颐和园英文导游词

颐和园英文导游词

Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen:

My name is ｘｘ. I’m very honored to be youre guide. I do hope all of you could like my guiding and enjoy everything on your pleasant day. This morning we are going to visit the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace is located on the northwest suburbs of Beijing, about 20 kilometers away from the center of the city. So it will take us about 1 hour to get there. Before we arrived at the Summer Palace, I would like to introduce you a brief introduction of the woderful imperial garden. The Summer Palace is the most beautiful and the largest imperial garden existing in Chinan, and it is the best-preserved imperial garden in the world. In 1998, it was placed on the List of World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO.

The Summer Palace was first built as an imperial garden at the beginning of 12th century in the Jin Dynasty. The construction continued to the Yuan and Ming dynasties. In the Qing Dynasty, the building of imperial gardens reached its culmination. During Emperor Qianlong’s reign, the famous ‘Three Hills and Five Gardens’ were built on the northwest suburbs of Beijing. The Summer Palace was a part of it and at that time was called the Garden of Clear Ripples. In 1860, the Anglo-French Allied Forces invaded Beijing. The ‘Three Hills and Five Gardens’ were burnt down to ashes.

In 1888, the Empress Dowager Cixi spent the navy fund having the Garden of Clear Ripples rebuilt. And then she renamed it the Garden of Nurtured Harmony (Summer Palace).

In 1900, the Allied Forces of Eight Powers invaded Beijing. The Summer Palace was once again severely damaged. It was rebuilt again in 1902.

In 1924, the Last Emperor Puyi was driven out of the palace, after that, the Summer Palace was turned into a public park.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please look over there, in front of us is an archway. It is called “Emptiness and the collection of excellence”, and it is the first scenery of the Summer Palace. The two Chinese words on the front side of the archway mean emptiness and refer to everything in nature and in the scenery. The two words on the back side mean Collection of Excellence and refer to the tranquility of the beautiful scenery just within the garden.

(outside the East Palace Gate)

Now, we have arrived at the East Palace Gate. It’s the main entrance of the Summer Palace. On top of the gate there is a plaque with three Chinese characters ‘The Summer Palace’ in Emperor Guangxu’s handwriting. The gate that we are now entering was used by the emperor, the empress only in the old days.

(Inside the East Palace Gate)

Now we are inside the Summer Palace. In front of us is the second gate of the Summer Palace— the Gate of Benevolence and Longevity. The annex halls on both sides were used for officials on duty and the offices of the Privy Council. Well, Before we start our tour in the garden, I will briefly introduce you the layout of the Summer Palace and our tour route. O.K., ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please? Let’s look at the map together, From it we can see the Summer Palace covers an area of 290 hectares, which the lake occupies the three-fourths. The whole garden can be divide into three parts: the area was for political activities, resting places of the emperor and empress, and sightseeing areas. Our tour will start from the area of the political activities, and end off the Marble Boat. On the way, we will visit the main constructions of the Summer Palace, such as the Hall of Jade Ripples, the Hall of Happiness and Longevity, the Long Corridor, the Hall of Dispelling Clouds and so on. It will take us about two hours to visit the Summer Palace. Please attention, we won’t walk back and our driver will pick us up at the North Gate. Should you get lost or separated from the group, please meet us at the North Gate.

Ok, everyone, let’s start our tour from the emperors’ office --- the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. Follow me please.

(Inside the courtyard of the Benevolence and Longevity)

Passing through the Gate of Benevolence and Longevity, we have already entered the courtyard of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. The huge rock in front of us is Taihu Rock. It was quarried from Taihu Lake in Jiangsu Province, so it was known as Taihu Rock. Please look around the courtyard and you can see there are four grotesque shaped rocks placed in each corner of this courtyard, representing the four seasons of the year. The Taihu Rocks are usually used as decoration for beautifying gardens and they are thin, crease, leak and penetration in characters.

The bronze mythical animal behind the Taihu Rock is known as Suanni or some people call it Qilin. According to ancient Chinese mythology, the dragon had nine sons, but none of them became a real dragon. Suanni was one of the nine sons of the dragon. It was an auspicious animal that could avoid evil spirits in ancient lengeds. Suanni has the head of dragon, the antlers of dear, the hooves of ox and the tail of lion.

