The Summer Palace is located in Haidian District, a northwest suburb of Beijing, 15 kilometers away from downtown Beijing. It is a large-scale natural landscape garden built using Kunming Lake and Wanshou Mountain as its base, based on the scenery of West Lake in Hangzhou, and absorbing some design techniques and artistic conception of Jiangnan gardens. It is also the most complete preserved imperial garden, covering an area of ??about 290 hectares. The Summer Palace is the largest and best-preserved royal garden in my country and one of the four famous gardens in China. On March 4, 1961, the Summer Palace was announced as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units, and in November 1998, it was named a world natural and cultural heritage. On May 8, 2007, the Summer Palace was officially approved by the National Tourism Administration as a national 5A tourist attraction.
The artificial landscapes such as pavilions, corridors, halls, temples and small bridges in the Summer Palace are harmoniously and artistically integrated with the natural mountains and open lakes. The entire garden art is cleverly conceived and is a collection of Chinese garden architecture. A masterpiece of art, it has a prominent position in the history of Chinese and foreign garden art.
The Summer Palace embodies the culmination of traditional gardening art, borrowing the surrounding landscape environment to embody the magnificence and splendor of Chinese royal gardens, as well as the interest of nature. It highly embodies the idea that "although it is made by man, it seems to have come from the sky." Gardening Guidelines. Wanshou Mountain and Kunming Lake form its basic framework, covering an area of ??2.97 square kilometers, with water accounting for about three-quarters. There are more than 100 scenic buildings, more than 20 large and small courtyards, and more than 3,000 ancient buildings in the park, covering an area of ??more than 70,000 square meters. meters, there are more than 1,600 ancient and famous trees. Among them, the Pavilion of Buddhist Incense, the Long Corridor, the Stone Boat, Suzhou Street, the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, the Garden of Harmonious Interests, and the Grand Stage have all become well-known representative buildings.
The main attractions in the garden are roughly divided into three areas: the political activity area represented by the solemn and majestic Renshou Hall, which was the main place where Cixi and Guangxu engaged in domestic, diplomatic and political activities in the late Qing Dynasty. The living area represented by courtyards such as Le Shoutang, Yulan Hall, and Yiyun Hall is where Cixi, Guangxu, and their concubines lived. The vast area along the corridor, the back mountain, and the west area is a garden tourist area for emperors and empresses to relax and entertain themselves. On the central axis of the southern foot of Wanshou Mountain, the resplendent Buddhist Incense Pavilion and Paiyun Hall complex starts from the Yunhui Yuyu Archway on the shore of the lake, passing through Paiyun Gate, Ergong Gate, Paiyun Hall, Dehui Hall, and Foxiang Pavilion. , and finally reaches the sea of ??wisdom at the top of the mountain, with multiple corridors and palaces, rising cascadingly, running through Qingsuo, and is majestic. The towering Buddhist Incense Pavilion has eight sides and three floors, standing on the mountain and facing the lake, dominating the whole garden. The winding West Embankment is like an emerald green ribbon, stretching north and south, spanning the sky and the Han Dynasty. There are six bridges on the embankment, graceful and graceful, with different shapes. In the vast Kunming Lake, the grand seventeen-hole bridge reflects the water like a rainbow and the moon, and the three islands of Hanxutang, Zaojiantang and Zhijing Pavilion stand in a tripod, symbolizing the "fairy mountain on the sea" in myths and legends. Reading and looking at the paintings of farming and weaving, the soft mulberry trees are blowing on your face, and the wind is like a painting. Emperor Qianlong once read and looked at the living paintings of farming and weaving here, which is very interesting in the countryside. Suzhou Street, which is connected to the Qianhu Lake, has wine fronts facing the wind and bustling shops, as if you were on the royal shopping street more than 200 years ago. The Harmony Garden has winding water and corridors, which fully complements its interest. On the shore of Kunming Lake, there are also famous stone boats, lifelike bronze bulls, Zhichunting for enjoying the spring scenery and other scenic spots.
