The gardens emperors called home

Editor's note: The 2026 Beijing Culture Forum is being held in the Chinese capital from Sept 22 to 23, under the theme "Cultural Heritage and Mutual Learning Among Civilizations". In this ancient city, rich in cultural treasures, conservators and researchers are working tirelessly to preserve its heritage. China Daily reporters spoke with them on the eve of the forum to learn about their work and the inspiration behind it.

The Forbidden City was where Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) emperors ruled. But Beijing's western gardens were where they increasingly chose to live.

Emperor Kangxi began living and working in the Changchun Garden. From 1687 to 1722, he spent about 107 days there every year on average and even died in the garden. His son, Emperor Yongzheng, went further, spending more than 210 days a year during the last decade of his reign in the Yuanmingyuan (also known as the Old Summer Palace). Later, Emperor Daoguang surpassed them both, spending an average of more than 260 days a year there for most of his reign.

Their keen interest turned the gardens from leisure retreats into another political center of the Qing government, alongside the Forbidden City. Numerous legends took root there, giving the gardens a special place in Chinese history.

They later became collectively known as the Three Hills and Five Gardens, referring to Xiangshan, Yuquan and Wanshou Mountains, and five royal gardens: Jingyi Garden, Jingming Garden, Changchun Garden, Yuanmingyuan and the Summer Palace (Qingyi Garden). Located on the northwestern outskirts of Beijing, the area is now part of Haidian district.

Centuries passed. The gardens, once representing the pinnacle of imperial garden design, gradually fell into ruin, were destroyed in wars, or gave way to modern buildings. Yet their memories remain vivid. In recent years, these historical mountains and gardens have reemerged, bringing their unique history and culture to modern visitors.

Zhu Qiang, a scholar specializing in studies of the Three Hills and Five Gardens at the Beijing University of Agriculture, says the area, an ensemble of gardens, temples, military camps, paddy fields and tombs, has deep cultural connotations. Many parts were built as early as the Liao (916-1125), Jin (1115-1234) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties, although the overall layout took shape during the reigns of Qing Emperor Qianlong and his son Jiaqing.

"Many places within the area blend features of tourist attractions elsewhere," says Zhu. "It not only had Tibetan-style buildings and complexes resembling those in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, but also drew inspiration from Indian and Burmese cultural elements, traditional Chinese myths and Renaissance influences from Europe. In this sense, it was a carrier of cultural communication."

Activities within the area were varied. Emperor Qianlong, for example, would visit his mother in Changchun Garden, meet officials or have breakfast in the West Garden, enjoy tea and boating at Yuquan Mountain, and finally return by boat to the Summer Palace before continuing to Yuanmingyuan by horse or sedan chair, says Zhu.

However, as the dynasty waned, the gardens also declined. In 1860, Anglo-French forces looted and burned many of them. Although the Summer Palace and Jingming Garden were partly restored in the late Qing period, their former glory gradually faded.

Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the ancient compounds were gradually protected and restored individually. Among them, the best-preserved Summer Palace was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998. In 2012, a new idea emerged: the Three Hills and Five Gardens should be protected as a whole, given their close historical connections.

The idea was incorporated into Beijing's general city plan for 2016 to 2035, released by the city authorities in 2017. It outlined a 68.5-square-kilometer protective area — larger than Beijing's old city area of 62.5 sq km.

In 2020, the Haidian Three Hills and Five Gardens National Cultural Relics Protection and Utilization Demonstration Zone was designated as one of China's first national-level demonstration zones of its kind, marking a new phase in the heritage area's development.

The framework has yielded fruitful results in recent years. At the Summer Palace, for example, professionals restored more than 70 "rooms" — spaces enclosed by four pillars — of the colorful paintings on the beams of its iconic Long Corridor from 2023 to last year.

According to Yan Xiaoyu, a senior engineer at the Summer Palace's heritage conservation center, the garden complex was originally built by Emperor Qianlong to celebrate his mother's birthday. Thus, the corridor paintings often feature auspicious patterns, legends from Chinese history and scenes from famous novels.

After prolonged exposure outdoors, many of the colors had faded. Before the restoration, researchers studied the original painting techniques, created digital records, and produced replicas for practice.

"The restoration result seems good as of now. In this way, visitors can see the beautiful paintings in the Long Corridor more clearly," says Yan.

She also mentions the restoration of Suzhou Street in the complex, which is scheduled for completion this year. The street was originally built as a palace shopping street, simulating marketplace transactions when the imperial family toured the area.

To give visitors a glimpse of traditional restoration techniques, display windows have been installed on the hoarding surrounding the site during maintenance and closure. The transparent windows allow tourists on the walkway to see what procedures workers are carrying out and what they are repairing. Explanatory boards have also been added.

"Located in the middle of the Three Hills and Five Gardens, the Summer Palace is currently the best-preserved garden complex among them. From the history of Chinese garden design, we can see that the complex was essentially the last imperial garden built by a feudal dynasty, so it can be called the crowning masterpiece — a swan song," says Yan.

The establishment of the demonstration zone has brought new dynamism to the Summer Palace. Yan says the surrounding environment has been significantly upgraded, with more parks opened to match its historical landscape.

"Historically, the Summer Palace was not an isolated garden complex but one closely connected to its surroundings. Now we have restored much of the old landscape so that people can gain a more complete understanding of its historical role," she says. "Upgrading the surrounding environment has also improved the overall ecological environment, so more varieties of birds can be seen in the garden. Now many people go to the west gate to observe birds, making it a new tourist attraction."

Beyond protecting old buildings, some garden complexes are also expanding public access to their rich cultural heritage. In 2023, Zhengjue Temple at Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park opened as a museum.

In March, the Hanjing Hall at Yuanmingyuan opened to the public after years of archaeological excavations. Qiu Wenzhong, director of the administration of Yuanmingyuan, says that although the site has been backfilled after excavation and people cannot see any buildings above ground, professionals have created transparent display panels featuring line drawings of the original structures. Through the panels, visitors can see the drawings "on" the site and gain a sense of what the buildings looked like during the Qing period.

These efforts reflect a broader shift: rather than protecting each site in isolation, the demonstration zone connects individual restoration projects with the wider historical and cultural landscape.

"The protection of Three Hills and Five Gardens is in its early stages, but it's never too late. The demonstration zone marks a new beginning. Through joint efforts, we hope to bring more of the landscape's history and cultural richness into view," says Zhu, the scholar.