(In front of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity)

This grand hall is the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. It was first built in 1750. The name of this hall taken from a book entitled ‘Lun Yu’ by Confucius doctrine means, “ those who are benevolent can enjoy a long life.” This hall was the place where Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi held audience and handled state affairs when they were in the Summer Palace. For protecting the historical cultural relic, we couldn’t enter the hall. So I would like to briefly introduce you the decorations in the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. The arrangement of the hall has been left untouched. In the middle of the hall stands an emperor’s throne carved with nine dragons on design. There are two big fans on both sides behind the throne which are made of peacock feathers. Behind the throne there is a big screen with red sandalwood frame and glass mirror inlaid. On the mirror there are 226 Chinese characters of the word ‘Longevity’ written in different styles. There are two scrolls on each side of the wall with a big Chinese character ‘Longevity’ written on it. It was said that the word ‘Longevity’ written by Empress Dowager Cixi. There are 100 bats painted at the background of the scroll symbolizing happiness.

Well, please look up the two pairs of incense burners in the shape of a dragon and a phoenix in front of the hall. They were used to burn incense sticks to create the appropriate atmosphere. In the old days, the dragon and phoenix were the symbol of the emperor and empress. According to ritual, the dragons should be placed in the center while phoenixes were to either side in front of the hall.However, here, the dragons are off to the sides and the phoenixes are in the middle. This was a product of the end of Qing Dynasty when Empress Dowager Cixi handled state affairs behind the screen.

(At the entrance of Garden of virtuour Harmony)

We are now visiting the Garden of Virtuous Harmony, where Emperor Qianlong and Empress Dowager Cixi were entertained with Bejing Opera performances. It mainly consists of the Dressing House, the Grand Theater Building and the Hall of Pleasure Smile. The Grand Theater Building was known as the ‘Cradle of Beijing Opera’ was uniquely laid out and magnificently decorated. There are 7 exhibition halls with articles of daily use on display here.

(In front of the Grand Theater Building)

This is the Grand Theater Building. Of the three main theater buildings of the Qing Dynasty, the Grand Theater Building is the tallest and largest one. The other two are Changyin Pavilion in the Forbidden City and Qingyin Pavilion in the Mountain Resort in Chengde. The Grand Theater Building, a three-storied structure, has a double roof with upturned eaves. It is 21 meters high and 17 meters wide. Performances could be staged simultaneously on three levels. The top one was a symbol of happiness, the middle level was emolument level and the bottom stage was named longevity stage. Each level has the entrance and the exit. There are some trapdoors in the ceiling and below the floor for ‘celestial being’ to fly down from the sky and the ‘devils’ to appear from the earth to set off a certain atmosphere on the stage. There is also a well and five ponds built under the stage for a good effect of water scenes. The stage is open to three sides.

Well, please look at the construction that stands right opposite the Grand Theater Building, it’s the Hall of Pleasure Smile. The Empress Dowager Cixi used bo sit inside the hall to watch and enjoy the Peking Opera.

(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 Benevolence and Longevity. It appears that there’s nothing special ahead. However, after we clear the rockery, we will reach Kunming Lake. This is an application of a specific style of Chinese

gardening.

Now, we are walking along the bank of the Kunming Lake. Look over there, not far away in the lake there is an islet. It’s called the Spring Heralding Islet. The pavilion on the islet is called the Spring Heralding Pavilion. A number of willow trees and peach trees were planted on this islet. In early spring, when the ice begins to melt, peach trees are red in pink blossoms, willow trees turn a tender green signaling that the early spring has returned. Hence the name ‘Heralding Sping Pavilion’.

(In front of the Hall of Jade Ripples)

This group of special and quiet courtyard dwellings is the Hall of Jade Ripples. The words “Jade Ripples” came from a verse “Gentle ripples gushing out of Jade Spring”, which refers to the rippling water in the lake. It was first used by Emperor Qianlong to attend to state affairs. In the late Qing Dynasty, it was where Emperor Guangxu was put under house arrest.

