A Paradise Lost—The Imperial Garden Yuanming Yuan

The imperial bedroom and seraglio in the Nine Continents were forbidden ground, and yet the European visitor Father Attiret was able to see them. He found there “all the most beautiful things that can be imagined as to furniture, ornaments, and paintings.... [There are] the most valuable sorts of wood; varnished works, of China and Japan; ancient vases of porcelain; silks, and cloth of gold and silver. They have there brought together, all that. Art and good taste could add to the riches of nature”. In 1860, when the European invaders seized the garden, a British officer saw the royal living quarters where “a large niche in the wall, curtained over and covered with silk mattresses, served for the bed; and a sloping platform enabled His Majesty to mount into it.” Under a pillow, the Briton noticed “a small silk handkerchief with sundry writings in the vermillion pencil about the barbarians.” Near the bed on a table there were “pipes and other Chinese luxuries”. This description at least reflects the setup of His Majesty’s bedroom during the Xianfeng Emperor’s time.

Louyue Kaiyun (Engraved Moon and Unfolding Clouds) showing Ji’en Tang (the Memorial Hall) in the background. Plan by Joseph C. Wang and Xinbai Yu.

On the second islet of the Nine Continents sat the famous Peony Terrace (Mudan Tai), which Qianlong eventually designated the scene of the Engraved Moon and Unfolding Clouds (Louyue Kaiyun). Its main hall in the front was built using precious nanmu (Phoebe nanmu) timber with tiles in splendid green and gold, yielding a look of resplendence. The elegant-looking gallery behind the main hall was named the Imperial Orchid Fragrance (Yulanfen). Further back was an expansive complex of structures consisting of the Memorial Hall (Ji’en Tang) in the middle, the Nourishing Simplicity Study (Yangsu Shuwu) to the west, and the Resting Cloud Chamber (Qiyun Lou) to the east. The central theme of this scene was the peony. The great Song philosopher Zhou Dunyi (1017–1073) had designated this particular flower to symbolize riches and honor, and Kangxi identified ninety different kinds of peony in his imperial garden. Every blossom season, normally late spring, when hundreds of peonies came into bloom, the Qing emperors arrived at the terrace to observe the magnificent “embroidery view” against the background of enormous green pines. It is not at all surprising that Qianlong found the Peony Terrace his favorite place to compose poems.

The remaining seven islets of the Nine Continents complete the circle in the following order. At the northeast corner of Rear Lake was the Natural Scenery (Tianran Tuhua), which is also the name of its principal structure standing in the middle with two wings. Its west side included a pavilion and a chamber, and its east side included the Five-Fortunes Hall (Wufu Tang). In front of this scenery extended a large courtyard featuring numerous phoenix trees in the midst of a bamboo grove.

Tianran Tuhua (Natural Scenery), with the principal structure in the middle facing a lake. Plan by Joseph C. Wang and Xinbai Yu.

Crossing a stream over a flat bridge from the site of the Five-Fortunes Hall, one arrived at the Blue Phoenix-Tree Academy (Bitong Shuyuan). Its main structure, facing south, included a three-column front house, a five-column main court, and a five-column rear court. Tidy Wutong trees grew on each side of the courtyards to provide long shade over the houses, which appeared to be hidden. Qianlong is said to have loved coming here to hear the sounds of rain, which inspired him to write poems. Westward from the academy was the Gentle Clouds Cover All (Ciyun Puhu). With the unique Bell Tower (Zhong Lou) at its back and slightly to the west, the three-column-wide main front court named the Happy Buddhist Ground (Huanxi Fochang) faced the Rear Lake to the south. To the north of the court, beside a Daoist shrine, was a three-story chamber in which Avalokitesvara and Guan Gong, the legendary military hero, were worshipped. To the east of the main court stood the Court for the God of Rain (Longwang Dian) for worshipping the Yuanming Yuan’s Dragon King named Zhaofu. The name Gentle Clouds Cover All obviously refers to the merciful protection over all souls.

Bitong Shuyuan (Blue Phoenix-Tree Academy). Plan by Joseph C. Wang and Xinbai Yu.

One left this religious land over a stone bridge westward to the Sky in Reflections (Shangxia Tianguang). Its main structure, a two-story chamber overlooking the Rear Lake, was a replica of the famous Yueyang Chamber (Yueyang Lou) at the Dongting Lake in the central Yangzi valley. On both sides of the chamber extended two narrow banks like rainbows, and at the middle of them stood a hexagonal arbor. Behind the chamber was a compound of smaller structures called the Silent Courtyard (Ping’an Yuan), where the Nine Continents made a southwest turn to the islet named the Apricot-Flower Villa (Xinghua Chunguan).