The Summer Palace Scenic Area is large in scale, covering an area of ??293 hectares. It is mainly composed of Wanshou Mountain and Kunming Lake, of which the water surface accounts for three-quarters (about 220 hectares). The buildings in the park are centered on the Buddhist Incense Pavilion, and there are more than 3,000 buildings of different forms such as pavilions, platforms, towers, pavilions, corridors, and pavilions. The whole park is roughly divided into three areas: the political activity area centered on Renshou Hall, the living and residential area centered on Leshou Hall, Yulan Hall and Yiyun Hall, and the scenic tourist area composed of Wanshou Mountain and Kunming Lake. . It can also be divided into three parts: Wanshou front mountain, Kunming Lake, and back mountain and back lake. The front mountain, with Foxiang Pavilion as the center, forms a huge main building complex, which is gorgeous, majestic and majestic. The rippling blue waves of Kunming Lake are spread out at the southern foot of Wanshou Mountain, accounting for about 3/4 of the entire park area. There is a Nanhu Island in the lake, which is connected to the shore by a beautiful seventeen-hole bridge. There is a west embankment in the west of the lake, with six beautiful bridges built on it. The clear water of the lake behind the mountain is clear, the ancient pines are towering, and the environment is quiet.
For many years, the Summer Palace Management Office has taken "building a garden with culture" as its purpose, guided employees with the corporate culture of "one spirit, five consciousnesses, and six first-class", deeply explored the cultural connotation, and vigorously promoted the protection and protection of the Summer Palace. In terms of management and research work, a complete Summer Palace protection and management system has been established with the borrowed landscape environment, mountain-shaped water system, cultural relics and ancient buildings, and vegetation landscape as the core protection content of the Summer Palace. Especially since the reform and opening up, the Summer Palace has accelerated the pace of construction and protection. It has invested heavily in restoring scenic spots such as Four Major Continents, Suzhou Street, Jingming Tower, Danning Hall, and Farming and Weaving Pictures. It has actively participated in the transformation of the surrounding environment and continued the Summer Palace. The historical and cultural environment was restored, the integrity and authenticity of the cultural heritage was restored, and the most advanced Wenchangyuan Museum in the domestic garden system was built.
On December 2, 1998, the Summer Palace was included in the "World Heritage List" by UNESCO for its rich historical and cultural heritage, beautiful natural environment and landscape, and excellent protection and management work. A powerful symbol of one of the great civilizations. In recent years, the Summer Palace has won many honorary titles such as the first batch of national civilized scenic tourist area demonstration sites, the national advanced unit for spiritual civilization construction, and the first batch of national AAAA-level scenic spots. In 2000, it successfully passed the internationally standardized ISO9000 and 14000 quality and environmental management system certifications. , putting the management, protection, and research of the Summer Palace on a standardized, scientific, and legal management track.
Historical evolution
The Summer Palace, formerly known as Qingyi Garden, was built in the 15th year of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1750) and took 15 years to complete. It was a famous tourist attraction in Beijing during the Qing Dynasty. It is the last one to be built among the "Three Mountains and Five Gardens" (Jingyi Garden on Xiangshan Mountain, Jingming Garden on Yuquan Mountain, Qingyi Garden on Wanshou Mountain, Old Summer Palace, and Changchun Garden). In the 10th year of Xianfeng (AD 1860), the Old Summer Palace was severely damaged when the British and French forces burned it down during the Second Opium War.
