The Lost Paradise: The Old Summer Palace

Author: Zhang Baocheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-06-01
Features: Although the site of the Old Summer Palace has taken initial shape, and its landscape is gradually recovering its former glory, the original architectural and scenic remnants have vanished without a trace, lost forever. Regrettably, the former Old Summer, Mid-Autumn, and Western Summer Palaces once boasted nearly a hundred classical garden landscapes, almost-like in their beauty. Yet, there are remarkably few visual records left behind before the gardens were destroyed. First, the only set of scenic illustrations, titled "Forty Scenes of the Old Summer Palace," was drawn by imperial court painters Tang Dai and Shen Yuan in the ninth year of the Qianlong reign, and it exists today only in a single copy at the Louvre in Paris. Second, although panoramic views of the Old Summer Palace and the Changchun Garden were separately painted during the Qianlong era, both have since disappeared without a trace. Third, the master plan of the Old Summer, Mid-Autumn, and Western Summer Palaces was not discovered until 1989. As a result, for a long time, the image of the Old Summer Palace in people's minds has remained dim and unclear, with many misconceptions passed down through generations.