The first building inside the east gate of the Summer Palace is the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. This is where government matters were dealt with and diplomats were received when the Qing Emperor, and later, the Empress Dowager, were staying at the Summer Palace. The five-toed dragon, symbol of the emperor, and the phoenix, symbol of the empress, stand in front of this hall.

The Summer Palace principally consists of Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill. Both are man-made, the hill being built from the dirt dug out of the lake bed. Besides the government hall, the Summer Palace includes islands and boat docks, and a boat shaped hall built on the lake, music halls and theaters, gardens and pavilions, temples and pagodas.

Lee liked this bat because it looks like the one on his taiji sword. It was on a brass frame in the Hall of Jade Ripples, where Emperor Guangxu was held under house arrest for the last 10 years of his life. His aunt and adoptive mother, the Empress Dowager Cixi, had been regent for both him and the emperor before him. When he came of age, and tried to reform the government, she repressed his reforms and confined him to this courtyard.

The wood carving is exquisite on this chair in the quarters of Empress Long Yu. She was the wife of Guangxu, and became Empress Dowager when he and Cixi died on successive days. She was regent for the last Emperor of China, Puyi, and was the one who issued the Imperial order to give up the throne in 1912.

The Purple Cloud Tower not only afforded a scenic view of Longevity Hill, but was also one of several defensive towers in the Summer Palace.

The Garden of Harmonious Pleasures was called a garden within a garden. It was one of Dowager Empress Cixi's favorite places. This entrance is a unique version of the moon door. Instead of being shaped like the moon, it is shaped like a vase.

The Long Corridor is a covered walkway that stretches 728 meters (2388 feet) along one side of Kunming Lake. It's ceiling beams, inside and out, are covered with paintings of Chinese landscapes, flowers and wildlife, and scenes from Chinese literature, legend and history. There are over 8000 paintings in all, causing it to be called an open air art gallery.

On the south side of Kunming Lake is an island that you reach by going across the Seventeen Arch Bridge. This is the same bridge that Yao Ming crossed with the Olympic torch in the last leg of the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay last June. Since we visited Beijing in the winter, Kunming Lake was frozen, and there was dry ground under the bridge, so we walked across to South Lake Island under the bridge instead of over it.

Copyright 2005, Dr. Lee Williams

Last Modified: 15 February 2005

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