Reconstruction began in the twelfth year of Guangxu (AD 1886). In the fourteenth year of Guangxu (AD 1888), Cixi embezzled naval military expenditures (raising funds in the name of naval military expenditures) to repair the garden and renamed it "The Summer Palace" , which means "supporting Taihe". The project was completed in the 21st year of Guangxu (AD 1895). The Summer Palace became the most important center for political and diplomatic activities of the supreme ruler of the late Qing Dynasty outside the Forbidden City. It was an important witness to China's modern history and the place where many major historical events took place. In 1898, Emperor Guangxu met with the reform thinker Kang Youwei at the Renshou Hall of the Summer Palace and inquired about the reform. After the failure of the reform, Guangxu was imprisoned in the Yulan Hall in the garden for a long time. In the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu (1900 AD), the Summer Palace was attacked by the Eight Kingdoms again. The coalition forces looted it. The following year, after Cixi returned to Beijing from Xi'an, she once again spent a huge sum of money to restore the garden. In 1924, the Summer Palace was opened to the public. The Summer Palace is an important witness to China’s modern history!
Regional division
The purpose of Cixi's vigorous restoration of this garden was to escape the summer heat and take care of herself during her old age. She only took a fancy to this treasure land with the title of "Longevity". From 1903 onwards, Cixi spent most of her time here. Because Cixi often had to meet with officials and handle government affairs here, a palace area and a living area were specially built in the front of the garden. Therefore, the Summer Palace is a combination A large royal garden with dual functions of "palace" and "garden". The whole garden can be roughly divided into the palace area and the garden area.
Because the Summer Palace has the dual functions of palace and garden. Therefore, a palace area was built at the main entrance to the garden as a place to receive officials and handle government affairs. The palace area is composed of palaces, court rooms, duty rooms, etc., and is a complex of buildings with multiple courtyards. It occupies a small area and is relatively independent from the vast garden and forest area behind it. The two are both separated and connected. Among them, with Renshou Hall as the center, there are three large courtyards behind Renshou Hall: Leshou Hall, Yulan Hall and Yiyun Hall, where Cixi, Guangxu and their concubines lived respectively. The Deheyuan Theater on the east side of Yiyun Hall was one of the three major theaters in the Qing Dynasty.
The Hall of Renshou is located inside the East Gate of the Summer Palace. It is the main hall where Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu sat in court, listened to government affairs, and met with foreign guests. Originally named Qinzheng Hall, it was rebuilt during the reign of Emperor Guangxu and renamed Renshou Hall. Facing east, it is seven rooms wide, with north and south auxiliary halls on both sides, Renshou Gate in front, and north and south Jiuqing Rooms outside the door. The bronze dragons, bronze phoenixes, bronze tripods, etc. are all exquisitely carved. The Hall of Leshou and Longevity faces Kunming Lake, with the Grand Theater of Dehe Garden to the east and a promenade to the west. It is where Cixi lived. The black-backed gold plaque of the Hall of Leshou and Longevity is in Guangxu's handwriting. In front of the hall is the pier where Cixi sailed.
The courtyard is planted with precious flowers and trees such as magnolias, crabapples and peonies, which means "wealth in the Yutang". Yulantang is located on the bank of Kunming Lake. It is the palace of Emperor Guangxu. It is a group of halls extending in all directions. The main hall, Yulan Hall, has two auxiliary halls, the east and west. The east is called Xiafen Room and the west is called Borrowing Champs. The rear eaves and two side halls are separated from the outside world by brick walls. It is an important historical relic in the Summer Palace.
The Yuan Forest Area is dominated by Wanshou Mountain and Kunming Lake. Wanshou Mountain is about 1,000 meters long from east to west and 60 meters high. The water surface of Kunming Lake accounts for about 78% of the entire park area. The northwest end of the lake bypasses the western foot of Wanshou Mountain and is connected to the "Back Lake" at the northern foot, forming a situation surrounded by mountains and water, closely connecting the lake and mountains. The Summer Palace starts from the Sea of ??Wisdom on the top of the Wanshou Mountain, and forms a clear-cut central axis consisting of the Pavilion of Buddhist Incense, the Hall of Dehui, the Hall of Paiyun, the Gate of Paiyun, and the Yunhui Yuyufang. At the foot of the mountain is a "corridor" that is more than 700 meters long. There are more than 8,000 color paintings on the beams of the corridor, which is known as the "No. 1 Corridor in the World." In front of the corridor is the rippling blue Kunming Lake. The West Causeway of Kunming Lake is modeled after the Su Causeway of West Lake. The mountains behind Wanshou Mountain and Hou Lake are lined with ancient trees, and the environment is elegant and elegant. There are Tibetan temples and Suzhou River ancient trading streets. At the east end of Houhu Lake, there is the Harmony Garden, which is modeled after the Jichang Garden in Wuxi. It is small and exquisite and is known as the "garden within a garden".
