Condense the universe

Author: Liu Yuwen
Editor-in-Chief: Yu Jinlan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1997-08-01
Features: Excerpt: In the early summer of the 40th year of the Kangxi reign (1701), Emperor Kangxi embarked on a northern inspection of the frontier. After departing from Beijing, he traveled and hunted along the way, finally stopping at the Kangla River Camp Imperial Palace. At that time, this palace was the largest imperial palace in the frontier and was built on the ruins of the "Pou Tan Imperial Palace" of the Liao Dynasty during the reign of the Regent Dorgon. To construct this palace, Dorgon had given a detailed explanation to the princes and ministers: "The capital city of Beijing has been established for a long time, with dense population and contaminated, salty land. It is bearable to live there in spring, autumn, and winter, but unbearable in summer due to the scorching heat. Beijing has been the capital of successive dynasties, and it is not easy to choose a new location to establish a capital. Historically, the Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties had constructed summer resorts in places like the Shangdu (now Balin Left Banner in Inner Mongolia) in the frontier for escaping the heat. These can be taken as references. However, imitating the construction of large summer resorts like those of previous dynasties might be too extravagant and burdensome for the people. It seems more appropriate to build a small summer city that is easy to construct and does not deplete resources or burden the people."② In the seventh year of the Shunzhi reign (1650), the Kangla River Camp Imperial Palace was still under construction when Dorgon suddenly died, and the project was halted. It was not until the sixteenth year of the Kangxi reign (1677) that Emperor Kangxi, adhering to the principle of "simple thatched roofs and earthen steps, without decoration, merely as a temporary measure for escaping the heat," completed this palace. During this northern inspection, Emperor Kangxi rested for two days at the Kangla River Camp. After the early meal (shan, meaning "food") on May 28, over 100 personal guards and bodyguards, along with more than 10 civil and military officials, escorted Emperor Kangxi on a hunt, "examining the land along the way," and eventually arrived at "Haronggaru." "Haronggaru" is a Mongolian term, translated into Chinese as "Upper Camp of Rehe," a small "Mongolian-Chinese village settlement."① Here was a simpler palace than that at Kangla River Camp. Emperor Kangxi stood on a high hillside near the palace, using the "" (monocular telescope) gifted by King Louis XIV of France, to observe the distant mountains and the flat valleys between them. Whipping his horse's reins and pointing, he said, "You may all see that here, the peaks leap and surge, high but not steep, with a unique charm; a winding river flows, with smooth waves and a clear, deep current, its head and tail indistinguishable—this must be a land of auspicious Feng Shui!" After speaking, Emperor Kangxi sought the opinions of his officials with his gaze. At this moment, Chang Shou, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, concurred, saying, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. Haronggaru is surrounded by mountains and traversed by a river, its head and tail unseen—this is indeed the 'Flying Dragon Ascending to Heaven' in terms of Feng Shui. Moreover, it slopes higher in the north and lower in the south, with a terrain that embraces the yin and nurtures the yang, resembling the of the opening of the 'Heavenly Gate' as described in the annotations to Yang Xiong's "Great Mysterious Classic" from the Han Dynasty, where it is said, 'When the Heavenly Gate opens, the wind of the gate blows vast and boundless.'"