Introduction
The Imperial Summer Villa, located in the city of Chengde in northeastern Hebei province, is China's largest imperial garden. Twice the size of Beijing's Summer Palace, construction spanned nearly ninety years, beginning under Emperor Kangxi in 1703 and lasting through the greater part of Emperor Qianlong's reign. The Imperial Summer Villa often saw use as a de facto second capital as Kangxi set a precedent followed by Qianlong and a succession of other Qing emperors of spending much of the year at the garden. In 1994, the Imperial Summer Villa became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Layout
The Imperial Summer Villa covers some 564 hectares featuring well-manicured gardens and over 110 architectural structures surrounded by a 10-km-long outer wall that rises and falls with the surrounding hills. The Imperial Summer Villa can be divided into two sections: a palace section and a garden section.
Palace Section
The palace section is where Qing emperors would dispose of state affairs and live during their stays at the Imperial Summer Villa.
A plaque inscribed with four characters by Emperor Kangxi hangs above the vermilion front gate. Bi Shu Shan Zhuang it reads, or 鈥淢ountain Villa to Flee the Summer Heat鈥? Walking through the gateway, Danbomingcheng comes into view, or the 鈥淗all of Simplicity and Reverence鈥? The name comes from an ancient Chinese saying roughly translated as, 鈥淥nly a simple lifestyle can help one realize his true life-goal.鈥?Also known as Nanmu Hall, because it was built with nanny, a fragrant, fine-grained hardwood unique to China, the hall was used by the emperor to carry out official state business.
Behind Danbomingcheng, stands Yanbozhishuang Hall, or 鈥淐ool on a Misty Lake鈥?Hall, which was used as the emperor's living quarters. Today, most of the hall has become a museum with Qing relics and artwork on exhibit. Visitors are rewarded with a glimpse into the lifestyle of Qing royalty. Other famous halls in the palace section include Wanhesongfeng, which stands by the lakeside, encircled by pine trees, and was used as an imperial study, and Songhezhai, which housed the emperor's mother as well as his concubines.
Garden Section
The garden section can be further divided into a lake section, plains section, and mountain section.
Lake Section
The lake section is north of the palace section and covers about 80 hectares. Unlike the Summer Palace's Kunming Lake, which is an open expanse of water, the lakes here are smaller, more-complicated, interconnected affairs, and come in a variety of shapes and sizes and feature islets, causeways, bridges, pavilions, etc. One of the most beautiful sites in the lake section is the 鈥淢oon Color and River Sound鈥?Islet. When night falls, the surrounding waters shimmer with moonlight. It is so peaceful and picturesque. The lakeside buildings were designed in the style of southern Chinese architecture, and look transplanted from Jiangsu or Zhejiang.
Flatland Section
The flatlands north of the lake section are covered with both grassland and forest. There are no buildings here with the exception of a few Mongolian yurts. The southwest corner of this section was devoted to horse riding. Emperor Qianlong often entertained Mongolian princes here, with barbeque dinners, wrestling, horse racing, and archery. He also hosted grand banquets here for such distinguished guests as the sixth Panchen Lama and envoys from foreign countries.
Mountain Section
Four-fifths of the Imperial Summer Villa is mountainous, sloping down from the northwest to the southeast. The mountain section is merely the most mountainous area. Sites to visit here include the Qingchui Sunset Glow Pavilion, which offers gorgeous views of Qingchui Peak at sunset, which glows under the golden rays of the setting sun. The most breathtaking pavilion of the entire garden is perhaps the Snow Covered South Mountain Pavilion. Located high on a mountain in the garden, it offers panoramic views that include the entire Imperial Summer Villa, much of the surrounding countryside, and downtown Chengde. ( Text by Han Yueling and Allen Chai)
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