Pursuing the Lost Yuanmingyuan

Author: Wang Rongzu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: Scanning through the imperial palaces and gardens in Chinese history, one quickly identifies three common characteristics. , they are extremely grand, surrounded by the finest landscapes, featuring vast architectural complexes to display awe-inspiring majesty and the emperor's authority. Grandeur is the most fundamental artistic feature of imperial palaces and gardens. Second, garden architecture pursues luxurious, magnificent, and splendid appearances, giving the impression of exceptionally ornate buildings. Third, they are designed based on mythological themes, like the splendid palaces on the mythical Mount Penglai, to express the joy and dreams of an eternal life world. The Old Summer Palace is the pinnacle of Chinese garden art and the most magnificent imperial palace garden in Chinese history. The rise and fall of the Old Summer Palace is a microcosm of the Qing Dynasty's transition from prosperity to decline. This book studies the Old Summer Palace from three aspects. First, it reconstructs the layout of the Old Summer Palace, presenting the appearance and connotations of its architecture, and elaborating on the aesthetic and layout significance of the Old Summer Palace. Second, it examines the daily and political activities of the five Qing emperors from Yongzheng to Xianfeng in the Old Summer Palace, exploring its organization and functions. Last, it reviews the rise and fall of the Old Summer Palace, detailing the process of its destruction, looting, gradual decline, and abandonment. This book, richly illustrated, showcases the entire process of the Old Summer Palace's construction, expansion, and decline, not only allowing readers to understand the history of the Old Summer Palace but also offering a glimpse into the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty.