The
Summer Palace Tour Guide Service
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The Summer Palace located at the western outskirts
of Beijing , which is about 15 kilometers away from downtown. Covering
an area of 293 hectares, it was the largest royal park and designated
as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Site of China by the State Council
in 1960s. It was listed as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
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The
Summer Palace |
The
Nanhu Isaland |
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17
Arch Bridge |
The Long Corridor |
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The
Marble Boat |
Xiequ
Garden in Summer Palace |
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Temples
in the Summer Palace |
The
Suzhou Shopping Street in the Summer Palace |
Constructed in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234).During the succeeding dynasties,
it was expanded continuously. In 1750s large scale of construction was
involved. It became a luxurious royal garden providing royal families
with rest and entertainment in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In the history
the Summer Palace was occupied and plundered by foreigners for two times.
In 1860 it was destroyed by Anglo-French Allied Forces. In 1900 it was
ransacked by the Eight- Power Allied Forces. In the year of 1886 and 1903
the Empress Dowager Cixi reconstructed the Summer Palace. During the late
years of the Qing Dynasty the Empress Dowager spent most of her time there
to deal with state affairs and entertain herself. After the success of
the 1911 Revolution, it was opened to the public.
The Summer Palace is famous for its picturesque scenery and beautiful
buildings. The mirror-liked Kunming Lake covers three quarters of the
whole area. The Longevity Hill is like a beautiful screen standing at
the bank of the lake. When climbing the Tower of Buddhist you can have
a marvelous view of the whole park. The Long Corridor with numerous paintings
like a ribbon connecting the main buildings. The Marble Boat with unique
style will give you a deep impression. Definitely the Summer Palace is
one must-go for people to visit Beijing.
Story Aabout the Dragon Lady Empress Dowager
Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi , from a Manchurian middle class official’s family,
born on 10th of October in lunar calendar 1835, died on the 22nd of October
1908, she was chosen as a beauty into the royal court at the age of 17
in 1851. Favored by Emperor Xianfeng, her position was up graded. Her
original name was “little orchid” but she was given a name “Cixi” meaning
holly mother by the emperor. In 1856 after she gave birth to a boy, the
only son of the emperor she was conferred upon as concubine. In 1861 Xianfeng
died in the Summer Resort in Rehe, the present day in Chengde so her six
years old son succeeded the throne with the rein title “Tongzhi”, which
meant to rule jointly. When Cixi became the new emperor’s mother she began
to collaborate with the emperor’s uncle and empress dowager Cian, who
was the empress of emperor Xianfeng to kill eight prominent ministers
so as to control all political and military powers. Since then Cixi could
do the “Ruling behind the screen” with Cian. The two ladies sat behind
the emperor’s throne with
a screen in between to tell the emperor what to say and what to do. A
few years later Cian died. So Cixi did this practice by herself. In 1874
the young emperor died of small pox. But Emperor Tongzhi had no son to
succeed him. Cixi in order not to lose the power, instead of choosing
heir prince, she began to support a 3 years old boy, the late emperor’s
cousin, her sister’s son to ascend the throne. That was Emperor Guangxu.
By doing so she could do the practice of ruling behind the curtain again.
After the Bourgeois Reformation Movement supported by Emperor Guangxu
failed in 1898 Cixi put the emperor under house arrest in the Hall of
Jade Ripples in the Summer Palace and Yingtai Islet. So she started to
rule the country openly by herself. It was said that she poisoned Emperor
Guangxu to death the previous day before she died.
Cixi had three ambitions: pleasure, power and luxury. According to historical
records, six eunuchs took care of her jewelers, shoes and clothes. In
1894 alone, she ordered 135 suits. Her meals were prepared and served
with the most sophisticated procedure. Each dinner contained more than
100 dishes and all the table wares were made of gold, jade silver and
ivory. Hundreds of people took care of her life and uncountable money
was spent on her daily life. She embezzled the money, which was allocated
for the building the navy to renovate the Summer Palace for her own purpose.
That caused China lost the sea war against Japan in 1894.
During her 48 years ruling, she did the usual practice to prostrate before
the imperialist power and put down the people’s rebellion cruelly. The
people led an animal’s life. A notorious saying of her goes like this:”
Using China’s resources to exchange favor from foreign powers in return”.
With this political and diplomatic norm she bartered away the sovereignty
of the country, signed many unequal treaties of humiliation with foreign
powers, such as “Treaty of 1900” with eight alien powers and “Yili Treaty”
with Russia. But she cruelly suppressed the people. For example, the 1898
she put down Bourgeois Reformation Movement in the bud and suppressed
the Boxing Movement of 1900 with foreign invaders. Mobile:(+86-1350
110 3837) Fax:(0086-10-6585 4230) E-mail: chinasilkrug@msn.com
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