Gardening Techniques
Wanshou Mountain belongs to the remaining veins of Yanshan Mountain and is 58.59 meters high. The building complex is built against the mountain. On the front hill of Wanshou Mountain, with the Buddhist Incense Pavilion with three floors and four eaves on eight sides as the center, it forms a huge main building complex. From the "Yunhui Yuyu" archway at the foot of the mountain, through Paiyun Gate, Ergong Gate, Paiyun Hall, Dehui Hall, Foxiang Pavilion, to the Sea of ??Wisdom at the top of the mountain, a rising central axis is formed. On the east side are the "Zhuanlunzang" and "Wanshou Mountain Kunming Lake" stone tablets. On the west side are the Wufang Pavilion and the bronze Baoyun Pavilion. There are magnificent Tibetan Buddhist buildings and multi-colored glazed pagodas standing among green trees in the back mountain. There are also pavilions and pavilions on the mountain such as Jingfu Pavilion, Chongcui Pavilion, Shu Qiuxuan, and Hua Zhongyou. You can overlook the scenery of Kunming Lake.
Kunming Lake is the largest lake among the royal gardens of the Qing Dynasty. A long embankment in the lake, the West Embankment, meanders from the northwest to the south. The West Dike and its branches divide the lake into three waters of varying sizes, each with an island in the middle of the lake. These three islands form a tripod on the lake, symbolizing the three sacred mountains in the East China Sea - Penglai, Fangzhang and Yingzhou in ancient Chinese legends. Due to the separation of islands and embankments, the lake surface appears layered, avoiding monotony and sparseness. The West Causeway and the six bridges on the causeway are consciously imitated by the Sudi Causeway and the "Six Bridges on the Su Causeway" of West Lake in Hangzhou, making Kunming Lake even more like the West Lake. The green waves and weeping willows along the Xidi area create a broad natural scenery. The beautiful mountain shape of Yuquan Mountain a few miles outside the park and the shadow of the Yufeng Pagoda on the top of the mountain are closely connected and are taken as an integral part of the garden landscape. Looking west from Kunming Lake and the lakeside, the scenery outside the garden and the lakes and mountains in the garden are integrated into one. This is an outstanding example of the use of borrowed scenery in Chinese gardens. The buildings in the lake area are mainly concentrated on three islands. The banks and embankments of the lake are shaded by green trees, blocking out the glimmering water, presenting a natural beauty of the mountains near the lake and far away that is full of Jiangnan style.
