Hereischina.com | My Account | Sign Up | Sign In | Help 
-- Kunming lake was originally called Wengshan Lake. In 1749, Emperor Qianlong ordered the construction of Qingyi Garden, the predecessor of the Summer Palace. Involving nearly 10,000 laborers, the lake was expanded and turned into a peach-shaped reservoir, the first of its kind for Beijing.
From 1990 to 1991 , the Beijing...
-- As the symbolic structure, the Tower of Buddhist Incense tops the high grand towers of both the Summer Palace and the "three mountains and five gardens" (Longevity Hill, Jade Spring Mountain, and Fragrant Hill; Garden of Clear Ripples, Garden of Everlasting Spring, Garden of Perfection and Brightness, Garden of Tranquility and Brightness, and Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure). Set up ...
-- The long Corridor actually is a covered walkway 728 meters long with 273 sections. It was first built in 1750 for Qianlong's mother to enjoy the scenes of the lake in rainy days. In 1860, the long corridor was destroyed by Anglo French Allied Forces. It was rebuilt after the original pattern at the end of the 19 century...
-- Entering the East Palace Gate means walking into the administrative area of the Emperors. The Hall of Benevolence and Longevity is the first architectural complex that visitors see. It was built in 1750, burned down in 1860 by the Anglo-French allied forces, and was reconstructed in 1888.
Actually, the Emperors' administrative hall was...
-- YuLanTang and Donggongmen are also attractions in the Summer Palace.
YuLanTang, also named the Hall of Jade Ripples, was originally built by Emperor QianLong and took as a leisure space for him. And for Emperor GuangXu, it acted as his private residential place and also the place where he was under house arrest from 1898...
-- This pavilion, where Qing emperors and empresses used to pray and chant scriptures, was built in the 20th year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign (1755). It is 7.55 meters high and weighs 207 tons. All its component parts, the beams, pillars, supporting brackets, rafters, tiles, couplings, etc., were cast in bronze by traditional technical methods called “melting the wax” and “breaking the mould”, and the exterior was furnished in a greenish-gray color. The bronze pavilion is of great scientific value...
-- Walking northward from the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity , visitors will see Deheyuan (Garden of Virtue and Harmony), where Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi watched the performances of the Peking opera. Borrowing from the meaning in the Zuo Commentary, the name "Dehe" suggests "listen to a fine melody and the mind will becalm". This garden consists of the Grand Theater Building, the Hall of Nurtured Joy, and the Dressing House...
-- On the central axis of the Summer Palace lies the hall of Dispelling Clouds. It was built in 1750 and rebuilt in 1889, and the present name was also given then.
Also on the central axis to the south is the Gate of Dispelling Clouds. In its front are a pair of bronze lions and twelve strange looking rocks. The lions, as usual, are auspicious animals to ward off evil spirits. While the twelve rocks, when examined carefully, look...
-- Constructed in the reign of Emperor Qianlong(1736-1795), the Sea of Wisdom Temple was an arch-shaped structure built with bricks and stones without the support of a single beam or pillar.
It therefore came to be known as the "Beamless Hall". The hall’s roof and murals were finished with colored glaze and decorated with 1,110 statuettes of ...
-- Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) first built on this site, northeast of the Summer Palace near Kunming Lake, a residence for his mother. It was burnt down by the Anglo-French invaders in 1860. The present structure, the Hall of Joyous Longevity, which was the major construction of the residential area, was constructed in 1887 for the pleasure of Empress Dowager Cixi in summers. She had 48 attendants in the hall...
Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony
Hailed All Over World
