Summer Palace Commentary
Who doesn't praise their hometown? Yes, even today's new immigrants simply don't like people from their hometowns. I often wonder: if you've immigrated to a new environment, it must be better than the old one. Otherwise, why move? People always strive for higher ground, don't they? Strolling along the West Bank of the Summer Palace, gazing at the autumn scenery that only the Summer Palace can offer, I'm overwhelmed with emotion. I'm grateful to our ancestors for leaving us such a magnificent treasure. This park is a World Heritage Site and a priceless treasure of our motherland. At the Summer Palace, you can often see foreigners happily strolling the paths and through the woods, gazing with passionate eyes at every blade of grass, every tree, every scene... They can never get enough... Why can't they? Why can't we, the Beijing residents who have visited countless times, get enough? I often wonder, perplexed, why some modern man-made landscapes lose their appeal after just a few days, yet the Summer Palace is truly one I can never get enough of... Today, at the northernmost end of the West Embankment of the Summer Palace, a family of tourists from Northeast China asked for directions: Which way to get to the southernmost end? I asked them: What attractions are you planning to see? They said: "I want to see them all." I asked them: "Do you have the energy to walk?" They said: "Yes." I told them: "If you walk the outer circle, you can see the Farming and Weaving Map and the Changguan Tower, which was once a favorite place of Mayor Peng Zhen." They asked: "I'm walking the outer circle. Are you exercising?" I said: "Yes." What a simple conversation! For me, I get the same question almost every day at various attractions in Beijing. If it weren't in Beijing, not at the Summer Palace or the Bird's Nest, would I have such a conversation? The reason why Beijing is so captivating is, honestly, directly related to the dozens of emperors who have lived in this city. Their prominent status dictated the city's abundance of lavish architecture. The Summer Palace is Beijing's most beautiful park. Hangzhou's West Lake, Yangzhou's Slender West Lake, or Wuhan's East Lake are all easily surpassed by comparison. Yangzhou's Slender West Lake, for example, is incomparable.
1. Kunming Lake
The Summer Palace boasts a vast expanse of water. Most importantly, the backdrop of Yuquan Mountain adds to the harmony and elegance of the entire garden, much like the Baoshu Pagoda in Hangzhou, adding to its infinite charm.
On the lake's central island stands the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, a bridge that has brought lifelong joy to those of us who have visited the Summer Palace since childhood.
2. Seventeen-Arch Bridge
The Seventeen-Arch Bridge is a masterpiece of ancient bridge architecture. It connects the east bank of Kunming Lake with Nanhu Island. Built during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1736-1795), it is the largest stone bridge in the park. Composed of 17 arches, it stretches 150 meters, spanning the East Causeway and Nanhu Island, resembling a rainbow resting on the waves. Its shape combines the characteristics of Beijing's Lugou Bridge and Suzhou's Baodai Bridge. The stone carvings on the bridge are extremely exquisite. Each bridge railing is carved with a lion of different expressions, with a total of 544 lions of different sizes. There are also stone carvings of strange beasts at the two bridgeheads, which are very vivid. The north side of the bridge is inscribed with "Spiritual Beast Yanyue" and the south side is inscribed with "Practice Lingbo", which contains profound cultural connotations.