颐和园的英文导游词（通用3篇）
the tour will take 4-6 hours. the route is as follows:
out side the east gate-side the east gate in front of the hall of benevolence and longevity- in front of garden of virtuous harmony-in front of the grand theater building- a lakeside walk from the garden of virtuous harmony to the hall o jade ripples- in front of the o jade ripples- in front of the yiyunguan (chamber of mortal being)-hall of happiness and longevity- in front of the yaoyue (chamber of mortal beings)-hall of happiness and longevity-in front of the yaoyue(inviting the moon ) gate of the long corridor- strolling along the long corridor- visiting an exhibition of cultural relics- in front of the hall of dispelling clouds- inside the hall of dispelling clouds- atop the tower of buddhist incense- on a hilltop leading from the back door of the tower of buddhist incense- on a hilltop leading from the back door of the tower of buddhist incense- inside the garden of harmonious interest outside the south gate to suzhou shopping street- atop the stone bridge inside the suzhou shopping street on the road from the south gate of suzhou shopping street- on the road form the south gate of suzhou shopping street to the marble boat- in front of the ruins of the garden of complete spring along the lakeside by the marble boat-boating on the kunming lake-leaving out through the east gate.
(out side the east gate)
ladies and gentlemen: welcome to the summer palace.(after the self-introduction of the guide -interpreter) i hope this will be an interesting and enjoyable day for you .
during our tour, you will be introduced to time honored historical and cultural traditions, as well as picturesque views and landscapes.
the construction of the summer palace first started in 1750. at that time, the qing dynasty was in its heyday and china was a powerful asian country with vast territories. the monarch in power then was emperor qianlong. with supreme power and large sums of money, he summoned skillful and ingenious artisans from all over the country to carry out this construction work in honor of his mother `s birthday. after 15 years and one seventh of the nation` s annual revenue spent, the garden of clear ripples was completed and served as a testimony to china` s scientific and technological achievements. in 1860, this vast royal garden was burnt down along with the yuanming yuan (garden of perfection and brightness) by angol-french allied forces. in 1888, empress dowager cixi reconstructed the garden on the same site and renamed it the garden of nurtured harmony (summer palace). characterized by its vast scope and rich cultural embodiments, the summer palace has become one of the most famous tourist sites in the world. this is the main entrance to the summer palace-the east gate on top of the eaves of the door there is a plaque bearing a chinese inscription which means garden of nurtured harmony , whose calligrapher was emperor guangxu. the gate that you are now entering was used exclusively by the emperor, the empress and the queer mother. all others used the side doors.
(inside the east gate)
the summer palace can be divided into two parts: longevity hill and kunming lake .the whole garden covers an area of 290 hectares, of whih three- fourths consists of a lake and rivers .this imperial garden features 3,000 room-units and covers an expanse of 70,000 square meters with more than 100 picturesque spots of interest. the layout of the summer palace includes three groups of architectures: palaces where the emperor attended to state affairs, resting palaces of the emperor and empress, and sightseeing areas. entering the east gate we will come the the office quarters. entering the east gate we will come to the office quarters. the annex halls on both sides were used for officials on duty. this is the gate of benevolence and longevity. above the door there is a plaque bearing the same name in both chinese and manchurian characters. the gigantic rock in the foreground is known as taihu rock, or eroded limestone, quarried in jiangsu province and placed here to decorated the garden. on the marble terrace sits a bronze mythical beast, known as qilin or xuanni . it was said to the one of the nine sons of dragon king. a point of peculiar interest is that it has the head of a dragon, antlers of a deer, the tail of a lion and hooves of a ox, and is covered with a unique skin. it was considered an auspicious creature that brought peace and prosperity. this grand hall is the hall of benevolence and longevity. it was built in 1750 , and was known as the hall of industrious government. emperor qianlong ruled that the halls where monarchs attended to state affairs would be named after them . after the rebuilding of the summer palace, the hall was renamed, suggesting that benevolent rulers would enjoy long lives. the arrangement of the hall has been left untouched. in the middle of the hall stands a throne made of sandalwood and carved with beautiful designs. in the background there is a screen carved with nine frolicking dragons. on either side of the throne there are two big fans made of peacock feathers, two column-shaped incense burners, crane-shaped lanterns and an incense burner assuming the form of luduan, a mythological animal which was suppose to have the power to prevent fire. the small chambers on eight side were where the emperor qianlong and empress dowager cixi rested and met officials on formal occasions. on the verandah in the foreground of the hall there are bronze statues of dragon and phoenixes which served as incense burners on major occasions. they are hollow and smoke comes through holes on their backs. also on the veranda are tai ping (peace) bronze water vats made during the reign of emperor qianlong. as a precaution in case of fire, a fire was lit underneath the vats in the winter to keep the water in them from zing.
(at the entrance of garden of virtuous harmony)
we are now visiting the garden of virtuous harmony, where emperor qianlong and empress dowager cixi were entertained with beijing opera performances. it mainly consists of the dressing house, the grand theater building and the hall of pleasure smiles. the grand theater building known as the cradle of beijing opera was uniquely laid out and magnificently decorated. on september 10, 1984, the garden of virtuous harmony opened its doors to visitors. there are also 7 exhibition halls with articles of daily use on display here. the staff here put up court dresses of qing dynasty in order to give the visitor a more vivid impression.
(in front of the grand theater building)
this building is 21 meters in height and 17 meters in width and features three tiers of tilted eaves and stages. all of the stages are connected to a raise ,and a winch is installed at the top. a well and 5 ponds were sunk under the ground stage. there are trapdoors in the ceiling for fairies to descend, as well as on the floor for demons to surface. the underground passages also served as a means of improving resonance and making the performers` voices more audible .of the three main theater building of the qing dynasty, the grand theater building is the tallest and the largest. the other two are changyin (fluent voice ) pavilion in chengde, an imperial summer resort. the building played a major part in fostering the birth and development of beijing opera: since the completion of the grand theater building, many performances were held in it in honor of the empress dowager cixi.
(a lakeside walk from the garden of virtuous harmony to the hall of jade ripples)
we are now standing in the middle of a rockery behind the hall of benevolent and longevity. it appears that there` s nothing special ahead. however, after we clear the rockery, we will reach kunming lake. this is a application of a specific style of chinese gardening. not far away in the lake there is a islet. it is filled with peach and weeping willow trees and serves as a ideal place to appreciate the scenery. the pavilion on the islet is called zhichun (understanding spring) pavilion and is chardcterized by four- edged, multiple eaved roofs.
(in front of the hall of jade ripples)
this group of special and quiet courtyard dwelling is the hall of jade ripples. it was first used by emperor qianlong to attend to state affairs. it was also where emperor guangxu of the late qing dynasty was kept under house arrest. this hall is a hallmark of the reform movement of 1898, emperor guanxu was empress dowager cixi` s nephew. after emperor tongzhi died, empress dowager cixi made her nephew, who was at that time four years old a successor in order to continue her wielding of power behind the scenes. when emperor guanxu was 19 years old ,empress dowager cixi relinquished power to him but continued to exert considerable influence. in 1898, the reform movement took place with the aim of sustaining the corn principles of the qing dynasty while reforming outdated laws. the movement lasted for 103 days until it was suppressed by empress dowager cixi. the emperor` s six earnest reformists were beheaded and emperor guangxu was placed under house arrest which lasted for 10 years .all the back doors were sealed and a brick was was put up behind the wooden partition on each side of the two annexes of the courtyard. emperor guangxu was closely watched by eunuchs. the wall remains intact for tourists to see.. dynasty while reforming outdated laws. the movement lasted for 103 days until it was suppressed by empress dowager cixi. the emperor` s six earnest reformists were beheaded and emperor guangxu was placed under house arrest which lasted for 10 years .all the back doors were sealed and a brick was was put up behind the wooden partition on each side of the two annexes of the courtyard. emperor guangxu was closely watched by eunuchs. the wall remains intact for tourists to see. (in front of yiyunguan (chamber of mortal beings) this was where empress and empress dowager of china` s feudal system. however, emperor guanxu was not the last emperor of the qing dynasty. the last in the line was emperor puyi, who ascended the throne in 1908 at the age of three, too young to be married . in 1912, he was forced to abdicate. during the short reign of emperor puyi. empress longyu handled state affairs on his behalf in the name of empress dowager. in 1911, a revolution led by dr. sun yat-sun succeeded, and the year after, empress longyu announced the abdication of the last emperor of china.
