Chengde Mountain Resort--A Lounge Chair for a Weary Dynasty

Author: Liu Yue Mei
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: A quaint and elegant garden, a temple shrouded in incense smoke, forming a magnificent and complete group of ancient imperial architecture. It served both to display imperial power and provide entertainment, pushing the architectural art of classical Chinese gardens and temples to its peak, and also serving as a historical witness to national unity and solidarity. This refers to Chengde. The Chengde Mountain Resort, also known as the Chengde Imperial Summer Villa or the Rehe Palace, is located in the northern part of the central area of Chengde City, Hebei Province. It was the summer retreat and administrative center for Qing Dynasty emperors. Construction began in the 42nd year of the Kangxi reign (1703) and was completed in the 57th year of the Qianlong reign (1792). The total area covers 5.64 million square meters, with a built-up area of about 1 million square meters, featuring over 110 buildings and 184 scenic spots (including 36 named by Kangxi and Qianlong), with a winding palace wall stretching 10 kilometers, making it the largest ancient imperial garden in China in terms of area. The Mountain Resort is designed in a simple and elegant rural style, taking the natural colors of the landscape and absorbing the beauty of both the Jiangnan and northern regions, forming a grand imperial garden. The palace walls are not painted red, but are built with local natural stone; the palaces are constructed in the form of northern residential siheyuan, with green bricks, tiles, and white-gray mortar, without colorful decorations, creating a contrast between the understated and the ornate with the Beijing Forbidden City. The Mountain Resort is divided into two main parts: the Palace Area and the Garden Area. The Palace Area is where the emperor handled state affairs, held celebrations, and lived, covering an area of 1 million square meters and consisting of four groups of buildings: the Main Palace, Songhezi, Wanhe Songfeng, and Donggong. The Garden Area is further divided into the Lake and Island Area, the Plain Area, and the Mountain Area. The Lake and Island Area features scattered islands, rippling waters, and the characteristics of a Jiangnan fish-and-rice region. In the northeastern corner is the famous Hot River Spring. The Plain Area in the west is lush with grass, resembling the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, while the east is covered with towering ancient trees, resembling the vast forests of the Daxing'anling Mountains. The entire Mountain Resort simulates the natural geographical features of China, combining the characteristics of northern and southern gardens, integrating architectural styles from all over the country, and creating a beautiful landscape rich in natural charm. On the eastern and northern foothills of the Mountain Resort are located the magnificent and grand temple complexes known as the Eight Outer Temples. They were constructed gradually from the 52nd year of the Kangxi reign (1713) to the 45th year of the Qianlong reign (1780). Their names are: Andai Temple, Puting Temple, Xume Fuji Temple, Putuo Zongcheng Temple, and Shuxiang Temple. The Eight Outer Temples, with their Han-style palace architecture, created a diverse yet unified style of temple architecture in China. The main buildings of the Eight Outer Temples are Putuo Temple, Puting Temple, and Xume Fushou Temple. The main building of Putuo Temple is the Xuguang Pavilion, a two-tiered round-top structure with an elegant design similar to Beijing's Qianren Dian. The main hall of Puting Temple, the Daxiangguan, houses a Guanyin Bodhisattva with a thousand hands and a thousand eyes, standing 23.511 meters tall and weighing 110 tons, making it the tallest wooden Buddha in the world. Xume Fushou Temple served as the venue for the Sixth Panchen Lama to deliver sermons. Its main building, the Miaogao Zhuanyan Hall, is magnificent, with four golden dragons on each of the four ridges of the roof, each in a vivid pose. Putuo Zongcheng Temple was built in the style of Lhasa's Potala Palace and is known as the "Little Potala Palace." The Chengde Mountain Resort and its Surrounding Temples were listed as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 1994.