This hall is a hallmark of the Movement of 1898. Emperor Guangxu was Emperor Dowager Cixi’s nephew. After Emperor Tongzhi died, Emperor Dowager Cixi made her nephew, who was at that time four years old a successor in order to continue her hold on imperial power. She ‘handled state affairs behind the screen’. After Emperor Guangxu ‘managed state affairs personally’ at the age of 19, a political conflict occurred between the conservatives and the reformers. In 1898, the Reform Movement took place with the aim of sustaining the core principles of the Qing Dynasty while reforming outdated laws. The movement lasted for103 days until it was suppressed by Empress Dowager Cixi. It was called the ‘Hundred-Day Reform’. After the reform failed, Emperor Guangxu was put under house arrest here. For the strict control of him, Empress Dowager Cixi ordered to build many brick walls in the front, back, and on the right and left of the Hall of Jade Ripples. At that time the hall was entirely sealed up, just like a prison. Today only the hidden walls in the east and west annex room still maintain its original appearance. It is open to visitors as the relic related to the 1898 Reform Movement.

(In front of the Chamber of Collecting Books)

This is the Chamber of Collecting Books. In Chinese, it’s called “Yi Yun Guang”. “Yun” was a kind of fragrant weed. In ancient times, it was usually used as termite repellent in rooms where books were stored.In the Emperor Qianlong’s reign, the purpose of the hall was for collecting books. Later it was converted into a residence. There used to be the residence of Guangxu’s Empress Longyu, and his favorite concubine Zhenfei.

(In the Hall of Happiness and Longevity)

This group of courtyard is the Hall of Happiness and Longevity. It was the major architectural structure in the living quarters and the residence of Empress Dowager Cixi. 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. In front of the Hall of Happiness and Longevity there is a huge rock placed in the middle of this courtyard named “Qing Zhi Xiu” and nicknamed as “Family Bankruptcy Rock”. This huge rock was discovered in Fangshan District by a Ming official Mi Wanzhong. He wanted to transport it to his own garden “Shaoyuan”. In the old days, transporting such rock was very difficult. After spending all his money to ship it, he still could not succeed in doing this. The big rock was then left on the roadside somewhere near Liangxiang County, 30 kilometers southwest of Beijing. Hence it was nicknamed “Family Bancruptcy Rock”. Later Emperor Qianlong discovered it and transported to the Garden of Clear Ripples and laid in front of the Hall of Happiness and Longevity. The colorful glass chandeliers hanging inside the hall was introduced from Germany in 1903. It is one of the earliest electric lights in China.

(In front of the Gate of Inviting the Moon of the Long Corridor)

Ladies and Gentlemen, you may have visited some of the best museums in the world, such as the Louvre in France and the Museum of Great Britain. Now I will show you a special gallery in the palace—the Long Corridor. In 1990, the Long Corridor was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as ‘the longest painted corridor’ in the world’. It would be a pity if we leave the Summer Palace without visiting the Long Corridor and the Marble Boat. Now, here we go, the Long Corridor first!

(Strolling along the Long Corridor)

The Long Corridor starts from the Gate Inviting the Moon to the Shizhang Gate. It is 728 meters long and consists of 273 sections. 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 ( Retaining the Goodness Pavilion, Living with the Ripples Pavilion, Autumn Water Pavilion, Clear and Far Pavilion) were placed at bends and undulation, they represent four seaons of a year. Thus visitors 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 create a unified complex.

The Long Corridor is the longest covered veranda in any Chinese garden. On the purlins and beams of the covered veranda, there are over 14,000 Suzhou style paintings. Among them, there are 546 color paintings relating to the scenes of West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Beside the colorful paintings of natural scenery, there are also scenes of flowers, birds, fish, insects, mythology and figures. The paintings of figures are mainly adapted from ancient Chinese classical literature, such as ‘Pilgrimage to the West’, ‘The Romance of the Three Kingdoms’, ‘The western Chamber’, “Water Margin’, and ‘The Dream of the Red Mansion’.

(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 central axis line starts from the wharf next to the lake to the Sea of Wisdom on top of the Hill. The main architectural structures here are the Gate of Dispelling Clouds, Hall of Dispelling clouds, Tower of Buddhist Incense and the Sea of Wisdom, which altogether form a splendid three-dimensional landscape. The layout of this group of architectures was based on scenes described in Buddhist sutras. This group of structures are among the most magnificently constructed here in the Summer Palace. This is a good place to taking photos, we will stay here for about 15 minutes.

Now we are walking continuely along the Long Corridor, the next scene we are going to visit is Marble Boat.