(in the hall of happiness and longevity)
the aged empress dowager cixi was so fond of the summer palace that she decided to live here from april through october of every year. this group of buildings served as her residence. this group of courtyard dwellings consists of a forecourt and a backyard with annex courts on each side .the whole compound was basically made of wood, which is ideal for ventilation and lighting . with its quiet and tasteful layout, the hall of happiness and longevity made life very easy and convenient. no wonder one of empress dowager cixi` s pleasure boat. on the pier there is a tall lantern post. flanking the staircase leading to the main entrance of the hall, there are bronze cranes, deer and vases, symbolizing universal peace. the interior layout is the same as the imperial court, with throne, a large table and incense burners placed in the middle. at mealtime, eunuchs-in waiting would make a gigantic table out of this table and empress dowager cixi would dine on 128 courses. because of this more than 1,800 tales of silver would be spent each month on meals. on the east side of the living room is the cloak room. the bedroom in on its west. in front of the yaoyue (inviting the moon ) gate of the long corridor the famed long corridor is ahead. facing kunming lake and in the foreground of longevity hill, the long corridor stretches from yaoyue (inviting the moon ) gate to shizhang (stony old man) pavilion. it is 728 meters in length and consist of 273 sections and connects four octagonal pavilions. in 1990 ,it was listed in guinness book of world records.
(strolling along the long corridor)
the long corridor is one of the major structures of the summer palace .since the corridor was designed to follow the physical features of the southern slope of longevity hill , four multiple-eaved, octagonal pavilions (beauty-retaining pavilion, enjoy-the ripples pavilion, autumn water pavilion and clarity distance pavilion) were placed at bends and undulation. thus sightseers will hardly notice the rise and fall of the terrain. as a major part of the architectural style of the summer palace, the long corridor serves as an ingenious connector between the lake and the hill. scattered buildings on the southern slope were linked to creat a unified complex. this corridor can also be called a corridor of paintings : there are more than 14,000 paintings on its beams. some of them are of birds, flowers and landscapes of the west lake in hangzhou, zhejian province. others present scenes from literary classics. the majority of the landscape painting were done under the order of emperor qianlong, who preperred the scenery of south china.
(by the door leading to the exhibition of cultural relics)
this group of temple-shaped structures are known as qinghua (clarified china) hall ,also known as arhat hall during the reign of emperor qianlong. the original hall burned down in 1860. after it was reconstructed, it was renamed. qinghua hall is now used as a exhibition hall displaying rare cultural relics collected in the summer palace. the hall consists of 6 exhibition rooms with tens of thousands of articles of treasure on display in turn. among the exhibits there are bronze ware, porcelain, jade assemblages from the ming and qing dynasties, and rare and paintings. there is also a gigantic stone slab, which is more than 3 meters in height and width. it bears the handwritten inscriptions of emperor qianlong is commemoration of the suppression of a rebellion in the xinjiang region. only this slab survived when the angle-french allied forces set fire to the summer palace.
(in front of the gate of dispelling clouds)
now we are approaching the central part of the structures on the lakeside slope, the tower of buddhist incense within the hall of dispelling clouds. the hall of dispelling clouds was where numerous palatines kowtowed to empress dowager cixi. it was surrounded by galleries and flanked by annex halls. in the forecourt there is a pool and marble bridges . starting from the lakeside, there lies in succession a memorial archway, the gate of dispelling clouds, the hall of dispelling clouds and the tower of buddhist incense. all of these structures are built on a central axis and each is taller than its predecessor. this was designed to give prominence to the last structure, the tower of buddhist incense, which was a symbol of imperial power. the layout of this group of architectures was based on scenes described in buddhist sutras. this group of structure are among the most magnificently constructed here in the summer palace.
(inside the hall of dispelling clouds)
the original buildings on this site were burned down by the anglo-french allied forces in 1860. a new set of structures was built during the reign of emperor guanxu, and was called the hall of dispelling clouds, suggesting that it was a fairyland. the hall was built on a high terrace, and has 21 room. inside the hall are a throne, screens, tripods and mandarin fans. on a platform you will see bronze dragons, phoenixes and tripods. at the foot of the platform there are four bronze water vats, the ancient form of fire extinguishers. the 10th day of lunar october was ,empress dowager cixi` s birthday. on that day ,she sat on the throne here to receive congratulations and gifts. now we are going to pay a visit to the highlight of the summer palace- the tower of buddhist incense. what we are now standing on is a stone terrace which is 20 meters in height. it has a semi housed stairway of 100 steps, you will live for 100 years. so, let` s go !
(in the front of the tower of buddhist incense)
an octagonal structure with three storeys and quadruple eaves, the tower of buddhist incense is the very center of the summer palace, and is one of the masterpieces of ancient chinese architecture. the tower is 41 meters in height, and is buttressed by 8 solid pillars made of lignumvitae logs. with its complex structure, ingenious layout, towering terrace and convincing grandeur, the tower of buddhist incense was artfully set out by the imperial gardens and beautiful scenery surrounding it .the tower overlooks kunming lake and other picturesque spots within an area of tens of kilometers .on the west side of the tower stands baoyunge (precious cloud pavilion). it is made of bronze and is7.5 meters in height and 270 tons in weight. it resembles its wooden counterparts in every detail. it is one of the largest and most exquisite bronze pavilions still on existence in china. lamas prayed here during the reign of emperor qianlong in honor of the monarchs and their families. at the turn of the century 10 bronze windows were spirited abroad. in 1992 an american company bought the windows and returned them intact to china.
(on a hilltop leading from the back door of tower of buddhist incense)
now we can see the long and snaking western causeway and a shorter dike that divides kunming lake into three areas that contain south lake island, seaweed-viewing island and circle city island. the three island represent three mountain in ancient chinese mythology, i. e. penglai, fangzhang and yingzhou. this peculiar method of incorporating a lake a three mountains within a single garden was a brainchild of emperor wudi of the han dynasty more than 2,000 years ago, bearing testimony to feudal monarchs` s longing for longevity. as the legend goes many heavenly elixirs grew on the three mythical islands. using artificial building techniques, the ancient chinese built this masterpiece based on the myth to make the mythical on appear to be accessible to humans.
(inside the garden of harmonious interest)
setting a garden within a larger garden has been one of china traditional architectural styles. the garden of harmonious interest serves as a fine example of this. this garden was built under the order of emperor qianlong and modeled after the jichang garden (garden of ease of mind )at the foot of mount huishan, jiansu province. it was renamed by his son emperor jiaqing in 1811. the existing garden was rebuilt by emperor or guangxu. empress dowager cixi used to go fishing here. the garden features 10 waterfront platforms, pavilions and halls as well as hundreds of galleries with all of its structures facing the lake and pools, the garden of harmonious interest is basically a garden of waterscape. spanning the vast expanse of the lake and pools are five bridges, each quite different from the others. the most famous of them is the bridge known as knowing the fishing-bridge. it is said that more than 2,500 years ago during the warring states period, two philosophere named zhuang zi had an interesting argument by the side of a pond. zhang said, fish swim to and fro in the water. what happy fish! hui asked , you are not a fish. how do you know they are happy? zhuang replied, you are not me .how do you know i dont know? hui signed, i am not you ,therefore, i dont know you . and you are not a fish ,so how do you know that fish are happy? zhang said, you ask me how i know fish are happy, why do you keeping me the same question? although the garden of harmonious interest was designed after jichang garden, it not only absorbed the original designs, but exceeded it .
(outside the south entrance to suzhou shopping street)
now lets have a look at longevity hill. on the back slope of the hill stands a group of architectures. the centerpiece of structures there are known as the four continents and are dedicated to buddhism. this group was laid out and arranged in accordance with buddhist cosmology. aside from a main shrine and structures embodying the four continents, there are eight towers representing minor continents. the shrine is surrounded by four lamaist pagodas and between the major and minor continents, there two platforms representing the sun and the moon. the qing authority attached great importance to buddhism. to further strengthen ties with the ethnic minorities who practiced buddhism, the monarchs incorporated both han and tibetan styles of architecture into this group of temples. further north at the foot of the four major continent lies the suzhou shopping street. built along the back lake of the summer palace, this street stretches about 300 meters and features more than 60 stores. it includes restaurants, teahouses, pawnshops banks, drugstores dye houses and publishing houses. in order to recreate the atmosphere of ancient times, visitors will have the chance to exchange their money to ancient style chinese coins for use here. storefronts are trimmed with traditional signboards and ornaments. the commercial culture of the mid-18th century has thus been recreated.
(atop the stone bridge inside the suzhou shopping street)
visitors may be surprise to see that this shopping street is almost the same as that in south china. as a matter of fact, this street was designed after the shops along the canals in suhzhou. originally known as emperor` s shopping street, it was built during the reign of emperor qianlong. after making several inspection tours to south china and being duly impressed by its commercial prosperity, emperor qianlong ordered the construction of this street. the imperial shopping street was burnt down by anglo-french allied forces in 1860. the site remained desolated until 1987, when reconstruction began. it was opened to the public in september 1990. with commercial culture as its hallmark, the suzhou shopping street is a vivid representation of china` s traditional cultures.
(on the road from the south fate of the suzhou shopping street to the marble boat)
this is the hall of pines. from it to the west we can walk to the marble boat. the path we aree taking stretches between longevity hill and back lake. monarchs and their cohorts used to stroll along it .hence it was named central imperial path. along this path you will see lilacs all around. hence, this road is also known as the path of lilac.
(in front of the ruins of the garden of complete spring)
quite a few unique structures were burnt down during the reign of emperor qianlong, among which the garden of complete spring was one of the most famous. the ruined and desolate courtyard by the roadside was its original site, it remains to be restored. this group of structures cover an area of 4,000 square meters and features a number of halls built on three different levels. all of the structures were connected with galleries and stone staircases. with its natural and ingenious combination of pavilions, a hall, galleries and rooms, the garden of complete spring serves as a fine model for other gardens. emperor qianlong frequently visited this compound.
(along the lakeside by the marble boat)
now we have returned from the back of longevity hill to the front. there is the famous marble boat. this structure is 36 meters in length and its body was made of marble. on top of it is a two storeyed structure. the floor was paved with colored bricks. all of the windows are inlaid with multi-colored glass and the ceiling was decorated with carved bricks. the drainage system channels rain water down through four hollow concrete pillars and into the lake through the mouth of dragon heads. according to a book written by emperor qianlong, the boat was used for enjoying the scenery and was supposed to be symbolic of the stability of the qing dynasty. halfway up the slope there stands the hall for listening to orioles . the ancient chinese liken the warble of an oriole to beautiful songs and melodies, hence the name of the hall which used to be a theater. now the hall is one of the most famous restaurants in china, featuring imperial dishes and desserts. it is a must for many foreign visitors to have lunch here when then come to beijing. more than one hundred heads of state worldwide have dined here and the late premier zhou enlai has held banquets here in honor of state guests. (sightseers who want to try the restaurant can go boating after they eat. those who do not can go abroad right away. those who do not feel like taking the boat can stoll along the long corridor to the outside of the east gate). (boating on kunmin lake) we are now going to enjoy the lakeside scenery from a pleasure boat. as a main part of the summer palace, kunming lake covers an area of 220 hectares, or three fourths of the combined space of this summer resort. this natural lake is more than 3500 years old. this lake was originally called wengshan lake. in 1749 emperor qianlong ordered the construction of qingyi garden, the predecessor of the summer palace. involving nearly 10,000 laborers, the lake was expanded and turned into a peach-shaped reservoir, the first of its kind for beijing. from 1990 to 1991, the beijing municipal government ordered the first dredging of the lake in 240 years .involving 200,000 men and hundreds of dredgers and other tools, a total of 625,600 cubic meters of sludge was dredged and 205 bombs dropped by the japanese during the anti-japanese war were removed. the summer palace set a precedent for sightseeing by boat. there used to be a large imperial flotilla, of which the kunming merry dragon was the most famous. it was destroyed by the anglo-french allied forces in 1860. to make the tour of the summer palace a more pleasant one, a large pleasure boat tai he (supreme harmony )was built. this double decked boat is 37.09 meters long,8,59 meters wide and 10.49 meters high. it can travel at a speed of 9 kilometer per hour. small pleasure boats are also available to tourist. another major spot of interest on the western causeway is jingming (bright view ) hall. both its front and rear face the lake. this structure also features three two- storeyed halls of varying heights. our tour is drawing to a close as we approach the shore. today we only visited the major scenic areas of the summer palace. i have left other spot of interest for your next visit. i will show you out through the east gate. i hope you enjoyed today` s tour. thank you .good-bye and good luck.
HI! Gentlemen, ladies and children:
Everybody is good!
My name is Xia Qing, you can call me mayday forever love, I'm glad to serve you, now, I will take you to the famous touring, the Summer Palace, Beijing is good, go!
Now we've come to the famous promenade, the aisle has more than seven hundred meters, is divided into 273. Everyone to see! Each cross on the sill between has a colorful picture, thousands of picture no two are the same. Painting not only beautiful, the flowers on both sides of the corridor, it is more beautiful! Dear visitors, now, everyone to the corridor to walk, see the colorful picture!!!!
We covered corridor, corridor landscape let everybody pay homage? You must also very much looking forward to early see the view of the other attractions? Don't worry, we now go!
Where we are now is at the foot of longevity hill, everyone looked up and look up. You see, it stands on the hillside of triangular pyramid three-tier architecture, is the Buddha incense, below the rows of vehicles by palace, you guess, what's that? Don't know yet! Actually that is row cloud temple! Let's go to see!
A: hi! Everyone to look at, this is the kunming lake, it is often said that you look! There are seventeen little tunnel in this stone bridge, is called the marble seventeen-arch bridge which, railing on hundreds of pillar, the above are carved with a lion, so much the little lion, have different attitude, no two are just the same.
Now, it's free time, but should pay attention to the following: 1, don't throw rubbish everywhere; 2, don't graffito of the scribble anywhere; 3, must pay attention to safety.
Great, I'm talking so much, I wish you all enjoy! Good thanks!
（自我介绍）Dear guests,
Welcome to the Summer Palace. I am your tour guide Wang Xiaozhou.(you can call me John) I am very glad to help you have a good time in this palace. During our visit today, I will talk about the history and culture of this old palace, show you the beautiful landscapes and let you experience the warmth and sincerity of all our staffs in the summer palace.
