Chapter 62 2. Summer Resort

The Summer Resort, also known as Rehe Palace, was first built in the 42nd year of Kangxi (1703) and completed in the 57th year of Qianlong (1792), with a total area of ​​about 5.64 million square meters. It was painstakingly managed by Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong The Royal Palace Garden is also the largest existing royal palace garden in my country. The Summer Resort is located in Chengde City, Hebei Province.The summer resort was chosen here because: One is the geographical shape wins.It is connected to Liaoshen on the left, Mongolia to the right, the capital to the south, and the paddock to the north. The distance is moderate and the transportation is convenient;

Second, the climate is suitable.After the Manchurians entered the customs, they were not used to the hot climate in Beijing in midsummer. They wanted to find a place to escape the summer heat. The water, soil and scenery here are good, the wind is clean, the water is sweet and the soil is fertile, the trees and grass are dense, and the scenery is beautiful. It is suitable for emperors to take care of themselves. God avoids noise and manages politics.The northern country is majestic, the south of the Yangtze River is quiet, and the beautiful scenery of the north and the south is both. The third is the needs of the nation.Mongolian, Uyghur, and Tibetan princes are on pilgrimage, and princes and nobles who have not had acne are more suitable for summer resorts.

The fourth is the military and political situation.In the early years of Kangxi, the Burni rebellion of Chahar Mongolia and the eastward crimes of Erut Mongolian Galdan occurred successively in the north, and Tsarist Russia, which was advancing eastward, also repeatedly violated the border.In order to resist aggression and carry out the policy of "suspending Mongolia to build a vassal screen on the frontier", it is urgent to build a northern inspection base for the Qing emperor in a place close to Mongolia outside the Great Wall, which is convenient for the emperor to "manage politics and observe affairs" and benefit all ethnic groups on the frontier. The upper-class figures met the Qing emperor to realize the grand plan of the Qing emperor "to monitor the people's health, to prepare for border defense, to unite internal and external hearts, and to achieve a consolidated career".

The fifth is the tradition of riding and archery.The Summer Resort is 600 miles away from the capital in the south, and 400 miles away from the Mulan paddock in the north. Mulan is in autumn, and it is a good victory for riding and shooting martial arts. Sixth, there are few residents.The Rehe area is sparsely populated, and the construction of a palace will save the need for relocation and will not disturb the people. The beautiful scenery of Shengyuan in the Summer Resort is divided into palace area, lake area, mountain area and plain area. In the south of the villa in the palace area, in Lizhengmen, is the palace where the Qing emperor governed and lived.So far, there are more than 20,000 pieces of emperor's furnishings and daily necessities.For example, the Danbo Jingcheng Hall is an important hall for the Qing emperor to manage the government, hold celebrations, and receive courtiers during his stay at the Summer Resort.The hall is built of nanmu, commonly known as "nanmu hall". Although it looks simple, it is extremely expensive.There is a bookstore of four knowledges in the palace area. Emperor Qianlong inscribed the name of the house according to the ancient motto "knowledge of micro, knowledge of clarity, knowledge of softness, and knowledge of rigidity".Emperor Qianlong met important national leaders such as Jebtsundamba Hutuktu, Zhangjia Hutuktu, the sixth Panchen Lama and Ubashi, the leader of the Turghut Tribe here.There is also Yanbo Zhishuang Hall, where Emperor Xianfeng fled to take refuge when the British and French allied forces invaded Beijing, but died here.Emperor Jiaqing also died here.The famous "Xinyou Coup" by Cixi, Ci'an and Yixin was conspired in Yanbo Zhishuang Hall.Hanging in the hall is a plaque written by Emperor Xianfeng, "Keep urgency and forbearance". It was originally given by Emperor Kangxi to warn the fourth son of the emperor, Yinzhen, but was used by Emperor Xianfeng to face the British and French aggression.

In the east of the villa in the lake area, there are islands on the lake surface, pavilions, terraces and buildings, and the scenery is beautiful.Both Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong traveled to the south of the Yangtze River six times, choosing the best of the famous southern gardens and moving them to the villa according to local conditions.The lake area of ​​the Summer Resort is divided into eight large and small lakes according to the style of Sudi and Baidi in Hangzhou, such as the upper lake, the lower lake, the mirror lake, the silver lake, the half-moon lake, etc. The lake and the islands are connected by embankments , The Hongqiao lies horizontally, the lakeshore is tortuous, the islands are scattered, the winding paths lead to secluded places, and the artistic conception is picturesque.Create a small scene and arrange pavilions to show the artistic conception of "mountains are heavy and rivers are full of doubts, and there is another village with dark willows and flowers", presenting the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan water town.For example, Yanyu Tower imitates Jiaxing Yanyu Tower, Jinshan borrows Zhenjiang Jinshan Temple, and Lion Forest imitates Suzhou Lion Forest.

The plain area is in the north of the villa, which is a patch of grassland and woods, where the famous Ten Thousand Trees Garden is located.Wanshu Garden is the venue for the emperor to hold horse racing activities, and it is also one of the important political activity centers in the summer resort.There is a large yurt here, where Emperor Qianlong received the sixth Panchen Lama, gave banquets, watched operas, and watched performances such as equestrianism and sumo wrestling.Emperor Qianlong originally planned to meet Macartney, the special envoy of the British king, here, because he was obsessed with the etiquette of the meeting—whether Macartney knelt on one leg or two, and missed an opportunity for the Qing Dynasty to open to the outside world.Emperor Qianlong also received princes and nobles of ethnic minorities here.

The northwest part of the villa in the mountain area accounts for four-fifths of the forest area of ​​the whole park.From the peaks in the northwest to the lakes and marshes in the southeast, surrounded by peaks, ravines, clear springs, and deep forests, many famous temples have been built along the terrain. There were thirty-six scenic spots in the summer resort during the Kangxi period, and another thirty-six scenic spots during the Qianlong period, making a total of seventy-two scenic spots.Shen Yu's "Thirty-six Views of the Summer Resort", and Castiglione Castiglione et al.'s "Wanshu Garden Viewing Equestrianism" (also known as "Wanshu Garden Giving Banquet") are vivid and historical records.

The Summer Resort not only combines the beauty of nature with the beauty of man-made, but also integrates scenic spots from all over the world into one garden, achieving the scenic spot of "beautiful in the south and male in the north". It is a brilliant masterpiece of Chinese classical garden art. In 1994, the Summer Resort was included in the World Cultural Heritage List. Since 2010, the state has invested 600 million yuan, and the protection project of the Summer Resort and the Outer Eight Temples has been fully launched, adding luster to the masterpieces of ancient Chinese gardening and architectural art.