The Site of the Old Summer Palace is located in Haidian District, Beijing.
The Old Summer Palace was the former residence of the imperial family of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and later given to Yinzhen, the fourth son of Emperor Kangxi who ascended to throne as Emperor Yongzheng in the 48th year (1709) of Kangxi’s reign. The palace underwent many expansions during the regime of Emperor Jiaqing, Emperor Daoguang and Emperor Xianfeng, and became a large-scale imperial garden and residence of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The construction work on the palace lasted for 150 years.
The Old Summer Palace, generally known as Yuanmingyuan, consists of three gardens: Changchunyuan, Wanchunyuan and Yuanmingyuan. Historical studies indicate it is shaped like the reversed character
, with Changchunyuan in the east, Yuanmingyuan in the west, Wanchunyuan in the south and Happy Sea in the center. The palace covers an area of 5,200 mu (1 mu = 1/15 of a hectare), with a construction area of 160,000 square meters, much larger than that of the Imperial Palace. Scattered inside the palace are over 140 buildings, some of which were built to resemble fairylands described in legends; others imitated famous traditional Chinese paintings of mountains and waters; some adopted the features of famous gardens in the south; and some benefited from the classical architectural style of European palaces. With over 100 dispersed scenic spots, the palace was a rare construction group in the world at the time and reputed as the garden of 10,000 gardens by occidentals.
Yuanmingyuan is the largest one of the three gardens boasting 48 scenic spots, which are further divided into smaller areas. Constructions inside the garden include the Zhengda Guangming Hall where emperors handled political affairs; Jiuzhou Qingyan Hall where the imperial family dined; Anyou Palace where sacrificial ceremonies were held; Wenyuan Pavilion where books were stored; and Broken Bridge, Fallen Snow, a scenic spot imitating the style of the West Lake. Also kept in the garden is a large number of books, calligraphies and paintings, and treasures.
Emperors and empresses of the late Qing lived a luxurious life at the palace, spending money excessively. In the 10th year (1860) of Emperor Xianfeng, the English and French armies invaded Beijing and burned the palace to the ground. The remaining carved stone columns are a reminder of the crimes committed by imperialist powers.
(Source: chinaculture.org)
