(at the entrance of garden of virtuous harmony)
we are now visiting the garden of virtuous harmony, where emperor qianlong and empress dowager cixi were entertained with beijing opera performances. it mainly consists of the dressing house, the grand theater building and the hall of pleasure smiles. the grand theater building known as the “cradle of beijing opera” was uniquely laid out and magnificently decorated. on september 10, 1984, the garden of virtuous harmony opened its doors to visitors. there are also 7 exhibition halls with articles of daily use on display here. the staff here put up court dresses of qing dynasty in order to give the visitor a more vivid impression.
(in front of the grand theater building)
this building is 21 meters in height and 17 meters in width and features three tiers of tilted eaves and stages. all of the stages are connected to a raise ,and a winch is installed at the top. a well and 5 ponds were sunk under the ground stage. there are trapdoors in the ceiling for fairies to descend, as well as on the floor for demons to surface. the underground passages also served as a means of improving resonance and making the performers` voices more audible .of the three main theater building of the qing dynasty, the grand theater building is the tallest and the largest. the other two are changyin (fluent voice ) pavilion in chengde, an imperial summer resort. the building played a major part in fostering the birth and development of beijing opera: since the completion of the grand theater building, many performances were held in it in honor of the empress dowager cixi.
(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 benevolent and longevity. it appears that there` s nothing special ahead. however, after we clear the rockery, we will reach kunming lake. this is a application of a specific style of chinese gardening.
not far away in the lake there is a islet. it is filled with peach and weeping willow trees and serves as a ideal place to appreciate the scenery. the pavilion on the islet is called zhichun (understanding spring) pavilion and is chardcterized by four- edged, multiple eaved roofs.
(in front of the hall of jade ripples)
this group of special and quiet courtyard dwelling is the hall of jade ripples. it was first used by emperor qianlong to attend to state affairs. it was also where emperor guangxu of the late qing dynasty was kept under house arrest.
this hall is a hallmark of the reform movement of 1898, emperor guanxu was empress dowager cixi` s nephew. after emperor tongzhi died, empress dowager cixi made her nephew, who was at that time four years old a successor in order to continue her wielding of power behind the scenes. when emperor guanxu was 19 years old ,empress dowager cixi relinquished power to him but continued to exert considerable influence. in 1898, the reform movement took place with the aim of sustaining the corn principles of the qing dynasty while reforming outdated laws. the movement lasted for 103 days until it was suppressed by empress dowager cixi. the emperor` s six earnest reformists were beheaded and emperor guangxu was placed under house arrest which lasted for 10 years .all the back doors were sealed and a brick was was put up behind the wooden partition on each side of the two annexes of the courtyard. emperor guangxu was closely watched by eunuchs. the wall remains intact for tourists to see.. dynasty while reforming outdated laws. the movement lasted for 103 days until it was suppressed by empress dowager cixi. the emperor` s six earnest reformists were beheaded and emperor guangxu was placed under house arrest which lasted for 10 years .all the back doors were sealed and a brick was was put up behind the wooden partition on each side of the two annexes of the courtyard. emperor guangxu was closely watched by eunuchs. the wall remains intact for tourists to see.
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