（东宫门）Now we are standing here at the east palace gate, the main entrance of the summer palace. Under the roof there is a plaque, with three Chinese characters on it:YiHeYuan. Yi means cultivating the people in good health; He means calm and harmony. Therefore, the plaque means cultivating a person’s character, making him calm and giving him a long life. This plaque is called 9 dragons gold plaque. If you look at it carefully, you’ll find there are nine powerful dragons painted with gold painting. It has the highest grade of all the plaques in the Qing Dynasty.
Look, there are three doorways at this gate. The central doorway represents the highest power and reserved solely for the emperor, empress and empress dowager. Others can only use the side doorways. Today, I would like to invite all of you to enter the palace through the central doorway to have the taste of how it was like to be an emperor or an empress.
（颐和园的兴建历史）The summer palace was first started in 1750 during the golden age of the Qing dynasty. At that time, China has vast territories and great power. The reigning emperor of the time was Emperor Qianlong, the 4th emperor of the Qing dynasty. Relying on his deep understanding of Chinese ancient garden, his supreme power and the brimming national coffers, he decided to build a garden in west Beijing “to facilitate irrigation and to celebrate his mother’s birthday”. He picked up an ideal location at the foot of the Yanshan mountains to build this most exquisite garden. He borrowed all the excellent gardening techniques from classical Chinese gardens, inherited all the achievements of all the imperial gardens, and gathered a large number of the craftsmen and artists. The project lasted a total of 15 years and the garden was first named Qingyi Yuan, the garden of Clear Ripples. It represented the ultimate achievement of Chinese garden culture. However, unfortunately, in 1860, the garden of Clear Ripples, together with Yuanming Yuan, was ravaged and burnt down by the invading Anglo-French Allied Force. In 1888, Empress Dowager Ci Xi ordered to rebuild this palace on the remains of the Clear Ripple Garden and renamed it Yihe Yuan, known better as the summer palace today. The summer palace is the largest and best reserved imperial garden in the world today and carries rich cultural connotation. It is known as the museum of imperial gardens. In 1998, the Summer Palace was inscribed in the World Culture Heritage List by UNESCO and was recognized to represent oriental garden culture.
（地图介绍）The summer palace, mainly composed of the longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake, covers an area of 302 hectares, with water surface taking up three quarters of this area and a total floor space of 70,000 square meters. Here I’d like to show you the route of our visit today. Now we are at the place where the emperor used to deal with the government affairs, then we will have a look at the buildings where the emperor lived in, watch the beautiful scenery of the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake along the long corridor, see the Marble Boat and keep going to the back of the Hill. We’ll finish our visit at the bridge of Suzhou Street. It will take us about two hours in all. Now let’s enter the courtyard through the central of Renshou Men, the gate of benevolence and longevity.
（仁寿门）Look at this Taihu Rock! It is standing there like a shadow screen, so that we can not see behind this rock immediately when we enter the main entrance. It is one of a typical technique in ancient Chinese gardens-the blocking method. Since chinese gardens attach great importance to different tires of sights to attract visitors deeper and deeper, the biggest taboo is to show everything all at once. So let’s imagine how it would be like behind the large rock. Why dont we go around it to have a look. Maybe you will get a big surprise.
（麒麟）Look at this strange animal! Have you ever seen it in our daily lives? I am sure you haven’t. We call this animal Qilin. It has the head of a dragon, horn of a deer, tail of a lion and hooves of a bull.
Its body is covered with scales and laced with frame patterns. Although this animal never existed on earth, ancient Chinese craftsmen made it alive and vivid. Qinlin is the symbol of prosperity and good luck. Whenever it appears, it brings prosperity and peace. So that’s why it is placeed before the main hall.
（仁寿殿）This spacious hall is called Renshou Dian, the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. It used to be the government center in the summer palace. It was first built in 1750 and named Qinzheng Dian, Hall of Diligent Government. Emperor Qianlong set a rule that all the audience hall should be named Qinzheng Dian in order to remind all the emperors to be diligent in their work. Emperor Jiaqing, a son of Emperor Qianlong, once said in one of his articles “On Diligent Government”: “when the emperor is diligent, the country is well ruled, whereas if the emperor is slack, the coumtry will be in danger.” So diligent government plays an important role in the destiny of the whole country. When the summer was rebuilt after the big fire, empress dowager Cixi renamed it Renshou Dian, Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. This name came from the sentence “Ren Zhe shou” in The Analects of Confucius to singify that the benevolent rulers will enjoy a long life. Cixi’s great hope was ever lasting life, therefore, many decorations were added in this hall to symbolize longevity. Now let’s look up at the gray tiles on the roof. At the end of each tile, there is a Chinese character “Shou” which means longevity. There are 412 of them in all. Please look this way. Under the big plaque hanging on top of the throne was a mirror screen inscribed with the Chinese character “Shou”. There are 226 such characters all together. Look, there is a huge calligraphy scroll hanging from the wall facing the gate. There are a big Chinese character Shou written on it, surrounded by 100 bats, which signify great fortune and happiness. It is said the big character is written by Empress Dowager Cixi. So we may learn that Cixi used hundreds of Shou characters in or about this building to express her desire for longevity.
The interior decoration of the hall has been kept in its original state. On the central platform stands a finely made sandalwood carved throne and the accompanying long table, surrounded by fans and incense burners. When Cixi began her morning court everyday, candles were lit on the crane lamps, sandalwood incense was burnt in the tripod burner to create a bright, cloudy and solemn atmosphere.
Now please look at these sculptures. They are two pairs of dragons and phoenixes. They were the symbols of the emperors and empress during the feudal dynasties. Each with a hole in the back, they were also used as incense burners. But if you’ve been to the palace museum, you may noticed that all the dragons and phoenixes standing in front of the hall are placed by a different order. According to the convention, dragons should be placed in the middle to present the supreme power of the emperor. But why here is not? It is related to the Empress Dowager Cixi. As a female, she reined China as long as 48 years. The phoenixes in the middle metaphor that Express Dowager Cixi is the real owner of the summer palace. You emperor should be standing aside. This way, please. Look as this vat. Can you guess what role does it played here? We know that most of the ancient architectures are made of wood. Yes, it is used for fire prevention. Now you may ask, “it is cold in winter here in Beijing, what happens if the water in the vat zes over?” Please look here. There is a small opening at the back of marble stand of the vat, with a hollow inside. In winter, workmen lit a fire in this hollow to heat the vat, sometimes they put a wooden cover on top of the vat, so that the water would not ze.
(延年井) now here we come to a well ,the well of a long life. You may feel curious about the well’s name. There is a story about this well. It is said once when cixi took a tour in the garden ,she got a heat stroke at that time ,she was about 70 years old. So she became very sick and all her private doctors felt they could nothing to it. But after cixi drank the water lifted up from this well, she surprisingly came back to health. So she gave this well this name. And when eight-power allied forces invade Beijing, the Empress Dowager cixi ran away from Beijing , leaving the whole city behind, but she didn’t forget to bring the water from this well along with her.
（德和园整体介绍）The next place we will visit is Dehe Yuan, the garden of virtue and harmony. It is the place where Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu used to watch peking opera. It is mainly composed of the Great Stage and Yi Le Dian, the hall of harmony and happiness. It was started in 1891 and finished in 1895. It cost 710,000 teals of silver, the second largest programme in the summer palace. Now here is a shadow screen standing in front of us. We can see that there is a Chinese character Shou, surrounded by 5 bats, there are another 4 bats at the corners. There are 9 bats in all on this shadow screen. 9 is considered to be the largest number in ancient China. It is the symbol of prosperity and longinquity.
（扮戏楼介绍） Let’s go ahead to have a look at the inside of this building. This building is called the make-up building. Opera actors and actresses used to make up themselves before they go up to the stage. Here now are exhibiting some commodities of the Qing Dynasty. As it is not allowed to take photos here, please put away your cameras. Thank you.
