.6: The front Hill Area（前山景区）
The front Hill Area includes the Gate of Dispelling Clouds(排云门), The Hall of Dispelling Clouds（排云殿）, The Tower of Buddhist Incense（佛香阁）and the Temple of the Sea of Wisdom（智慧海）。Expre Cixi used to come and worship Gods in the Tower of Buddhist Incense on the 1st and 15th day of each lunar month when she was living in the Summer Palace.In the Temple of the Sea of Wisdom ,the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva is enshrined in the center.This temple is the highest point of Longevity Hill.7:Marble Boat(石舫)
It is located at the end of the Long Corridor, near the Stone Pavilion.Emperor Qianlong built this Marble Boat based on a story that happened in Tang Dynasty.Wei Zheng , the prime minister in Emperor Li Shimin’s period, once said that ”Water can carry a boat, and it can also capsize a boat”.Here , “Water” represented common people and “Boat” indicated the Tang Dynasty Court.Emperor Qianlong built this marble boat for the purpose of keeping the stability of Qing Dynasty forever.8:The back Hill Area(后山景区)
This part includes the Four Great Regions(四大部洲),Suzhou Shopping Street(苏州街)and The Garden of Harmonious Interest(谐趣园).Emperor Qianlong made several inspection tours to South China during his lifetime, and he was totally impreed by the beautiful sceneries, commercial prosperity of shopping streets and gardens there.So after he came back , he ordered to built these structures imitating what he had seen in the South China.
9: the 17-Arch Bridge(十七孔桥) It is the largest bridge in the Summer Palace.Seen from a distance, it really looks like a rainbow hanging acro the water on the lake.This bridge is built in 1750, and it was believed that the bridge was the imitation of Marco Polo Bridge, but more beautiful.Why 17 arches? Because no matter which side you see the bridge from the left or right, the 9 arches is in the middle.As I have explained before, the number nine was the lucky number and favorite number in the ancient times.10 the pavilion of Haralding Spring（知春亭）
The pavilion stands on the islet in Kunming Lake.You see a number of willow trees and peach trees planted on the islet.This pavilion is embraced by water on all sides.When the peach trees bloom, people will know that warm spring has returned.There is also a famous saying describing this phenomenon “the duck knows first when the river becomes warm in early spring.” OK, as it is the best place to take pictures, I give you guys 15 minutes to have a short break.
