The Summer Palace can be divided into two parts: Longevity Hill and KunmingLake. The whole garden covers an area of 290 hectares, of which three- fourthsconsists of a lake and rivers. This imperial garden features 3,000 room-unitsand covers an expanse of 70,000 square meters with more than 100 picturesquespots of interest. The layout of the Summer Palace includes three groups ofarchitectures: palaces where the emperor attended to state affairs, restingpalaces of the emperor and empress, and sightseeing areas. Entering the EastGate we will come the office quarters. Entering the East gate we will come tothe office quarters. The annex halls on both sides were used for officials onduty.
This is the Gate of Benevolence and Longevity. Above the door there is aplaque bearing the same name in both Chinese and Manchurian characters. Thegigantic rock in the foreground is known as Taihu rock, or eroded limestone,quarried in Jiangsu Province and placed here to decorated the garden.
On the marble terrace sits a bronze mythical beast, known as Qilin orXuanni. It was said to the one of the nine sons of Dragon King. A point ofpeculiar interest is that it has the head of a dragon, antlers of a deer, thetail of a lion and hooves of an ox, and is covered with a unique skin. IT wasconsidered an auspicious creature that brought peace and prosperity.
This grand hall is the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. It was built in1750, and was known as the Hall of Industrious Government. Emperor Qianlongruled that the halls where monarchs attended to state affairs would be namedafter them. After the rebuilding of the Summer Palace, the hall was renamed,suggesting that benevolent rulers would enjoy long lives.
The arrangement of the hall has been left untouched. In the middle of thehall stands a throne made of sandalwood and carved with beautiful designs. Inthe background there is a screen carved with nine frolicking dragons. On eitherside of the throne there are two big fans made of peacock feathers, twocolumn-shaped incense burners, crane-shaped lanterns and an incense burnerassuming the form of Luduan, a mythological animal which was suppose to have thepower to prevent fire. The small chambers on eight side were where the EmperorQianlong and Empress Dowager Cixi rested and met officials on formaloccasions.
On the verandah in the foreground of the hall there are bronze statues ofdragon and phoenixes which served as incense burners on major occasions. Theyare hollow and smoke comes through holes on their backs. Also on the veranda areTai Ping (Peace) bronze water vats made during the reign of Emperor Qianlong. Asa precaution in case of fire, a fire was lit underneath the vats in the winterto keep the water in them from freezing.
(At the entrance of Garden of Virtuous Harmony)
Outside the East Gate?in front of the Hall of benevolence and Longevity- infront of Garden of Virtuous Harmony-in front of the Grand Theater Building- alakeside walk from the Garden of Virtuous Harmony to the Hall o Jade Ripples- infront of the o Jade Ripples- in front of the Yiyunguan (Chamber of MortalBeing)-Hall of happiness and longevity- in front of the Yaoyue (Chamber ofMortal Beings)-Hall of Happiness and Longevity-in front of the Yaoyue (Invitingthe Moon) Gate of the Long Corridor- strolling along the Long Corridor- visitingan exhibition of cultural relics- in front of the Hall of Dispelling Clouds-inside the Hall of Dispelling Clouds- atop the Tower of Buddhist Incense- on ahilltop leading from the back door of the Tower of Buddhist Incense- on ahilltop leading from the back door of the Tower of Buddhist Incense- inside theGarden of Harmonious Interest ?outside the south gate to Suzhou Shopping Street-atop the stone bridge inside the Suzhou shopping street ?on the road from thesouth gate of suzhou shopping street- on the road form the south gate of suzhoushopping street to the marble boat- in front of the ruins of the Garden ofcomplete spring ?along the lakeside by the marble boat-boating on the KunmingLake-leaving out through the East Gate.
(Outside the east gate)
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Welcome to the Summer Palace. (After the self-introduction of the guide-interpreter) I hope this will be an interesting and enjoyable day for you.
During our tour, you will be introduced to time honored historical andcultural traditions, as well as picturesque views and landscapes.
The construction of the Summer Palace first started in 1750. At that time,the Qing Dynasty was in its heyday and China was a powerful Asian country withvast territories. The monarch in power then was Emperor Qianlong. With supremepower and large sums of money, he summoned skillful and ingenious artisans fromall over the country to carry out this construction work in honor of hismother's birthday. After 15 years and one seventh of the nation's annual revenuespent, the Garden of Clear Ripples was completed and served as a testimony toChina's scientific and technological achievements. In 1860, this vast royalgarden was burnt down along with the Yuanming Yuan (Garden of Perfection andBrightness) by Angol-French allied forces. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixireconstructed the garden on the same site and renamed it the Garden of NurturedHarmony (Summer Palace). Characterized by its vast scope and rich culturalembodiments, the Summer Palace has become one of the most famous tourist sitesin the world.
This is the main entrance to the Summer Palace-the East Gate On top of theeaves of the door there is a plaque bearing a Chinese inscription which means"Garden of Nurtured Harmony", whose calligrapher was Emperor Guangxu. The gatethat you are now entering was used exclusively by the emperor, the empress andthe queen mother. All others used the side doors.