There is a car in front of us. It is one of the oldest cars in China. This car was presented to Cixi as her birthday present. It can only reach 19 kph for it only has a small engine, just under the middle seat. Although not very fast, it represented the most advanced technique of that time. Now let’s look at those 4 manpower vehicles around the car. The two in the front were used when the weather is fine, for it has no windows or doors like the two behind.Let’s go ahead to have a look at another two vehicles. Their Chinese name is Jian Yu. Maybe we can call it palanquin in English. When the emperor or empress climb the hill, they may use it. It is very steady with experienced workers lifting it up. so although the empress dowager has so many different kinds of vehicles, this is the one she loved best.
Look, you must be familiar with this instrument. Yes, it is an organ. There is a piano over there. They are respectively presented by American and German people. Both of them are still can be played today. In Cixi’ s late years, she enjoyed various of advanced techniques, including car, electricity, telephone, photo technique and so on. This way please. This is a music box, presented by western friends. Compare with the music boxes we use today, this is quite a large one. It canplay 16 songs. Here are fairies here. They are the symbol of longevity. Beside them stands a crane and a deer. Both of them are the indication of longevity. They are also Cixi’s birthday present. This way, here in front of us is an oil painting of Cixi painted by a Netherlanders American painters Waltze Hubur. The painting was finished in 1905. At that time Cixi was 70 years old. But she still looked so young. Is it that the painters flattered Cixi on purpose? Maybe. Because we can see this oil painting is not in the traditional type, maybe it is somehow more like a Chinese water colour painting . but soon we will see some photos of Cixi, you may find the answer there. Photos will never cheat you. Let’s go. Mind your steps.
（东看戏廊介绍） Here we have come to the east gallery. It used to be the place where the ministers watched the opera. Here we can see lots of things used in the old days. In the first three show windows, we can see the costumes of the Qing Dynasty. They are all imitations, for it is difficult to keep them for a long time. It is the typical finery style of Manchu people. Sometimes they are considered to be the symbol of China. Look at this unique shoes! Manchu people used to wear these kind of shoes with a wooden sole. It looks like high-heel shoe, right? It is said when woman these shoes, they looks more slim and beautiful. Ok, now here we can see a photo of Cixi. It was taken in the courtyard of Leshou Tang, hall of happiness in longevity. At that time Cixi is 68 years old. Do you think she look that old? We have to say that Cixi herself did care much about her health. Here are things that Cixi used to make up. Some are presented by foreign friends. And you can see a finery box presented by Japanese government. In this window placed some dishware used in Cixi’s age. Most of them is made of silver and gold. While the ones made of porcelain are also very beautiful. Cixi led a very luxurious life everyday. 128 dishes were prepared for each of her dinner. Even if the dish she loved best, she would not eat it up. These are glossy gendarme. It is the symbol of virtue and wisdom. There are also some other western inventions here such as gun and telescope. I think if you want to see more antiques in summer palace, you may go to wenchang gallery after our tour through the palace. Now let’s go ahead into the courtyard.
（大戏台介绍）This spacious structure in front of us is the Great Stage of the Garden of Virtue and Harmony. It is 21 meters in height and 17 meters in width. There are three famous stages in the Qing Dynasty. . The Garden of Virtue and Harmony is the largest and best reserved of all. The other two are in the Palace Museum and Chengde It is famous not only for its size, but also for its historical value. During the period from April to October every year when Cixi was in the summer palace, many famous actors were invited here to perform.And cixi is a fan of Peking opera, it is said during the 13 years between the completion of the great stage and cixi’s death in 1908,she watched 262 days of performance here ,even just 35 days before her death. After each performance she always gave support of different kinds. So Peking opera developed quickly here. And the Garden of Virtue and Harmony is also called the cradle of Peking Opera.
The great stage had three tiers, they respectively stand for longevity, fortunate and happiness from the bottom to the roof. They all connected with each other, and were opened at the same time during the performance. There is a manpower elevator on the roof and several dry wells at the bottom of the stage. Do you know what their function is? Sometimes there may be some scenes of ghost and god. God flew up in to the sky, or the ghost might go into the ground. Then what about the pools? It is interesting; we know there were not microphones in old days. The pools can help to enhance the acoustic effect during the performance. In 1994, China Youth Peking Opera Troupe performed here, and the sound effect still exists today. It is really a scientific device. So this stage is not only of historic value ,but of great scientific value, too.
（颐乐殿介绍）Please follow me and we will have a look at the place where Cixi watched the opera. This is Yi Le Dian, hall of Harmony and happiness. In the middle of the hall, there is a throne. After meeting the ministers here, Cixi would go aside to this bed. This is a kang, in winter workers would make a fire underground. Thus, it would be very warm. Later, I will show you the entrance of back ground fire. Cixi used to stay here drinking tea and eating some fruits. The windows here could be opened so that Cixi could see the actors on the stage directly. And she would get a special script which concludes many details such as the performer’s eyes and facial expression. Sometimes she would lie down here and just listen. If she were tired, she would take a nap in the room next.
This is the entrance of the heated kang. In winters, eunuchs went down there to make a fire. In the summer palace there are numbers of such entrance. This is the only one that opened for the tourists. The others were all covered with a wooden board like that. Now let’s go straight and turn left to the west gallery.
The gallary east and west used to have no windows. When Cixi came to watch the opera, she would invite the ministers together. They had to stay here. When the performance went on, colorful curtains were hung between the two stage corners to the side of Yile Dian so that the ministers here would not be able to see Cixi inside the hall and they can only watch the performance aside.
Well this brings an end to my introduction to the Garden of Virtue and Harmony. I hope the unique style of this place would give you a beautiful impression about our chinese traditional culture!.
（玉澜门介绍） Here we go. This is Yulan Meng, the Gate of Jade Ripple. It is named after a poet of the Jin dynasty—Lu Ji. He described the beautiful view of the fine ripples created by spring water from the Jade Spring Hill. And since the courtyard is at the side of kunming lake whose origin is in the jade spring hill, this name is a nice fit. It used to be the residence of Emperor Qianlong. During the years of Cixi, Emperor Guangxu lived here for a long time. Let’s go in and have a look. Now we have come to Yulan Tang, the Hall of Jade Ripple. It is a traditional Chinese courtyard.
（维新变法历史）This place is closely connected with “Hundred-day Reform” in 1898. Guangxu was the nephew of Cixi. After the death of EmperorTongzhi, Cixi let 4 years old Guangxu succeed to the throne in order to control over the government. When Guangxu grew up to 19, Cixi reluctantly agreed to return the power, but actually she still hold it. Later the conflicts on political affairs between Guangxu and Cixi became more and more obvious. In the year 1898, Guangxu decided to pursue reform with the support of reformists such as Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao. All of them wanted to save the crumbling state of Qing Dynasty and launched a particular plan of the reform. Unfortunately, the under the violent and brutal suppressions of Cixi, the reform movement came to an end after only 103 days. Six reformists including Tan Sitong were killed after the failure. Then how about Guangxu? During April and October of the year when Cixi was in the summer palace, Guangxu was house arrested here. Cixi ordered to build walls around the Hall of Jade Ripple to ensure the “safety of the emperor”. What is more, Cixi commanded her trust eunuchs to guard the gate. Thus, Guangxu lost his dom completely here. It is a prison more than a emperor’s residence. After the October of the year, Cixi went back to the Forbidden City, and Guangxu was kept on island of Ying Tai in Zhong Nan Hai. Thus the Emperor Guangxu ended his life in imprisonment.
