The Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden (Beijing)

Updated: 2012-11-14 19:54
The Summer Palace is famous both for its general design and its individual structures. For instance, the Long Corridor (Changlang) is one of the longest of its kind in Chinese history; the Palace Theatre (Daxilou) is one of the three largest palace theaters in China (the other two are in the Forbidden City and Chengde Mountain Resort, respectively); the Marble Boat is often used as a poetic symbol of ancient China. There is also a large screen decorated with a nine-dragon design symbolizing imperial power and with the Chinese character for "longevity" in 226 types of calligraphy in the middle of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity.

b. Cultural Heritage

China has long been known worldwide for its gardens, including private gardens and imperial parks, all characterized by the harmony of natural and manmade beauty. The Summer Palace has natural beauty resembling that of the mountains and rivers of northern China and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and it has the manmade beauty of grand imperial palaces and exquisite residences.

Diversified architectural elements in the Summer Palace also annotate the evolution of China as an integral country of many ethnic groups. For example, Kunming Lake is largely an imitation of the West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. The long causeway to the west of the lake is called the West Dike, modeled after the Su Dongpo Causeway on the West Lake; a series of six bridges on the Dike are very similar to the six bridges on the West Lake. To the west of the Lake, the Jade Spring Hill (Yuquanshan) and pavilions on the hill also resemble Gem Hill (Baoshishan) and its Baoshu Pavilion on the west bank of the West Lake in terms of deliberately pursued picturesque effect. The Huishan Garden, also called Garden of Harmonious Interest (Xiequyuan), was inspired by the Free Mind Garden (Jichangyuan) of Wuxi.

The large group of temples on Longevity Hill, including the Pavilion of the Fragrance of Buddha (Foxiangge), are typical of the architecture of Tibetan Buddhism, a religion that the Qing monarchs attached great importance to. They were built in imitation of the Temple of Common Peace (Puningsi) and similar temples in the Chengde Mountain Resort, which were built at the same time.

c. The Long Corridor

The Long Corridor is the longest garden corridor in China, and one of the oldest structures in the Summer Palace. It is a covered promenade running for 728 m along the northern shore of Kunming Lake and connecting with a row of buildings at the foot of Longevity Hill.

Besides the spectacular view of more than 8,000 paintings in traditional Chinese style that illustrates a large span of Chinese history and literature, the Long Corridor is also remarkable in its quakeproof function. According to historical records, over the past 251 years, although the slim and winding Long Corridor has suffered numerous storms, strong winds and even earthquakes, it has never tilted or been undermined, although it was burnt by the Anglo-French Allies in 1860. The incredible tenacity of the corridor lies in three factors: specially reinforced ground base, two piers extending from the east to the west in a mechanical balance and the shelter of the Longevity Hill from unfavorable winds.