[Billy]

The Southern Side of Longevity Hill

The main structure in the central architectural complex on the southern side of Longevity Hill is the Palace of parting Clouds (Paiyundian). This is fronted by a memorial archway built on the edge of the lake inscribed with the words "The myriad stars surround the Polar Star" and "The radiance of the clouds shines through the jade firmament." Between the archway and the Palace of Parting Clouds there are a number of evergreens and 12 Taihu Lake stones which represent the Chinese astrological animals. A n elegant pair of bronze lions guards the Gate of Parting Clouds. Inside the gate is a courtyard with buildings on each side; to the east is the Hall of Brilliant Jade and to the west the Hall of Brocade Clouds. A lotus pond in the courtyard is spanned by a stone bridge which leads to the gates of standing on the northern side of the courtyard, was the site of Empress Dowager Cixi' s birthday celebrations. There was a temple here in the Ming Dynasty, which was rebuilt during the Qianlong period and called the Temple of Gratitude and Longevity. After its destruction by the Anglo-French forces. Its name is taken from a poem by Guo Pu (276-324): "The immortals emerge from between parting clouds; a terrace of silver and gold appears."

The Palace of Parting Clouds, built on a stone terrace with staircases on three sides, is surrounded by white stone balustrades. The terrace in front of the palace is called the"Cinnabar Staircase."Bronze dragons, phoenixes, sacrificial vessels and large water vats are on display. The interior is similar to that of the Hall of Benevolent Longevity, including an oil portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi painted in 1903 by Katherine A. Carl, an American who also wrote a book about Cixi. Though the portrait was executed in Cixi' s 69th year, it flattered her to the likeness of a 30-year-old woman.

Covered staircases on either side of the Palace of Parting Clouds lead to the Hall of Virtuous Light. At the top is the highest point in the entire Summer Palace, the Pagoda of Buddhist Fragrance. This 38-meter-high pagoda, designed after the Yellow Crane Pagoda in Wuchang, Hubei Province, is supported by four hardwood columns. The immense task of restoration was begun in 1953. Repainting alone, applying some 600 kilograms of dark blue paint and 2.5 kilograms of pure gold leaf, took 16,000 worker-days.

The Revolving Scripture Repository (Zhuanlunzang) is the name given to the buildings east of the Pagoda of Buddhist Fragrance, which contain a large carved stone tablet. The 10-meter-tall tablet is inscribed with the words "Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake" in the hand of Qianlong. On its back is a short essay, "A Record of Kunming Lake," also in Qianlong' s hand. On either side are pavilions housing miniature octagonal pagodas, which revolve on vertical axles. These curious religious structures, designed to store Buddhist scriptures, are modeled after those in the Fayuan Temple in Hangzhou. The third pavilion is the so-called Bronze Pavilion. Standing 7.55 meters tall and weighing more than 200,000 kilograms, every detail resembles were executed with the lost wax method. Inside is a list of the craftsmen who took part in its construction.

The southern side of the Longevity Hill is full of smaller buildings with picturesque names, which will only be mentioned briefly. First, to the east: The House of Leisure (Zizaizhuang), dating from 1903, was built in the style of an old-fashioned country teahouse; the Hall for Nourishing Clouds (Yangyunxuan), divided into two side halls, served during the time of Cixi as a resting place of higher-ranking concubines, members of the imperial clan, and women who had been granted official titles; the Hall of Limitless Pleasure (Wujinyixuan), facing a small lotus pond, is an ideal place of retreat from the heat of summer; and finally, the Hall of Longevity (Jieshoutang) is surrounded by wonderful cypresses and magnolias.

To the west, there is Shao' s Nest, named after a Song Dynasty philosopher, Shao Yong, who called his retirement home the Nest of Peace and Joy. Another "nest," the Nest of Pines and Clouds, is derived from a line in a poem by the famous Tang poet Li Bai: "Here I will make my nest in the pines and clouds." The Pavilion of the Stone Gentleman (Shizhangting) recalls the Song painter and calligrapher Mi Fei, who would bow in reverence whenever he came upon a strange stone. To the west of the Pavilion of the Stone gentleman is a group of buildings called the Four Western Pavilions (Xisiting). Originally built by Qianlong, they were refurbished in 1892 to serve as a residence of the imperial concubines. After the failure of the Reform Movement of 1898, the Empress Dowager temporarily imprisoned Emperor Guangxu' s favorite, Concubine Zhen, in these precincts.

The listening to the Orioles Hall, the site of a popular restaurant, was first built in the 18th century and refurbished during the Guangxu reign. Fine old pine trees grow in its courtyards, while its exterior is planted with apricot trees and bamboo. To the rear of the hall stands the Strolling-Through-a-Painting Pavilion (Huazhongyou), a two-story building, which is flanked by the Adoration for the Hill Pavilion on the east and the Borrowing from Autumn Pavilion on the west. Covered galleries connect these two side pavilions with the main one. The name Strolling-Through-a-Painting Pavilion comes from the fact that standing on the exquisite veranda, it is easy to imagine oneself being part of a landscape painting.

To the west of the Stone Gentleman Pavilion. A rather unseaworthy boat sits permanently docked with its bow jutting out into the lake. This is the famous Marble boat, an ironic reminder that the funds appropriated by the Empress Dowager to reconstruct the Summer Palace had originally been earmarked for the Chinese navy. The boat's hull is of stone and Cixi herself in the style of an old steamship designed its two-story wooden cabin. To the east of the Marble Boat is the Hall of Accumulated Ripples from where pleasure boats set out for rides around the lake.