（主殿介绍）The interior of Yulan Tang has been preserved as it used to be. In the middle, there is a sandalwood throne with a long table in front of it. Behind the throne there is a glass screen. Beautiful paintings were painted on it, showing us the representational view of both Chinese and western paintings. Inside the hall, there are two mirrors standing facing each other. If you stand between them, you will see numerous reflections of yourself in the mirrors. On our left side is the bedroom of the emperor, while on the other side is the study of the emperor. We must have know that Guangxu lead a distressed life In his late years. Then how about the empress of Guangxu? Let’s go ahead to see it.
（狮子林）Here you can see a pile of rocks. Its name is lion forest, for the rocks look like hundreds of lions playing together. This is Xijia Lou, Tower of Beautiful Sunset. Emperor and empress used to watch sunset of the Jade Spring Hill here. The name came from a famous line of Tao Yuanming. When the sun is setting behind the colorful clouds, the birds will whisper home with the beautiful sight.
（宜芸馆）Now here we will go to the Yi Yun Guan, hall of Yiyun Yun is a kind of herb which can be made into a bookmark to prevent books from worms. The two characters tell us it is the place suitable for keeping books. At the very beginning, hall of Yiyun was the library of Emperor Qianlong. By the time of Guangxu, it became the residence of Longyu, empress of Guangxu.
Longyu was the last empress and empress dowager in Chinese feudal history. She is the niece of Cixi. Actually she didn’t win guangxu’s favor, but Cixi ordered this marriage to Guangxu in order to have a better control of his thoughts and behavior. Of course they lead an unhappy life. It is said that whenver guangxu and cixi had conflict; longyu was always on cixi’s side. this surly made guangxu dislike her. The emperor didn’t come to see her except the days when they got married. And they didn’t have children, either. In the year 1908 when Guangxu and Cixi died, Longyu let the 3 year old Puyi to secceed the throne. In fact, Longyu herself controlled the power. However, the situation didn’t last for long. In the year 1911, the revolution led by Sun Zhongshan successfully overthrew the Qing Dynasty. In 1912, Puyi was deposed, which brought the end of the 20__ years feudal history in China.
（主殿内部陈设）Although they were husband and wife, Guangxu and Longyu didn’t lead a happy life. Guangxu wasn’t content with the marriage that Cixi arranged for him. They didn’t have any children either. Let’s have a look at the interior decorations. Maybe something can show us the lone life of Longyu. This is a golden fish table with a liitle space inside it. Longyu raised fish here. When she felt lonely, she usually sat beside it, eat fruit, drinking tea and watch the fish swimming. Look, there are 12 fragrant bags hanging on the wall. They are the symbol of love between emperor and empress. However, none of them was presented by Guangxu. Instead, they were all made by Longyu herself. We can see that imperial marriages are not always successful ones. Let’s keep going to have a look at the residence of Emperss Dowager Cixi.
（乐寿堂引语）One of Cixi’s close maid have said that the most beautiful place in Beijing, while the best place is Le Shou Tang, the Hall of Happiness in Longevity. It is the residence of Empress Dowager Cixi. So why is it the best place in Beijng? First of all, the sight here is beautiful with stone decorations and variety plants reflected with the spacious main hall. The arrangement of plants here is very interesting. This is magnolia which blossoms in March; this is flowering crab apple and blossoms in April. Look at the short pine there. In the past, peonies used to be planted there.It is considered as a noble flower which blossoms in May. Therefore, we can see flowers here in this yard from March to May every year. Altogether, the composition of these plants here signifies a wish of prosperity. You can imagine what a wonderful sight it would be. Nice plants own to the nice climate. It is cool in summer and warm in winter. Because in winter the hill blocks the cold wind from north while in summer cool air is brought here from Kunming Lake. So Cixi must have enjoyed herself very much here. What is more, the location of Hall of Happiness in Longevity is perfect. Through this gate, Cixi can reach the Garden of Virtue and Harmony to enjoy the Peking Opera. Outside the front gate, there used to be a dock, Cixi could take a boat and go to the Forbidden City directly from there. If we walk along this way, we can get to the world longest corridor and enjoy the great sight of Kunming Lake and the Longevity Hill. When it rained, Cixi would walk through the back gate and go up the hill. From there, she could enjoy the view of Kunming Lake in rain.
（主殿）This structure is the main hall of Leshou Tang. It was a building with 2 floors in Qianlong’s age. After it was ravaged and burnt down, Cixi ordered to rebuild it. As there wasn’t so much money left in the late Qing dynasty, this building has only one floor. There are 5 parts inside the hall: bedroom, tearoom, living room, dressing room and the office. Now let’s look at the interior decorations here. A mirror screen is standing behind the throne so that the hall looks bright and capacious. They are all shou! longevity .Above the throne we can see a electric lamp. It is fixed by German in 1903. The electrical machine was fixed on the Wenchang Tower. We will see the tower later. Look, there are 2 big plates standing beside the throne. They were especially prepared for fresh fruits. In addition to the buring incense, Cixi also liked the fragrance of the fruits. Of course Cixi didnt eat them as food. They were only used for their fragrance. On the 2nd and 16th day of each month, the fruits would be replaced by new ones. There would be 20,000 kilograms of fruit wasted in all in a year. Cixi really led a luxurious life in those days. In front of the hall stands pairs of deer, cranes and vases. the deer in Chinese means lu, similar to the pronunciation of no. 6 , liu. And crane means he in Chinese, which also has a meaning of harmony. And the vases symbolize peace in Chinese traditional culture . so together, they signify peace and harmony. Let’s turn around. Look up at the structure there. It is 9 meters high. In the past, a lamp was hung there as a lighthouse in case there was a rain or fog. Someone have said that when Cixi was living in the summer palace, the lamp would be lit up to tell all the people in or around the summer palace that Cixi was here. Do be honest and quiet!
（败家石介绍）This huge rock is a north Taihu rock. It was found in western Beijing and has two names: Blue Iris Hill and the Stone of bankruptcy. The first name given by qianlong sounds good for Emperor Qianlong liked it very much. It posed like a glossy mushroom. But there is a interesing story that made it a symbol of black sheep. In the Ming Dynasty, there was a scholar named Mi Wanzhong. He was crazy of collecting stones. On his trip to Fang Shan, he found this huge rock and decided to move it to his private garden. He hired lots of people and spent great amount of money. It took a long time. But the rock was so huge that it made the transference so costly. Unfortunately, he was bankrupt halfway and had to put the rock along the road with a shed covering over it. He said himself that whenever I have money, I will come back and get it back. But he wasnt able to achieve it. His wish was gone with the death of himself. About 100 years later, Emperor Qianlong came across the rock on his way to pay respect to ancestor’s tomb and decided to move it to Le Shou Tang in the summer palace. But by the time it was transported here, the front gate has been finished. The rock was too big to enter. Qianlong ordered to tear down the gate so that the rock could come in. On hearing this, Qianlong’s mother was very angry and said “This rock made the Mi family bankrupt in the first place. Now, it has broken my gate. It is an ominous symbol.” So people call it the stone of bankruptcy. But the emperor qianlong liked it so much and gave it a beautiful name , Blue Iris Hill .However, the emperor qianlong’s mother’s foretell didn’t realized on Qianlong but on Cixi , she bankrupted not only her family but also the whole country.
（水木自亲）Here we have an exhibition of imperial telephones. In the year of 1900, the Eight-Power Allied Force invaded in Beijing. Cixi fled to Xi’an together with Guangxu. When she came back in1902, she experienced the facility that brought by the war . Trains, cars and of course the telephones. There are several old telephones exhibiting there. Two of them were the exact things of Cixi’s years. During Cixi’s late years, she led a modern life.
