Chengde - Bishu Shanzhuang Imperial Palace
Bishu Shanzhuang, a mountain palace used by the imperial court as a summer retreat, lies in a valley surrounded by high mountains to the north of the town. Its construction commenced in 1703 under the Jiangxi Emperor Xuangye, but it was not completed until 1790. The Qianlong Emperor extended it with buildings in various national styles. When the Jiaqing Emperor was struck down by lightning near the palace in 1820 the court regarded this as a bad omen and left the palace never to return.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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The residence comprises over 110 buildings, covers an area of 560ha/1400 acres and is surrounded by a wall. The largest part consists of park-like landscaped gardens and wooded hills. The actual palace buildings cover only a small area in the south.
Visitors enter the relatively small palace area through the Gateway of Beauty (Lizheng Men), which has three entrance passages, a large central one which was reserved for the Emperor and two smaller ones at the side. The following buildings make up the whole complex: the Main Hall (Zheng Gong), decorated with rich carvings in the finest nanmu wood, where the Emperor received his ministers, generals, representatives of national minorities and diplomatic envoys; the Palace of Foaming Waves (Qing Gong) which contained the Emperor's bed-chamber; The Hall of Pine and Cranes (Songhe Zhai), where the mothers and some of the Emperor's concubines lived; the Hall of The Sighing Pines and Ten Thousand Valleys, which the Emperor used for study and rest.
The parkland is itself divided into three parts - the lake area, which boasts various kinds of summer-houses, pavilions and stone bridges, the hilly part and the flat gardens.
Its most picturesque and attractive features are the artificially laid-out south Chinese private gardens, in imitation of the grass steppes of Mongolia and the mountains north of the Blue River. At the south end of the lake area a stone bridge with three small Shuixin pavilions spans the Silver Lake and the Lower Lake, and in the northern part stands the House of Mists and Rain (Yanyu Lou), from where the Emperor enjoyed a view of the mountains on rainy days.
To the northwest will be found Wenjin Ge, built in 1774 and one of the seven libraries of the Qianlong Emperor. Among the well-known works kept here is one of the few copies of the Siku Quanshu collection of literature, comprising 36,304 volumes (the complete works are now stored in the State Museum in Beijing).
Visitors enter the relatively small palace area through the Gateway of Beauty (Lizheng Men), which has three entrance passages, a large central one which was reserved for the Emperor and two smaller ones at the side. The following buildings make up the whole complex: the Main Hall (Zheng Gong), decorated with rich carvings in the finest nanmu wood, where the Emperor received his ministers, generals, representatives of national minorities and diplomatic envoys; the Palace of Foaming Waves (Qing Gong) which contained the Emperor's bed-chamber; The Hall of Pine and Cranes (Songhe Zhai), where the mothers and some of the Emperor's concubines lived; the Hall of The Sighing Pines and Ten Thousand Valleys, which the Emperor used for study and rest.
The parkland is itself divided into three parts - the lake area, which boasts various kinds of summer-houses, pavilions and stone bridges, the hilly part and the flat gardens.
Its most picturesque and attractive features are the artificially laid-out south Chinese private gardens, in imitation of the grass steppes of Mongolia and the mountains north of the Blue River. At the south end of the lake area a stone bridge with three small Shuixin pavilions spans the Silver Lake and the Lower Lake, and in the northern part stands the House of Mists and Rain (Yanyu Lou), from where the Emperor enjoyed a view of the mountains on rainy days.
To the northwest will be found Wenjin Ge, built in 1774 and one of the seven libraries of the Qianlong Emperor. Among the well-known works kept here is one of the few copies of the Siku Quanshu collection of literature, comprising 36,304 volumes (the complete works are now stored in the State Museum in Beijing).
Related Attractions
Eight Outer Temples
To the north and east of the Bishu Shanzhuang Imperial Palace, several magnificent temples were built between 1713 and 1780 to accommodate Mongol and Tibetan emissaries. Eight of the original twelve temples used to be under the control of a Beijing authority that was responsible for relations with non-Chinese peoples who lived in the Manchu Empire. The temples are known as "outer" temples because of their situation outside the capital. Seven of the religious sites are preserved more or less intact.
Temple of Far-Spreading Peace
The Temple of Far-Spreading Peace (Anyuan Miao), lying further north, was built in 1764 at the behest of the Jiangxi Emperor to mark the defeat of the Dsungars. Inside, the carved statue of Ksitigarbha, the Ruler of the Underworld, is of interest.
Temple of Happiness and Longevity of the Sumeru Mountain
The Temple of Happiness and Longevity of the Sumeru Mountain (Xumifushou Miao), is one of China's most magnificent historical monuments. It was built by the Qianlong Emperor in 1780 on the lines of the Tashilhunpo monastery in Tibet, to mark the visit of the sixth Panchen Lama. Note particularly the roof of the Great Hall, which is decorated with gilded copper tiles and dragons, each of which is 5m/16.5ft long and weighs one tonne; in all, 1500kg/3300lb of gold were used to make them. At the highest point of the complex stands a pagoda with glazed tiles on the outside.
Temple of Universal Charity
The Temple of Universal Charity (Puren Si) was built to the east of the villa in 1713 to mark the 60th birthday of the Jiangxi Emperor.
Temple of Universal Good
To the north of the Temple of Universal Charity stands the semi-ruined Temple of Universal Good (Pushan Si). This was also built in 1713 but is in the Tibetan style.
Temple of Universal Joy
The Temple of Universal Joy (Pule Si), about 500m/1500ft northeast of the Temple of Universal Charity, dates from 1766 and was constructed to mark the visit of representatives of Mongolian and other minorities from northwestern China. Of considerable historical interest is the Pavilion of the Sunrise (Xuguang Ge) or Round Pavilion. It stands on a square terrace with two steps leading up to it, and has a magnificently decorated ceiling.
From here begins the very worthwhile three-hour climb to Toad and Hammer Rock.
From here begins the very worthwhile three-hour climb to Toad and Hammer Rock.
Temple of Universal Tranquility (Temple of the Great Buddha)
The Temple of Universal Tranquillity (Puning Si), also known as the Temple of the Great Buddha, situated to the northeast of the Summer Villa, was built by the Qianlong Emperor in 1755 in a mixture of Chinese and Tibetan styles after he had subjugated the northwestern territories. The temple became known for the wooden statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, which stands 22m/72ft tall and weighs 110 tonnes. It stands in the Great Hall (Dacheng Ge), which is 37m/121ft high and is flanked by the Hall of the Sun and Moon.
Temple of the Manjushri Statue
The Temple of the Manjushri Statue (Shuxiang Si) was erected in 1774. It is based on a building of the same name, but of much older date, which stands on the sacred site of Wutaishan in the province of Shaanxi.
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