Introduction to Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace

Kunming Lake is located in the Summer Palace in Beijing. Its area is about three-quarters of the total area of ​​the Summer Palace. It was originally a natural lake formed by the convergence of many springs in the northwest suburbs of Beijing. It once had names such as Qililuo Lake and Dabo Lake. The predecessor of Kunming Lake was Wengshan Bo. It was named Wengshan Bo because the predecessor of Wanshou Mountain was named Wengshan. Wengshan Po is also known as the West Lake because it is located in the western suburbs of Beijing.

Kunming Lake is the main lake of the Summer Palace, accounting for three-quarters of the entire garden area, approximately 220 hectares. In the Qianhu area in the south, there are rippling blue waves and mist, with undulating waves to the west and clusters of pavilions to the north; there is a west embankment in the lake, with rows of peaches and willows on it; a seventeen-hole bridge lies across the lake, and there are also various forms on the three islands in the lake. classical architecture. ?

Kunming Lake is the largest lake among the imperial gardens of the Qing Dynasty. A long embankment in the lake, the West Embankment, meanders from the northwest to the south. The West Dike and its branches divide the lake into three waters of varying sizes, each with an island in the middle of the lake. These three islands form a tripod on the lake, symbolizing the three sacred mountains of the East China Sea in ancient Chinese legends - Penglai, Fangzhang and Yingzhou. Due to the separation of islands and embankments, the lake surface appears layered, avoiding monotony and sparseness. The West Causeway and the six bridges on the causeway are consciously imitated by the Su Causeway and the "Six Su Causeway Bridges" in West Lake in Hangzhou, making Kunming Lake even more like the West Lake. The green waves and weeping willows along the Xidi area create a broad natural scenery. The beautiful mountain shape of Yuquan Mountain a few miles outside the park and the shadow of the Yufeng Pagoda on the top of the mountain are closely connected and are taken as an integral part of the garden landscape. Looking west from Kunming Lake and the lakeside, the scenery outside the garden and the lakes and mountains in the garden are integrated into one. This is an outstanding example of the use of borrowed scenery in Chinese gardens. The buildings in the lake area are mainly concentrated on three islands. The banks and embankments of the lake are shaded by green trees, blocking out the glistening water, presenting a natural beauty of the mountains near the lake and far away that is full of Jiangnan style.

The Summer Palace is the largest and most magnificent classical garden in China. It is mainly composed of Kunming Lake and Wanshou Mountain. The Summer Palace is located 10 kilometers northwest of Beijing, and Kunming Lake is located at the southern foot of Wanshou Mountain in the garden. Wanshou Mountain is a remnant of the West Mountain in Beijing. It stretches out to the east with a relative height of more than 60 meters, forming the potential to embrace the lake. To the west of the lake, the peak of Xishan Mountain stands tall. The southeast of the lake is adjacent to the Beijing Plain. The lake is located in the transition zone between the alluvial fan and the alluvial plain at the foothills of the Xishan Mountains.

The total area of ​​Kunming Lake is 3,000 acres, about 2 square kilometers, which is larger than the five North Seas in Beijing. The lake mainly develops towards the east and west. Part of the land on the original lake shore was planned to be placed in the lake, forming the west embankment and three islands in the lake. The excavated soil was moved and piled on Wanshou Mountain, which greatly increased the height of this originally low hill. At Kunming Lakeside and Wanshou Mountain. Qingyi Garden on Wanshou Mountain, Jingming Garden on Yuquan Mountain, Jingyi Garden on Xiangshan Mountain, Changchun Garden, and Old Summer Palace were all large-scale gardens built at that time with the peaks of the Western Mountains as barriers, collectively known as the "Three Mountains and Five Gardens". Qingyi Garden was finally built in 1764, costing more than 4.8 million taels of silver. In 1860, the British and French forces attacked Beijing and Qingyi Garden was burned down. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi misappropriated navy funds to rebuild the garden and renamed it the Summer Palace. After many changes, before liberation, this ancient garden had become depressed. After liberation, great efforts were made to repair the garden and dredge Kunming Lake, giving it a completely new look.

The famous Seventeen-hole Bridge in Kunming Lake spans between Nanhu Island and the east bank. The bridge is 150 meters long, like a rainbow resting on the sparkling blue waves. It is modeled after the famous Marco Polo Bridge. The top of each stone pillar on the bridge is carved with stone lions of different shapes, making it appear delicate, majestic and beautiful. ?On the shore of the lake at the east end of the Seventeen-hole Bridge stands the largest octagonal pavilion in the country. Nearby squats a beautifully cast copper bull as big as a real bull. Beautiful and vivid, it originally meant the sacred cow to control water, and is now a precious cultural relic. From Tongniu to the north, there is Zhichunting on the east bank of the lake. Every year after the lake ice melts, the place gets the first breath of spring. The peach blossoms and willows beside the pavilion are the first to announce the news of spring to people, hence the name of the pavilion. Looking north from Zhichunting, the scenery of Wanshou Mountain is the most vivid.