Ok, the beauty of the summer palace not only exists in the architectures, but the charming scenery as well. Please follow me and have a look.
（长廊起点及布局介绍）Here we are standing at the entrance of the long corridor YaoYue Men, the Inviting-Moon Gate. The long corridor was first built in 1750. And it winds its way along the south foot of Longevity Hill on the bank of Kunming Lake. Here the long corridor plays a very important role. It not only connects different architectures at the foot of the hill, but also stands as the transition from the lake to the hill. Empress Dowager Cixi liked walking in the long corridor very much. It is cool in the summer and warm in winter, too. If a rain comes, it can prevent us from being caught in the rain. It can protect us from the sun in summer, too
（总体特点情况介绍）The long corridor starts from the Inviting-moon Gate in the east and ends in Shizhang Ting in the west , the Stone Man’s Pavilion. In the year 1990, the long corridor was listed in the world record of Genius. It is proved to be the longest artificially painted corridor in the world. So how long is it? It is 728 meters in length with 4 octagonal double-eave pavilions standing in the way. They are respectively represents for the 4 seasons of a year. They also have their own names: Retaining the Good, Living with Ripples, Autumn Water, as well as clear and distant. The 4 pavilions plays an important role in the long corridor. They were all built on the junctions of rises and falls, twists and turns. So although the long corridor makes many turns here and there, you will not feel the rises and falls or the twists and turns when you are walking along the long corridor.
The long corridor is not only famous for its great length but also for its paintings. There are 14,800 paintings on the beams and lintels of the corridor. They are all different from each other. The paintings cover a variety of subjects. There are natural sceneries such as flowers and birds, mountains and rivers. There are famous characters such as seven sages of bamboo grove. There are classical novels such as Journey to the West and three kingdoms. There are also fables such as the eight immortals crossing the sea. From here, people all over the world can know more about our culture and history.
（长廊边讲湖）This large water surface is the Kunming Lake. It is the best part of the summer palace. Covering an area of 220 hectares, the Kunming lake takes up three quarters of the entire garden. In order to celebrate the birthday of his mother, Empress Qianlong ordered to shape the lake like a peach. In China, peach is the symbol of longevity. The sight of Kunming Lake is beautiful. The average depth of the lake is about one and half meters, and most of the place along the bank is within one meter, so when you fall into the lake accidentally, you don’t have to worry about your life, just stand up!
（知春亭介绍）Look at that small island on which there is a pavilion. That is the Pavilion of Heralding Spring. People considered that spring comes with the willows. There are many willows there on the island. When spring comes, we can see green branches everywhere on the island. Thus, the pavilion gained its name.
（南湖岛介绍） Please look at the big island in the middle of the water surface. That is south lake island. On the island there is a dragon god temple. The temple is used to show worship for the god of rain. There is a long bank on my right. We call it west bank. It is the imitation of the Su bank of the west lake in Hangzhou. The west bank and the bank connected with it dividide the Kunming lake into 3 parts. Each has an island built on it. This kind of design was first appeared in the Qin dynasty and has a history of more than 20__ years. Because people thought that there are 3 fairy islands on the east sea. On the island, there is grass which can give people longevity. The biggest wish of the feudal rulers is to have ever lasting life. So they ordered to build the imperial garden in this style. The long bridge connected with the island is called 17-arch bridge. The bridge is 150 meters long and 8 meters wide. There are 544 stone lions carved on the bridge.
(廓如亭)At the starting point of the bridge there, we can see another pavilion standing there. It is the largest pavilion among all such structures in China. It covers an area of 130 square meters with 40 pillars supporting it. On my right is the west bank of Kunming Lake. There are 6 bridges along the bank. Here we can also see the sights of the Western Hill. It is another typical method of Chinese garden: the borrowing method. The Western Hill and the vast lake reflect the beautiful scene of the summer palace and make the garden more beautiful. If you take a boat and look around, you may find the beauty of every aspects of the summer palace.
（排云门广场）In the middle of the long corridor is the most splendid architectures in the summer palace. Paiyun Dian, the Hall that Dispel the Clouds and Foxiang Ge, the Tower of the Fragrance of Buddha. We are now standing here at the starting point of these architectures. Look at this archway. It has the highest grade among all such structures in the summer palace. On the plaque there are four Chinese characters which mean that clouds reflect the imperial palace.Look, this is Paiyun Men, the Gate that Dispel the Clouds. The two characters Pai Yun comes from an old Chinese poetry “When the fairies dispel the clouds and emerge, the gold and silver terraces will appear.” Cixi compared herself the fairy coming out from the winds and greet all the people.
（排云门上鸱吻介绍）Let’s look up at the corner of the roof. There are some small animals there. They are used to show the grade of a building. In the Qing Dynasty, the more the animals are, the higher grade of the architecture is. The number of them can reach as many as 11.
（排云殿祝寿） The Hall that Dispel the Winds was the place where Cixi celebrate her birthday. It has the highest grate in the summer palace. Then how was it like when there was a birthday ceremony? Cixi herself sat in the throne inside the main hall to receive the greeting of the others. That Gate is called the Second Palace Gate. Emperor Guangxu went down on his both knees and kowtowed at that gate. The ministers greeted Cixi between the Second Palace Gate and this archway. And the first class officials kneeled down between the second palace gate and this bridge, the second class between the bridge and the gate we now stand in, the third class all outside the gate.
(德辉殿介绍)The hall will visit is the hall of virtuous glories. Now it used as a exhibition hall. You can see a lot of antiques found during the restoration. And after that we will come to the highest building in summer palace----the Tower of the Fragrance of Buddha. Before we get on this platform, I think we will come to a rude climbing. You have to face 100 steps before you reach your destination. But don’t worry! We will rest half way and see some other scenic spots. What’s more, mind your steps.
(五方阁介绍) On the left of the tower is Wufangge, the pavilion of five locations. In the middle of it is the Baoyunge, the Baoyun bronze pavilion. It is made of bronze. People used to call it Bronze Pavilion. Actually it is in the style of hall. Why people call it a pavilion? That’s mainly because it had one time lost all its window sashes. So it became a building only with pillars and roof, that is something like a pavilion. Now we will come to the next 50 step left. So just come on!
（佛香阁介绍）That structure on the hill is called the Tower of the Fragrance of Buddha. It was firsted built in 1750, burned down by the Anglo-Franch Allied Force in 1860, and rebuilt in the year 1888 according to its original style. It cost 750,000 teals of silver and that made it the largest project in the summer palace. The tower is 41 meters high and considered as the symbol of the summer palace. There is a Guanyin inside the tower. It has 12 faces and 24 arms. Guanyin is considered to be the benevolent Goddess of Mercy. She can help the people in need.
(转轮藏介绍)On the right of the tower is a temple where emperor and empress used to read Buddha scriptures. It is called Revolving Archives. In the middle there is a story stone. There is a article on the construction of the summer palace engraved on it. The article is written by the emperor qianlong. we now can see a hall behind it, that is the main hall of these buildings, and you may find 3 little statues on the girder. These three are respectively the god of longevity, fortunate and happiness. On both sides of the main hall, there are two pavilions. They are two layers and the inside one can revolve. That’s why the group of the building called Revolving Archives. These two pavilion were used to store Buddhist sctiptions. When the emperor and empress come here, they just stand in the pavilion and when the inside layer revolve for a circuit, it means emperor and empress have read all the Buddhist sciptures in it. Then we will come to the realm of multitudinous fragrance.