The southern slope of Wanshou Mountain (i.e. the front mountain) is adjacent to Kunming Lake. The lake and mountains are connected, forming an extremely cheerful natural environment. The lakes, mountains, islands, embankments and the buildings on them, combined with the borrowed scenery outside the garden, form a continuous, brocade-like landscape. The front mountain is close to the main entrance of the garden and the palaces of the emperor and empress. It is more convenient for sightseeing and going back and forth. It also overlooks the Kunming Lake area facing south, so the main buildings in the garden are gathered here. The garden architects accordingly used the method of highlighting key points in the layout of the building groups on the front mountain. A large and rich central building complex is built in the middle. From the lakeshore to the top of the mountain, a layer of gorgeous palaces and pavilions cover the hillside, forming a longitudinal central axis that runs up and down the front mountain. This large group of buildings includes the main buildings in the park - the "Paiyun Hall" where emperors and empresses held celebrations and meetings, and the "Foxiang Pavilion" of the Buddhist temple. The latter is the largest building in the park in terms of its size. It is about 40 meters high and stands on a high stone platform. Its octagonal shape, four-fold eaves and spiers can be seen in many places inside and outside the garden. It is majestic and towering over the crowd, becoming the center of the composition of the entire front mountain and Kunming Lake. Echoing the longitudinal axis of the central building complex is the "corridor" that meanders east and west across the foothills and along the north bank of the lake. It has 273 rooms and a total length of 728 meters. This is the longest corridor in Chinese gardens. The buildings in the rest of the front mountain are smaller in size and are naturally and sparsely arranged on the foothills, slopes and ridges, embedded in the lush green pines and cypresses, to set off the dignified and elegant central building complex.
The river of Hou Lake meanders on the northern slope of Wanshou Mountain, that is, the foothills of Hou Mountain. The gardener cleverly took advantage of the cramped environment between the north bank of the river and the palace wall to build rockeries on the north bank to block the palace wall. And in conjunction with the real mountain range on the south bank, it creates a landform of two mountains sandwiched by a river. The water surface of the river can be wide or narrow, and it is closed and released at times. After boating, the lake gives people the impression of mountains and rivers returning, with willows and flowers blooming, making it an outstanding quiet waterscape in the park.
The landscape of the back mountain is completely different from that of the front mountain. It is a natural environment full of wild mountains and forests, with lush trees, winding mountain roads and deep scenery. Except for the Buddhist temple "Xumi Lingjing" in the middle, most of the buildings are concentrated in several self-contained areas, forming an exquisite small garden with the surrounding environment. They may be perched on a hilltop, leaning on a hillside, or facing the water, and can be flexibly arranged according to the landform. On both sides of the middle section of Hou Lake are the ruins of the "Business Street" built during the Qianlong Emperor's time to imitate the shops in Jiangnan River Street. Except for the Xiequ Garden and Ji Qingxuan, which were completely rebuilt during the Guangxu period, the rest of the buildings in the back mountain are incomplete, and the scale of that year can only be vaguely identified based on the broken walls and decaying walls. Xiequ Garden, formerly known as Huishan Garden, is a garden within a garden built in imitation of Jichang Garden in Wuxi. The whole garden is centered on the water surface, with waterscape as the main body. Simple and elegant halls, halls, buildings, pavilions, pavilions, pavilions and other buildings are arranged around the pond, connected by winding corridors and planted with weeping willows and bamboos. The stacked rocks on the north bank of the pool form a rockery. Living water is drawn from the Hou Lake through the Yuqin Gorge and poured into the pool along the rocks. The tinkling sound of running water enters the scene, adding to the poetic and picturesque quality of this small garden.
Main scenic spots
1. East Palace Gate Area: at the easternmost edge of the Summer Palace. This area was originally the place where the emperors of the Qing Dynasty engaged in political activities and lived in daily life, including the Renshou Hall where they met with ministers, the northern and southern court rooms, bedrooms, grand stage, courtyards, etc. The East Palace Gate is now the main entrance of the Summer Palace. It faces east from the west, and all the lintels and eaves are painted with gorgeous patterns. The six vermilion doors are inlaid with neat yellow door nails, and under the middle eaves hangs a large gold plaque with Kowloon characters, with the three characters "Summer Palace" written on it, personally inscribed by Emperor Guangxu. The Yunlong stone on the Imperial Pillar in front of the door is carved with two dragons playing with beads. It was carved in the Qianlong period and was moved from the ruins of the Old Summer Palace (Anyou Palace). It is a symbol of the emperor's dignity. The East Palace Gate was only for the emperors and empresses of the Qing Dynasty to enter and exit.
