Beijing Travel: A Casual Record of Two Visits to Yuanmingyuan (Photos)
In my childhood memories, Beijing's Yuanmingyuan not only felt very far from my home in the city, but also because it was not open to the public all year round, I always felt it was a mysterious royal garden…
Yuanmingyuan ruins cultural relic sign (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
With the passage of time, today's Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park has taken the ruins as its theme, becoming a unique tourist landscape that combines frozen history with a vibrant garden atmosphere. It was even named one of the "New Sixteen Sights of Beijing" in 2010, becoming one of the newest 16 calling cards showcasing the capital's charm.
Yuanmingyuan East Gate (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
During the pandemic in Beijing, I was fortunate to visit Yuanmingyuan twice in a row, entering from the West Gate on November 11, 2020, and from the South Gate on November 14, fully enjoying the garden's charming autumn scenery.
Stepping into Yuanmingyuan (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
I hadn't been to Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park for decades. Entering for the first time from the West Gate, I felt the place was actually too vast. I remember having come twice before, when visitors to Yuanmingyuan could only go to the iconic site of the Xiyang Lou Dashuifa ruins, glimpsing the broken walls left as a sinful imprint of the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China. But now it is all open.
Yuanmingyuan guide map (Photo: Wang Jue)
Before coming to Yuanmingyuan again, I did some online research and learned that Yuanmingyuan actually consists of three interconnected gardens—Yuanmingyuan, Changchun Garden, and Wanchun Garden (Qichun Garden)—which together form a triangular layout covering 3.52 million square meters, with about 1.4 million square meters of water. It is a waterscape garden with water as its theme, and the three gardens contain 108 scenic spots in total.
Autumn scenery in Yuanmingyuan (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
Yuanmingyuan is located in the western part of the whole area, has the largest footprint among the three gardens, and contains 48 scenic spots. It can be divided into five scenic zones: palace, Jiuzhou, northwest, Fu Hai, and north.
A corner of Xiyang Lou scenic area (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
Changchun Garden is directly east of Yuanmingyuan, about one-third the size of Yuanmingyuan, and has 30 scenic spots. The layout is water-focused, and the garden architecture includes both celebrated Chinese gardens from north and south as well as groups of Western-style buildings, such as the Shizilin and Xiyang Lou.
A corner of Wanchun Garden (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
Wanchun Garden (Qichun Garden) is southeast of Yuanmingyuan, composed of the gardens of Zhuyuan, Hanhuiyuan, Xishuangcun, and the northern half of Chunhe Garden, with 30 scenic spots. Slightly smaller in scale than Changchun Garden, it is formed by several small lakes and hillocks, and also houses religious structures like Zhengjue Temple.
Photo taken in Wanchun Garden (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
On November 11, 2020, my first visit entering from the West Gate was to Yuanmingyuan. Upon entering, I was greeted by the natural beauty of the shimmering Fu Hai and the multicolored vegetation of late autumn and early winter—it was enchanting... Especially due to the garden's enormous size, there were very few visitors, creating a remarkably tranquil and lovely scene.
Scenery by a stream in Yuanmingyuan (Photo: Wang Jue)
During that visit, we passed by Yuemingdiyun, Fayuanlou, Wanfang Anhe, Wuling Chunse and "The Peach Blossom Spring", Sheweicheng, Pinghu Qiuyue, and the beautiful Fu Hai inside Yuanmingyuan; then we entered Changchun Garden to pay respects at the Xiyang Lou ruins before finishing our first tour at the East Gate of the Grand Palace Gate. Four days later, on November 14, I entered from the South Gate near Zhengjue Temple to explore the charms of Wanchun Garden.
A scene in Yuanmingyuan (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
Tracing the history of Yuanmingyuan, construction began in the 46th year of the Kangxi reign (1707). It was originally a garden bestowed by Emperor Kangxi to his fourth son Yinzhen (the future Yongzheng Emperor), who honored it with the plaque reading "Yuanmingyuan."
Tranquil gardens (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
In the Yongzheng Emperor's "Imperial Record of Yuanmingyuan," the characters "Yuanming" are interpreted as: "Round and divine, the noble person's timely middle way"—meaning the emperor must constantly strengthen his self-cultivation, perfect his own moral character, and thus achieve the highest spiritual realm of sages, like the sun at its zenith. "Bright and illuminating all, the wisdom of a man of virtue"—meaning the emperor's governance must be enlightened, bestowing broad blessings on the people, which is the wise and brilliant way to rule. The naming of "Yuanmingyuan" served as self-admonishment for Kangxi and a precept for his descendants.
Viewing the scenery in the garden (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
After Yongzheng ascended the throne, he greatly expanded Yuanmingyuan, giving it the dual function of "imperial garden" and "temporary palace." From 1725 onward, Yongzheng officially used Yuanmingyuan as the place to hold court and handle daily administration during spring, summer, and autumn.
