15 km from the city centre, in Haidian district, northwest of Beijing, is its Summer Palace. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, formally referred to as The Garden of Health and Harmony, and as The Museum of Royal Gardens, it is a vast expanse of green and colour. Declared “a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design” by UNESCO, its architecture combines gentle-sloping hills and azure waters with man-made edifices, to produce a scintillating effect. This is in keeping with the Chinese philosophy of harmonising the works of man and nature.
The palace covers over 743 acres with 3,000-plus man-made structures that include towers, bridges, corridors and pavilions. One of the most elaborate examples of classical Chinese gardens, it is the country's largest and most well-preserved royal park, and sections of it have been open to the public since 1924. Originally called the Garden of Great Ripples, its construction was begun in 1750 to serve as residence and a place of leisure for royalty. It was reconstructed as the Summer Palace in 1888 following extensive destruction by rampage and fire.
The entire complex is a blend of traditional Chinese halls, pavilions and royal garden as conceived by Qianlong, the Qing emperor who held sway over the region between 1750 and 1764. Structures have been built against the backdrop of the 60m-high Longevity Hill, with the 2.2 sq.km Kunming Lake as the pivot, to produce a wholesome and harmonious effect that is aesthetic and spiritual at once. Unique rock formations of bluish glossy stone, carried from various parts of China, adorn the courtyards and gardens of the palace.
The arched bridges, attractive promenades, gazebos, gates, bedecked corridors and breezy hallways allows visitors picturesque views of a ever-changing landscape. Shops vending traditional and ethnic Chinese ware and sculpted creatures from Chinese mythology dot the promenade. Temples and monasteries in Han and Tibetan add to the charm of the palace complex.
The palace comprises four distinct segments - the Court, Front and Rear of Longevity Hill, and Kunming Lake areas. The various structures within the complex enhance the park with their design and ornamentation, blending magnificently with the surrounding landscape.
The Court Area is designed along the lines of China’s Imperial Palace, with the garden located behind the palace. Both the royal residence and the courts dominate this section of the palace which also offers stunning views of Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill.
Symmetry is the hallmark of the Front Area of Longevity Hill, laid in an east-west axis with aesthetic gardens and the south-facing Tower of Buddhist Incense as the central axis. Several important buildings dot the hilltop.
The east and west causeways of the Kunming Lake are connected by the Long Gallery or Long Corridor which is interspersed with wharfs, bridges and pavilions. The 730 m-long structure has four octagonal gazebos, symbolic of the four seasons. The beams and ceilings of the walkway are intricately and abundantly embellished with thousands of murals depicting scenes from Chinese history, literature and mythology. Some of the most prominent structures here include the 150m long, 8m-wide Seventeen-Arch Bridge which is adorned with 544 stone lions on either sides of its railings, the Bronze Ox, Marble Boat which is a lakeside pavilion shaped like a paddle-wheeler, Temple of Timely Rains and Extensive Moisture, Marble Boat, and South Island, a small promontory shaped like a turtle.
A 10-minute boat ride takes us to an island temple with its theatre where we are entertained with traditional Chinese performances. The delicately designed wooden stage in the three-storey theatre is one of China's biggest and best preserved and was regarded as the Cradle of Beijing Opera. Qing Dynasty artefacts, and objects used by the royals of the time are on display in its exhibition rooms.