2. Wanshou Mountain Prospect Area: The scenic area is governed by two vertically contrasting axes. The east-west axis is the corridor, and the north-south axis starts from the middle of the corridor, followed by Paiyun Gate, Ergong Gate, and Paiyun Gate. Cloud Hall, Dehui Hall, Buddhist Incense Pavilion, and the Sea of ??Wisdom on the top of the mountain. Wanshou Mountain, formerly known as Jinshan Mountain and Wengshan Mountain, is 109 meters above sea level. It is adjacent to Kunming Lake in the south and forms a group of majestic and majestic buildings with the Buddhist Incense Pavilion as the center. There are stone tablets of "Zhuanlunzang" and "Wanshou Mountain and Kunming Lake" on the east side, and there are Wufang Pavilion and Baoyun Pavilion on the west side. When you reach the top of the mountain, you can overlook the scenery of Kunming Lake.
3. Back Mountain and Back Lake Scenic Area: Located in the northernmost part of the Summer Palace, it has fewer buildings, green trees, winding mountain roads, elegance and tranquility, which is in sharp contrast to the splendor of the front mountain. A group of Tibetan buildings and Suzhou Street with Jiangnan water town characteristics are compactly laid out and each has its own unique interest.
4. Kunming Lake: It is the main water surface of the Summer Palace, accounting for three-quarters of the entire garden area, about 220 hectares. In the Qianhu area in the south, there are rippling blue waves and mist, with undulating waves to the west and clusters of pavilions to the north; there is a west embankment in the lake, with rows of peaches and willows on it; a seventeen-hole bridge lies across the lake, and there are also various forms on the three islands in the lake. classical architecture.
5. Foxiang Pavilion: Located on the mountainside in the central part of the front mountain of Wanshou Mountain, it is built on a square platform 21 meters high. It is a building with eight sides, three floors and four double eaves; the pavilion is 41 meters high meters, there are 8 huge ironwood Optimus Pillars in the pavilion. The structure is complex and it is a masterpiece of classical architecture. After the original pavilion was burned down by the British and French forces in 1860, 780,000 taels of silver were spent on reconstruction in 1891 (the seventeenth year of Guangxu's reign in the Qing Dynasty). It was completed in 1894 and was the largest project in the Summer Palace. The "Jie Yin Buddha" is enshrined in the pavilion for the royal family to burn incense here.
6. Corridor: The promenade is located at the southern foot of Wanshou Mountain, facing Kunming Lake and bordering Wanshou Mountain on the north. It starts from Yaoyue Gate in the east and ends at Shizhang Pavilion in the west. It is 728 meters long and has a total length of 273 meters. It is the longest veranda in Chinese gardens. In 1992, it was recognized as the longest promenade in the world and included in the "Guinness World Records". Each beam on the corridor is painted, and there are more than 14,000 pictures, including landscapes, flowers, birds, fish and insects, character allusions, etc. The figures in the paintings are all based on Chinese classics.
7. Paiyun Hall: The central part of the building in front of Wanshou Mountain was originally the Dabaoen Yanshou Temple built by Qianlong for his mother's 60th birthday. When Cixi rebuilt it, it was changed to Paiyun Hall. A place to live in the garden and receive worship on birthdays. The word "Paiyun" is taken from Guo Pu's poem "Paiyun Mountain, but see the gold and silver platform", which is a metaphor that the gods are about to show up in the fairy mountain pavilion shrouded in clouds and mist. Looking from a distance, the Paiyun Hall and the archway, The Paiyun Gate, Jinshui Bridge, and Ergong Gate are connected in a straight line. The Paiyun Palace is the most spectacular building group in the Summer Palace.
8. Leshou Hall: It is the Summer Palace. The main building in the living area was originally built in the 15th year of Qianlong (AD 1750), but was destroyed in the 10th year of Xianfeng (AD 1860). The Leshou Hall was built in the 13th year of Guangxu (AD 1887), facing Kunming Lake. With the Wanshou Mountain at its back, the Renshou Hall to the east, and the promenade to the west, it is the best place to live and play in the park.