（众香界及智慧海介绍）the realm of multitudinous fragrance is the main entrance to the sea of wisdom temple. It is made of colored glaze. Isn’t it splendid? Now we come to the sea of wisdom temple, it is a temple all made of coloured glaze. And is used to show worship to the buddha’s wisdom. You can see there are many different small Buddha sculptures. It is said there are 1008 of them. Since it is a temple all made of coloured glaze, it hadn’t been burned down by the invading forces. The one we see now has a history of 250 years. We are now at the highest point of the longevity hill. We will go to the back of the hill, and our next scenic spot is four great regions. Come with me, we will have a steep slope, and be careful.
（听鹂馆）Now let’s go ahead along the long corridor and enjoy the beautiful sight of the Kunming Lake and the Longevity Hill. This is the Hall of Listening to the Orioles. There is a small stage in it. Before the Garden of Virtue and Harmony was built, Emperor and Empress used to watch Peking Operas here. Now it is the best restaurant in the summer palace.
（石舫）This is the Marble Boat, the symbol of the summer palace. It was first built in 1755 during Qianlong’s period. It is the imitation of the boat style structures in the south of Yangtze River. Because are lots of private gardens in the south of Yangtze River. They dont have large water surfaces as it is in the summer palace. So people there were not able to enjoy the amusement of boating on the water. People built the structure in boat style beside the lake bank so that they can enjoy the beautiful scenery and have the taste of how it is like to boat on the river. The marble boat is the most famous such structure in China. At that time, the body of the boat was made of white marble and colorful bricks. The upper part of the boat was made of wood. It is a boat of Chinese style. So why did Qianlong put such a boat here? On one hand, he used to enjoy the beautiful sight of the lake on the Marble Boat. In the distance, the tower on the Jade Spring Hill was borrowed here to make the sight more beautiful. It is another typical Chinese Garden technique: the borrowing method. On the other hand, Qianlong put this unsinkable boat here to metaphor the unshakable reign of the Qing Dynasty. Unfortunately, the Marble Boat was burnt down in 1860, with only the body survived. In the year 1893, Cixi ordered to rebuild it and renamed it Qingyan Fang which means peace and harmony. The upper part was made of wood and painted with marble patterns. Cixi ordered the addition of two pedal wheels on both sides of the boat. She liked to watch rain and meet foreigners here. There are 4 hollow pillars on the corner of the boat. When it rains, the rainwater could drain through the pillars and go down into the lake. It is really a scientific device. The Marble Boat is the only occidental style structure in the summer palace.
（船坞介绍）There are two boatyard in the distance. The bigger boatyard is considered to be the longest one among all the wooden architechtures in China. As were built on the water, they weren’t burnt down in 1860. They are nearly 300 years old. The gate we see now is the tower of the suyunyan, and it is used to defend the garden. Here we are standing at the junction of the front hill and the back hill. Let’s go along this road to enjoy the natural scene of the hill.
（中御路介绍）This road is call Zhongyu Road. It suggests that emperor and empress used to walk here. Zhong means this road winds along the middle of the hill; yu means it is only reserved for the emperor and empress. But the road has another name: the Clove Road. Because many cloves are planted beside the road. When spring comes, the fragrance of lilac is brought everywhere by the wind. In the year 1860, the back of the hill was destroyed completely. As Cixi appropriated naval funds to build the summer palace, there was no money left when the project came to the back of the hill. Many of the plants such as grasses and small trees were planted in the beginning of the 1990s. and now you can see the green plants everywhere. Sometimes you might see the squirrels and pies looking for their food.
（味闲斋遗址）Later, as we go on, we will see a broken courtyard on our right hand. It is the site of Weixian Zhai, one of Qianlong’s libraries. He liked it very much. Each time he came to the summer palace, he would came here and read books. There were 3 floors of this building. They were built to the terrain of the hill. Now it remains the look when it was burnt down.
（苏州街和四大部洲）Now let’s keep going and have a look at the Suzhou Street and the Four Great Regions. Please look up. There is a group of Tibetan style temples on the hillside. It is called Four Gteat Regions and was first built in 1758 during Qianlong’s age. He ordered to built a group of structures like this mainly for strengthen his rule over the people in Tibet and Mongol. Because most people there believe in Lamaism. And this group of structures is thought to used as the temple for the lamaist. So the building of these structures in imperial garden shows the government’s respect to the religion. Unfortunately, this group of structures was burnt down by the invading Anglo-French Allied Force in 1860. The present one was partly restored in the late Qing Dynasty and partly in recent years.
(介绍缘由) Before I talk about these structures, I think I should first tell you something about the Buddhists’ understanding of the world. They think in the centre of the world, there is a fairy island where gods and fairies live on. It is called mount xumi. This island is surrounded by salty water. And beyond the salty water, there are 4 huge lands. They were called four great regions. That is the name of this group of this structures It is said there are two small islands accompanying each land. We called them Eight Small Regions. For these building were built on this understanding, we may find some corresponding parts in the building. In the middle of this main structure is the hall of the Buddha confirming his doctrine; it stands for the mount xumi. Inside the hall, there are 3 Buddha together with 18 arhats standing beside them. Around the hall, there are 4 big islands. They are called Four Great Regions. The Four Great Regions are in different shapes and respectively stand for earth, water, wind and fire. Along with each big island, there are two small buildings. We called them Eight Small Regions. Behind the hall, there are 2 structures called the Sun Alter and the Moon Alter. They symbolize the sun and the moon around the mount xumi. There are also 4 pagodas in white, black, green and red around the hall. Each stands for a direction. I think that is the details of these structures. In the past, visitors could worship Buddha here. Today, it served as a special scenic spot greeting the tourists all over the world. Now we will go to our last scenic spot----suzhou street
（市庙结合）May be you will feel strange that these building of two completely different style built together. But what I want to explain is In ancient China, the development of temples could always bring about the development of the market. So it is common to see the market and the temples together.
（苏州街大致情况）The place we see now is a folk-style market street—the Suzhou Street. This street was first built 28 years after the completion of the Garden of Clear Ripples during Qianlong’s time and has a history of more than 200 years. It is located in the center of the back lake. The street is 300 meters in length and was built as a river street .It has 64 different shops such as teahouses, workshops, restaurants, banks and so on.
(建街缘由)How come such a street inside an imperial Garden? We know that emperor and empress led a luxurious life in the palace. But they nearly have no chances to hunt around in the market. Sometimes they also wish they were ordinary people. Emperor Qianlong had been to the south of China for 6 times accompanied by his mother during all his life. He was deeply expressed by the culture there, especially the River Street there. So he wanted to build a imitation in Beijing. When he came back to Beijing from his fourth trip to southern china, a minister suggested he should build a market street in palace, for his mother was too old to travel thousands of miles to southern china. That just met qianlong’s idea. So he ordered to build this street. It is a street of southern water village style. The empress, concubines and empress dowager may boat on the river and buy something. I think It must be quite a interesting experience for them. As the street was located inside the imperial garden, ordinary people weren’t able to come in. so Eunuchs and maids acted as the merchant and served in the street.
（历史）Unfortunately, the street was also burnt down in the year 1860. As is at the back of the hill, the Suzhou Street wasn’t restored until the resent years. The restoration project was started in 1987 and lasted four years. Each structure here was restored according to its original style. Now all the staffs here in the street are dressed in the clothes of the Qing Dynasty. When you transact in this street, you can exchange RMB into copper coins of the Qing Dynasty to have a taste of the business culture in the late 18th century.
In the distance stands the Tibetan style temple reflecting the southern village style Suzhou Street. It is an unique structure in all imperial gardens. It has shown and is showing is beauty and harmony to the tourists all over the world.
(结束语)This brings the end of my introduction to the summer palace. Here I will say goodbye to you. I hope my words can give you a clear introduction of summer palace. The gate over there is the second largest gate of this garden, the North Palace Gate. The communication outside is very convenient. You can find the buses you need there. Wish you have a nice journey!