Look over there! Halfway up the slope there stands the Hall of Listening to Orioles. It was the place for emperor and empress to enjoy opera and court music. It is said the singing of orioles is very pleasing. Before the Garden of Virtuous Harmony was built, Empress Dowager Cixi enjoyed opera and music here. Now the hall is one of the most famous restaurants in China, featuring imperial dishes and desserts.

This is the famous Marble Boat. A famous scientist of China’s Eastern Han Dynasty once said, “Water can float the boat, but it can also tip it over.” A prime minister of Tang Dynasty Wei Zheng once used these words to persuade Li Shimin, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. He said people are water and the emperor is the boat. People can support a good emperor. However, they also can overthrow the dynasty. Emperor Qianlong built this huge boat in the Garden in order to make the allusion concrete. On one hand, Emperor Qianlong encouraged himself to run the country well. On the other hand, he wanted to show that his rule of the Qing Dynasty was as firm as the Marble Boat and there was no fear of overturning the boat. The Marble Boat was the place for Emperor Qianlong to sample tea and enjoy the scenery of Kunming Lake. Emperor Qianlong once came here to engage in the freeing of captive animals. In the times of Qianlong, the Marble Boat was a Chinese styled stone boat with a Chinese style wooden superstructure on the top of it. When it was rebuilt in the times of Guangxu, a foreign and Chinese elements mixed resulting in two wheels to be added to the boat, one on each side. The floor was paved with colored bricks. All of the windows were inlaid with multiple-colored glass. A big mirror was installed on the superstructure for viewing rain.

Our tour is drawing to a close after we visited the Marble Boat. Today we only visited the major scenic spots of the Summer Palace. I have left other spots of interest for your next visit. I will now show you out through the Ruyi Gate. Our coach is waiting for us outside the gate. I do hope you enjoyed today’s tour. Thank you.

颐和园英文导游词（2）

Situated in the western outskirts of Haidian District， the Summer Palace is 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from central Beijing. Having the largest royal park and being well preserved， it was designated， in 1960 by the State Council， as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Site of China. Containing examples of the ancient arts， it also has graceful landscapes and magnificent constructions. The Summer Palace is the archetypal Chinese garden， and is ranked amongst the most noted and classical gardens of the world. In 1998， it was listed as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

Constructed in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234)， during the succeeding reign of feudal emperors; it was extended continuously. By the time of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)， it had become a luxurious royal garden providing royal families with rest and entertainment. Originally called "Qingyi Garden" (Garden of Clear Ripples)， it was know as one of the famous "three hills and five gardens" (Longevity Hill， Jade Spring Mountain， and Fragrant Hill; Garden of Clear Ripples， Garden of Everlasting Spring， Garden of Perfection and Brightness， Garden of Tranquility and Brightness， and Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure). Like most of the gardens of Beijing， it could not elude the rampages of the Anglo-French allied force and was destroyed by fire. In 1888， Empress Dowager Cixi embezzled navy funds to reconstruct it for her own benefit， changing its name to Summer Palace (Yiheyuan). She spent most of her later years there， dealing with state affairs and entertaining. In 1900， it suffered again， being ransacked by the Eight-Power Allied Force. After the success of the 1911 Revolution， it was opened to the public.

Composed mainly of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake， The Summer Palace occupies an area of 294 hectares (726.5 acres)， three quarters of which is water. Guided by nature， artists designed the gardens exquisitely so that visitors would see marvelous views and be amazed by perfect examples of refined craftwork using the finest materials.

Centered on the Tower of Buddhist Incense (Foxiangge) the Summer Palace consists of over 3，000 structures including pavilions， towers， bridges， and corridors. The Summer Palace can be divided into four parts: the court area， front-hill area， front-lake area， and rear-hill and back-lake area.

Front-Hill Area: this area is the most magnificent area in the Summer Palace with the most constructions. Its layout is quite distinctive because of the central axis from the yard of Kunming Lake to the hilltop， on which important buildings are positioned including Gate of Dispelling Clouds， Hall of Dispelling Clouds， Hall of Moral Glory， Tower of Buddhist Incense， the Hall of the Sea of Wisdom， etc.

Rear-Hill and Back-Lake Area: although the constructions are fewer here， it has a unique landscape， with dense green trees， and winding paths. Visitors can feel a rare tranquility， and elegance. This area includes scenic spots such as Garden of Harmonious Interest and Suzhou Market Street.