Principal building on Shangxia Tianguang (Sky in Reflections). Sketch by Joseph C. Wang and Xinbai Yu.

Rugu Hanjin (Harmony of the Present with the Past). Plan by Joseph C. Wang and Xinbai Yu.

The villa was composed of the Apricot Grove (Xinghua Cun), the Spring Rain Gallery (Chunyu Xuan), the Green Shady Hall (Cuiwei Tang), the Restrained Chapel (Yi Zhai), and the Water Reflection Chapel (Jingshui Zhai). Yongzheng had created this scene, while Qianlong embellished it and designated it as one of the Forty Views. Qianlong liked to come here in late spring when flowers blossomed, and he described the view as splendid as the “rosy rays of light”.

The islet on which stood the Apricot-Flower Villa was connected to the Magnanimous World (Tantan Dangdang) by the Blue Wave Bridge (Bilan Qiao). Its front structure had three sections: the Pure Heart Hall (Suxin Tang) in the middle, the Knowing-Fish Arbor (Zhiyu Ting) to the northeast, and the Double Beauty Chapel (Shuangjia Zhai) to the northwest. Behind the front structure was the Splendid Wind and Moon (Guangfeng Jiyue). The unique feature of this scene was the square fish pond, which was very much to the pleasure of Qianlong who cited in a poem the saying of the great Daoist philosopher Zhuangzi: “See how the minnows are darting about! Such is the pleasure that fish enjoy.” South of this scene, the islet named the Harmony of the Past with the Present (Rugu Hanjin) sat at the southwest corner of the Rear Lake and connected by bridges to the main living quarters and to the Eternal Spring Fairy Hall (Changchun Xianguan). All galleries, chapels, and studios here were built in a large square lot connected by delightful winding corridors. In designating this scene, Qianlong quoted the great Tang poet Du Fu: “While I hold my contemporaries with no contempt, I have my affection for the ancients”. The scenes on the nine islets arguably constituted the best of the Forty Views.

Tantan Dangdang (Magnanimous World). Sketch by Joseph C. Wang and Xinbai Yu.

Wanfang Anhe showing Ping’an Yuan adjacent to the Swastika House. Plan by Joseph C. Wang and Xinbai Yu.

Across the Nine Continents to the west was the Swastika House. Qianlong designated it as the Universal Peace (Wanfang Anhe), with houses constructed in a swastika shape on a lake.19 Cool in summer and warm in winter, the houses were built on a solid brick foundation surrounded by water. Here the Qianlong Emperor was especially fascinated by the inverted golden reflections of the swastika formation in the lake under the autumn moon. The golden reflections recalled the brilliant light of the Buddha. Other scenic sites with ostensible religious significance included the better-known Cloud-Living on the Moon Land (Yuedi Yunju), a secluded enclosure surrounded by short red walls and green pines and sitting at the northern end of the Drill Field. Its main building faced a stream in the front and was backed by a small hill. This was a favorite place for members of the royal family to perform their Buddhist worship.

Just north of the Swastika House was the Peach-Blossom Cove (Taohua Wu). This scene recalls the famous legend invented by the third-century poet Tao Qian (372–427), also known as Tao Yuanming. In the legend, a fisherman loses his way and discovers a hidden paradise called the Peach-Blossom Cove in which people live happily without knowing the outside world. The fisherman returns home and tells the story, but he cannot find the cove again. The lost cove has since inspired Chinese literati into utopian thoughts of a legendary happy land. The Peach-Blossom Cove contained a series of halls and galleries. The hall named Deep Source of Peach Blossom (Taoyuan Shenchu) at the northeast end was created by Yongzheng, who was very pleased with the ingenious design and inscribed with his own calligraphy names for each chamber on the horizontal board.Qianlong designated this cove Spring Beauty at Wuling (Wuling Chunse) and selected it as one of the Forty Views.

The principal structure of Wuling Chunse (Spring Beauty at Wuling). Sketch by Joseph C. Wang and Xinbai Yu.

The Drill Field was located at the southwest corner of the original Yuanming Yuan. It featured a review stand and a large flat field for military exercises. Qianlong designated it as the High-Reaching Mountain and Outstretched River (Shangao Shuichang). Across the Cloud-Living on the Moon Land and in the northwest corner, Qianlong spent 600,000 taels to complete the Ancestral Shrine in 1742. The main structure, called Blessing Palace (Anyou Gong), was set all the way back in the middle facing south.