The Leshou Hall is equipped with a throne, an imperial desk, a palm fan and a glass screen. Next to the seat are two large blue dragon flower disks for holding fruits and four large nine-peach copper stoves for burning sandalwood. The west suite is the bedroom, and the east suite is the dressing room. The large red sandalwood wardrobe is a relic from the Qianlong period.
There are copper deers, copper cranes and copper vases displayed in the courtyard of Leshou Hall, which means "Liuhe Peace". Flowers in the courtyard include magnolia, begonia, peony, etc. The courtyard is full of famous flowers, which constitutes the "Yutang". It means "wealth and honor". The magnolia flowers here are very famous, and the one in front of the Yaoyue Gate was transplanted by Qianlong from the south.
9. Seventeen-hole Bridge: Located on Kunming Lake, flying across the east It is the largest stone bridge in the park between the embankment and Nanhu Island. It is 8 meters wide and 150 meters long. It consists of 17 bridge holes. The railings on both sides of the stone bridge are carved with different sizes and shapes. There are more than 500 stone lions.
10. Shifang: At the west end of the corridor, there is a large stone boat named Qingyanfang, which means "Sea Qinghe Yan". It is the only Western-style boat in the Summer Palace. Its predecessor was the Fangshengtai of Yuanjing Temple in the Ming Dynasty. When Emperor Qianlong built the Qingyi Garden, it was renamed "Shifang". The boat is 36 meters long and made of marble. It has a two-story boat building with tiled floors on the bottom, stained glass windows, and brick carvings on the top. When it rains, the rainwater falling on the top of the boat passes through the hollow pillars at the four corners and is discharged into the lake through the four spigots on the hull.
11. Grand Theater: In Dehe Garden, together with Qingyin Pavilion in Chengde Summer Resort and Changyin Pavilion in Forbidden City, it is collectively known as the three major Dehe theaters in the Qing Dynasty. The Grand Theater was built for Cixi's 60th birthday and was specially designed for Cixi to watch plays. It is 21 meters high and is the third floor of the theater next to the tallest in the Summer Palace. There are seven "patios" and "ground wells" in the floor. There are water wells and five square pools at the bottom of the stage, which can be used to descend from the "sky", come out of the "earth", and lead water to the stage. .
12. Suzhou Street: It is a shopping street built on both sides of Houhu Lake in the style of Jiangnan Water Town. During the Qingyi Garden period, there were various shops on the shore, such as jade antique shops, silk and satin shops, snack shops, and teahouses. Gold and silver jewelry buildings, etc. The shop assistants were all dressed as eunuchs and palace maids. Dozens of shops on the shore of Houhu were burned down by the foreign powers in 1860. The current landscape was rebuilt in 1986.
13. Bronze Pavilion (Baoyun Pavilion): The Bronze Pavilion is one of the most exquisite and largest copper castings still existing in China. Built in the Wufang Pavilion on the west side of Foxiang Pavilion, a 4-meter-high white marble pedestal was built during the Qianlong period. It is 7.5 meters high and weighs 207 tons. There are rhombus fans on all sides. Although it is made of copper, it is completely made according to the wooden frame structure. There are doors on the east, south and west sides, with four lattice doors and eight lattice windows on the north side. The door and window lattice fans all have rhombus lattice cores, and the upper part of the curtain frame also has a lattice core. All lattice cores have two layers, inside and outside.
14. The middle reaches of the painting: The middle reaches of the painting are a group of important scenic spots in the west of Wanshou Mountain. It is built on the mountain, with a two-story pavilion on the front and one floor on the left and right, named "Aishan" and "Jiuqiu". There is a stone archway behind the pavilion, and behind the archway is "Chenghui Pavilion". There are climbing corridors between the buildings. Because it is located halfway up the mountain, the architectural forms are rich and colorful. Towers, pavilions, and corridors are built on different contours. Among the green mountains and cypresses are a group of buildings covered with red, yellow, blue, and green glazed tiles, which resemble A Chinese landscape painting.