Court Area: this is where Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu met officials， conducted state affairs and rested. Entering the East Palace Gate， visitors may see the main palace buildings: the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity served as the office of the Emperor， the Hall of Jade Ripples where Guangxu lived， the Hall of Joyful Longevity， Cixi‘s residence， the Hall of Virtue and Harmony where Cixi was entertained.

Front Lake Area: covering a larger part of the Summer Palace， opens up the vista of the lake. A breeze fluttering， waves gleam and willows kiss the ripples of the vast water. In this comfortable area there are the Eastern and Western Banks， the Seventeen-Arch Bridge， Nanhu Island， and so on. On the western bank float six distinct bridges amongst which the Jade-Belt Bridge is the most beautiful.

译文：

颐和园是我国现存最完好、规模最宏大的古代园林。位于北京市海淀区境内，距天安门20余公里，占地290公顷。

颐和园原为封建帝王的行宫和花园，远在金贞元元年（1153年）即在这里修建“西山八院”之一的“金山行宫”。明弘治七年（1494年）修建了园静寺，后皇室在此建成好山园。1664年清廷定都北京后，又将好山园更名为“瓮山行宫”。清乾隆年间，经过15年的修建工程，将该园改名为“清漪圆”。此时的清漪园，北自文昌阁至西宫门筑有围墙，东、南、西三面以昆明湖水为屏障，园内修建了许多亭台楼阁，桥廊斋榭，山清水秀，富丽堂皇。咸丰十年（1860年），英法联军疯狂抢劫并焚烧了园内大部分建筑，除宝云阁（俗称“铜亭”）智慧海、多宝琉璃塔幸存外，珍宝被洗劫一空，建筑夷为一片废墟。光绪十四年（1888年）慈待太后挪用海军经费3000万两白银，在清漪园的废墟上兴建起颐和园。光绪二十六年（1900年）颐和园又遭八国联军的野蛮破坏，后慈禧又动用巨款重新修复。数百年来，这里一直是封建帝王、皇室的享乐之地，解放辟为公园。1961年国务院公布颐和园为全国重点文物保护单位。

颐和园包括万寿山、昆明湖两大部分，园内山水秀美，建筑宏伟。全园有各式建筑3000余间，园内布局可分为政治、生活、游览三个区域。政治活动区，以仁寿段为中心，是过去慈禧太后和光绪皇帝办理朝事、会见朝臣、使节的地方。生活居住区，以玉澜堂、宜芸馆、乐寿堂为主体，是慈禧、光绪及后妃居住之地。风景游览区，以万寿山前山、后山、后湖、昆明湖为主，是全园的主要组成部分。

在世界古典园林中享有盛誉的颐和园，布局和谐，浑然一体。在高60米的万寿山前山的中央，纵向自低而高排列着排云门、排云股、德辉殿、佛香阁、智慧海等一组建筑，依山而立，步步高升，气派宏伟。以高大的佛香阁为主体，形成了全园的中心线。沿昆明湖北岸横向而建的长廊，长728米，共273间，像一条彩带横跨于万寿山前，连结着东面前山建筑群。长廊中有精美柁画 14000多幅，素有“画廊”之美称。位于颐和园东北角，万寿山东麓的谐趣园，具有浓重的江南园林特色，被誉为 “园中之园”。

占全园总面积四分之三的昆明湖，湖水清澈碧绿，景色宜人。在广阔的湖面上，有三个小岛点缀，其主要景物是西堤、西堤六桥、东堤、南湖岛、十七孔桥等。湖岸建有廓如亭、知春亭、凤凰墩等秀美建筑，其中位于湖西北岸的清晏舫（石访）中西合璧，精巧华丽，是园中著名的水上建筑。后山后湖，林茂竹青，景色幽雅，到处是松林曲径，小桥流水，风格与前山迥然不同。山脚下的苏州河，曲折蜿蜒，时狭时阔，颇具江南特色。在岸边的树丛中建有多宝琉璃塔。后山还有一座仿西藏建筑——香岩宗印之阁，造型奇特。苏州街原为宫内的民间买卖街，现已修复并向游人开放。拥山抱水，绚丽多姿的颐和园，体现了我国造园艺术的高超水平。

颐和园英文导游讲解词

（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 freezes 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 freeze.

(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 freedom 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 2000 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 2000 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!