A waterside autumn scene in Yuanmingyuan (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
During Qianlong's reign, Yuanmingyuan, Changchun Garden, and Qichun Garden were completed one after another. Together with Xichun Garden (built in the Kangxi period) and Chunxi Yard (formerly Shuchun Garden), they were called the "Five Gardens of Yuanming." Later, in the 7th year of Jiaqing (1802), Chunxi Yard was divided into two; the eastern section was given to Princess Zhuangjing Gulun, and the western section to Prince Hui, Mianyu. Xichun Garden was bestowed upon Prince Dun, Miankai, in the 2nd year of Daoguang (1822). From then on, the "Five Gardens of Yuanming" became the "Three Gardens of Yuanming," collectively called "Yuanmingyuan."
Reflections on the water in the garden (Photo: Wang Jue)
In the 10th year of Xianfeng (1860), the British and French forces invaded Beijing. On the 23rd day of the 8th lunar month (October 7), they entered Yuanmingyuan. The allied command ordered three days of looting, during which treasures were wildly plundered and destroyed. On the 5th day of the 9th lunar month (October 18), under the direction of the British minister to China, Lord Elgin, the gardens were set on fire. For days, flames danced like serpents, black smoke blanketed the sky, and ash drifted for miles. The glorious "Garden of Gardens" was never to exist again.
Autumn colors at Fu Hai in Yuanmingyuan (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
After Yuanmingyuan was burned, it remained a forbidden imperial park. In the 26th year of Guangxu (1900), the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, and the remaining buildings were again damaged by officials, local ruffians, profiteers, and warlords, slowly reducing the once-famous garden to rubble.
A small bridge in the garden (Photo: Wang Jue)
After the "Gengzi Incident," in the 30th year of Guangxu (1904), the Qing government officially ordered the reduction of Yuanmingyuan staff, abolished its management office, and placed it under the care of the Summer Palace, leaving Yuanmingyuan in a state of neglect. By the Xuantong period, the garden was overgrown with reeds and wheat fields, looking almost like open countryside.
Fu Hai scenery (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
After the abdication of the Qing emperor, warlords brazenly removed stone materials from the garden on a large scale, either for private use or for sale. Some impoverished people moved in to "dig for treasure," cut firewood, graze livestock, and farm the land. Yuanmingyuan was dismantled and damaged almost daily; truckloads of salvaged materials streamed out. The "timber plunder," "stone plunder," and "earth plunder" continued for decades.
A view in Yuanmingyuan (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, Yuanmingyuan had long been a desolate ruin, with only most of its barren hills, abandoned river channels, some broken stone components of Xiyang Lou, and a landscape turned into fields and village huts.
A corner of Wanchun Garden (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
After the founding of New China, the Party and the state paid great attention to protecting this important site. Governments at all levels successively drew up plans to strengthen management and conservation. In 1976, the Yuanmingyuan Management Office was established; in 1979, it was designated a key cultural heritage site under Beijing municipal protection; in 1983, it was officially named "Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park"; and in 1988, it was listed as a national key cultural heritage site and officially opened to the public.
Yuanmingyuan in full autumn splendor (Photo: Wang Jue)
Today, the water and hill systems in the opened areas of the Three Gardens of Yuanming have been basically restored to their original appearance, recapturing the enchanting scenery of hills mirrored in water and misty expanses. A botanical landscape with pines, bamboos, willows, and lotuses as themes is taking shape, with hundreds of thousands of trees forming forests and seasonal flowers blooming like rosy brocade. Some important ruins have been protected and renovated, and a few reconstructed garden structures—such as the New Palace Gate of Qichun Garden, Jianbi Pavilion, and the European-style maze of Changchun Garden—have regained their former glory. The whole ruins park has formed a grand assemblage of sites represented by Xiyang Lou, offering profound historical insights.
Introduction to Yuemingdiyun (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
During my first visit, the Yuemingdiyun scenic spot we passed borders Wuling Chunse to the east and Hongci Yonghu to the north. It is a temple garden, generally known as Qingjingdi, originally called Anyou Palace. Yuemingdiyun was once a place to enshrine the edicts of the Yongzheng Emperor. Between the 5th and 8th years of Qianlong, after the imperial ancestral shrine Anyou Palace was built to its northwest, this site was converted into a Buddhist temple.
Introduction to Fayuanlou (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
Yuemingdiyun is one of the Forty Scenes of Yuanmingyuan, with the moon as its ground and clouds as its dwelling, echoing the other religious building Ritian Linyu in Yuanmingyuan, embodying the harmony of yin and yang and the radiance of both sun and moon. When Emperor Qianlong resided in Yuanmingyuan, on the first and fifteenth of every month, and during the three days around the eighth of the fourth month, he would personally come here to offer incense and kowtow. Regrettably, Yuemingdiyun was destroyed in the burning by the British and French forces, and only ruins remain.
Wanfang Anhe ruins (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
The layout of Wanfang Anhe is in the shape of the swastika character "卍". This unique architectural form cleverly uses the sun for heating and the building's shade for cooling, achieving a condition warm in winter and cool in summer suitable for all seasons. Emperor Yongzheng often dwelt here.