15. Sea of ??Wisdom: It is a religious building at the highest point of Wanshou Mountain. It is a beamless Buddhist temple made entirely of bricks and stones, and is composed of vertical and horizontal arch structures. The outer layer of the building is entirely decorated with exquisite yellow and green glazed tiles, and the upper part is capped with a small amount of purple and blue glazed tiles. The whole building looks brightly colored and magnificent. In particular, the more than a thousand glazed Buddhas embedded in the outer walls of the hall are more distinctive. The term "Sea of ??Wisdom" is a Buddhist term, and its original meaning is to praise the Buddha's wisdom as the sea and the boundless Dharma. Although the building looks very much like a wooden structure, it actually does not have a single piece of wood. It is all made of stone bricks and has no load-bearing purlins, so it is called the "Beamless Hall". And because the Buddha Immeasurable Life is enshrined in the hall, it is also called the "Infinite Life Hall".
16. Tongniu: The Tongniu is on the east bank of Kunming Lake, on the north side of the east bridge head of the Seventeen-Arch Bridge. It was cast in copper in 1755 and called the "Golden Bull". The copper bull was designed to suppress floods.
17. Yulan Hall: Yulan Hall is built in the southwest of Renshou Hall and faces the lake. It is a three-heyuan-style building. The main hall, Yulan Hall, faces south, with the Xiafen Room in the east and the Lotus Pavilion in the west. The east hall leads to Renshou Hall, the west hall leads to the lakeside pier, and the back door of the main hall faces Yiyun Hall. In 1898, after Cixi launched a palace coup, Emperor Guangxu, who advocated reform, was imprisoned here.
18. Harmony Garden: Located at the east foot of Wanshou Mountain, Harmony Garden is an independent district and a garden within a garden with a southern garden style. Qingyi Garden was called Huishan Garden at that time, and was built after the Huishan Jichang Garden in Wuxi. After reconstruction in 1811, it was based on the words "To bring tranquility outside the objects, to harmonize the harmony within the fields" and Emperor Qianlong's poem "One The meaning of "one pavilion and one path is full of humor and interest" was changed to "Xiequ Garden". There are thirteen pavilions, terraces, halls and pavilions in the garden, which are connected by hundreds of verandas and five bridges of different forms. There is a stone bridge in the southeast corner of the garden. On the stone square at the head of the bridge there are three characters "Zhiyu Bridge" inscribed by Qianlong, which is a reference to the dispute between Zhuangzi and Huizi on "Qiushui Hao"
19. The Four Major Prefectures: The Four Major Prefectures are located in the middle of the back mountain of Wanshou Mountain. They cover an area of ??20,000 square meters. Due to the influence of the mountain, there is a pavilion built on the spot (now the Xumi Lingjing). It was transformed into a platform), with 3-meter-high scripture buildings on both sides, and the main building of the temple complex, Xiangyan Zongyin Pavilion, surrounded by the four major continents symbolizing the Buddhist world - Dongshengshenzhou and Xiniuhuozhou. , Nanfanbuzhou, Beijuluzhou and the eight small Budzhous built with different forms of towers. There are also four Lama Pagodas in the south, southwest, northeast and northwest representing the "Four Wisdoms" of the Buddhist scriptures. There are thirteen layers of ring-shaped "phase wheels" on the tower, which represent the "Thirteen Days" of the Buddhist scriptures. The tower is unique in shape and has a dignified and beautiful shape. There are two uneven terraces in the middle of the four major continents and the eight small continents. One represents the platform, and the other represents the sun platform, symbolizing the sun and moon surrounding the Buddha's body.