Summer Palace is the most intact imperial
garden that has been preserved in China. It is a famous scenic spot located in the
northwest suburbs of Beijing. It is mainly made up of Kunming Lake and Longevity
Hill.
Summer Palace integrates mountains and water into an ingenious whole. It is a rare
masterpiece of garden design in the world. Buddhist Incense Tower is the symbol
of the vast Summer Palace compound, and a fine work of art in Chinese ancient architecture,
too. Long Corridor is famous for its shaded walkway that is decorated with some
8,000 painted scenes of mountains, water, people, flowers and birds. The private
theater in Hall for Cultivation Happiness is one of the three big theaters in Qing
Dynasty. Garden of Harmonious Delight is the best of all garden in Summer Palace,
with the characteristics of Jiangnan gardens.
Reference data
Summer Palace didn't take on its present appearance until Emperor Qianlong of Qing
Dynasty reconstructed it into Garden of Clear Ripples for his mother's 60th birthday
in 1750, the 15th year of his reign. During Second Opium War, garden in the western
suburbs indluding Summer Palace were looted and partially destroyed by French and
British forces. After that, Empress Dowager Cixi diverted funds earmarked to build
a modern Chinese navy and spent the money to repair Longevity Hill and Garden of
Clear Ripples. In 1887, the 14th year during Emperor Guangxu's reign, she gave the
palace its current name, yiheyyuan, which means the "Garden for Cultivationg
Harmony". Later, Western armies sackes Summer Palace again. Two years later, it
was rebuilt.
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