Introduction to Sheweicheng (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
Sheweicheng is an independent walled city within Yuanmingyuan, modeled after the capital of the ancient Indian kingdom of Kosala. It measures about 100 meters north to south and 80 meters east to west, surrounded by a moat and guarded by soldiers. Over 100,000 Buddhist statues were enshrined inside, and a large collection of Buddhist scriptures was stored here.
Sheweicheng ruins (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
Outside the south gate of Sheweicheng there used to be a market street, complete with shops, taverns, teahouses, theaters, government offices, and so on, offering all the goods one could see in any marketplace, creating a bustling temple fair atmosphere where the emperor and empress could experience the fun of folk trading. Whenever they visited Yuanmingyuan, the shops on the market street would simultaneously "open for business," with eunuchs dressing up as shopkeepers.
Pinghu Qiuyue scenic spot (Photo: Wang Jue)
Among the several Yuanmingyuan scenic spots I viewed, the surviving ruins include the swastika-shaped hall foundation at "Wanfang Anhe," the Peach Blossom Cave at "Wuling Chunse," a small section of the lakeside platform at "Fanghu Shengjing," the hall foundation of "Guanlan Tang," the "Jingyuanzhou" hall foundation at "Pinghu Qiuyue,"
Wuling Chunse and "The Peach Blossom Spring" (Photo: Wang Jue)
as well as some Taihu rocks at "Kuoran Dagong," some Taihu rocks at "Huifang Shuyuan," the southern memorial archway stone base at "Yuemingdiyun," a small section of platform in front of "Guangyu Gong" at "Jiajing Mingqin," the three pagoda bases and the "Yongjin Bridge" base at "Santan Yinyue," and a short section of rammed earth city wall at "Sheweicheng," among others. Fu Hai and the stone boat platform at "Bieyou Dongtian" have been partially restored.
Fu Hai waterscape (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
Fu Hai is the largest body of water in Yuanmingyuan, about 28 hectares. It symbolizes the East Sea, and the three small islets in it represent the Three Immortal Mountains. Corresponding with the Shou Hill behind the Zhengda Guangming Hall, it perfectly embodies the wish for "happiness as vast as the East Sea and longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountain." On the fifth day of the fifth month, the Dragon Boat Festival, dragon boat races were held here; on the fifteenth of the seventh month, the Ghost Festival, floating lanterns were set adrift.
Photo taken at Xiyang Lou Dashuifa (Photo: Passerby)
Entering the Xiyang Lou scenic area in Changchun Garden, Yuanying Guan is the most magnificent European-style fountain landscape, composed of the main Yuanying Guan building, the Dashuifa waterworks, and the Guanshuifa viewing area.
The twelve zodiac animal head replicas inside the exhibition hall (Photo: Wang Jue)
The main Yuanying Guan building stands on a high stone platform to the north. The interior was fully furnished with Western-style furniture and hung with tapestries presented by King Louis XVI of France. The Dashuifa is in the middle, using an arched shrine-like structure as a backdrop for a group of fountains. In the oval chrysanthemum-shaped pool, there is a "hounds chasing a deer" fountain, with a 13-tier water-spouting tower to the left front and another to the right; when all are turned on together, it is a spectacular sight.
A corner of Haiyantang (Photo: Passerby)
Haiyantang is the largest building among the Western-style structures. To the east is a water-storage tower, and to the west is the main hall. Beneath the hall's platform is a huge pool, where 12 bronze statues with human bodies and animal heads are arranged on the left and right in a spread-out "八" shape. The animal heads correspond to the twelve zodiac signs and the twelve two-hour periods; each animal takes turns spouting water during its own period, and at noon all 12 spray water together, a truly magnificent sight.
A corner of Wanchun Garden (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
On November 14, 2020, during my second visit to Yuanmingyuan, due to limited time, I could only view a part of Wanchun Garden after entering from the South Gate. In fact, it has been known from related materials that Emperor Jiaqing once toured and wrote poems about the "Thirty Scenes of Wanchun Garden," and later more than 20 new scenic spots were added. At that time, relatively famous garden complexes included Fuchuntang, Qingxiazhai, Hanqiuguan, Shengdongshi, Siyi Shuwu, Chunzezhai, Fenglinzhou, Weizaotang, Zhonghetang, Bixiang, Zhulinyuan, Xiyu Shanfang, Yanyulou, Hanhuilou, Chengxintang, Changhetang, Zhanqingxuan, Zhaoliangxie, Lingxuting, and so on—nearly 30 in total. There were over a hundred garden buildings with inscribed plaques.
Yuanmingyuan exhibition hall (Photo: Feng Ganyong)
In conclusion, my greatest impression after two visits to Yuanmingyuan is that the place is simply too vast. If one wishes to thoroughly appreciate the entire beauty of Yuanmingyuan, one should set aside at least two full days to perhaps enjoy a truly complete sightseeing trip of Yuanmingyuan. (Text and photos: Feng Ganyong)
