Hong Kong Palace Museum | The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: YUAN MING YUAN — Art and Culture of an Imperial Garden-Palace

8000. Exhibition Introduction

Yuanming yuan was a grand imperial garden of the Qing dynasty. Begun during the Kangxi period and continued by five succeeding emperors—Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng—the meticulous construction and expansion of the garden from late 1600s to late 1800s . Yuanming yuan was not only a haven for leisure and escaping the summer heat, but also a hub of government where emperors attended to state and military affairs. It was a place of everyday residence for the emperors and their families outside of the Forbidden City.

The garden was magnificent in scale. It presented an exquisite fusion of Chinese and Western architecture, and was the pinnacle of Chinese landscape art.

This exhibition consists of five sections. By bringing together artefacts and artworks from Yuanming yuan that survived the garden’s destruction, it highlights the breadth and depth of Chinese landscape art as well as the family life and humanistic sentiments of the Qing emperors.

8001. “Nine Continents in Peace” from Spring Everlasting on the Abode of the Immortals

The Nine Continents area, located at the Back Lake of Yuanming yuan, was one of the earliest built scenic complexes in the garden. It was so named because it consisted of nine islands encircling the lake. The concept of “Nine Continents” dates back to the pre-Qin period, when people saw the Chinese territory as containing nine regions. Although the meaning of the term evolved over time, it generally encompassed people’s conception of the world’s vastness.

The Yongzheng Emperor was gifted Yuanming yuan when he was still a prince. Later, he expanded the garden and made it the principal imperial garden-palace, where he lived and attended to state affairs for an average of over 200 days a year. It was his decision to construct the nine small islands and to name one of them “Nine Continents in Peace”, and this became the imperial family’s residence during the reign of five emperors. The name “Nine Continents in Peace” expressed his hope for stability and prosperity for his people across the territory. This is an example of how emperors convey their rationales and aspirations of governance by means of landscape architecture.

8002. Engravings of the European-style palaces in the Garden of Eternal Spring

Western missionaries serving in the Qing imperial court were commissioned to create a European-style palatial complex, commonly known as the Western Mansions, in an affiliated garden of Yuanming yuan called the Garden of Eternal Spring. The area blended characteristics of European palaces and Chinese gardens. This set of twenty copperplate prints depicts parts of the Western Mansions’ architectural landscape. The fine parallel lines made by etching on the copperplates give a sense of three-dimensionality to the architecture, and the details and proportions of the landscapes are meticulously precise.

Copperplate engraving had been practiced in Europe for several centuries before it was introduced to China during the Ming dynasty by Western missionaries, mainly for the promotion of Christian doctrine. In the Qing dynasty, the Kangxi Emperor recognised the unique value of copperplate engraving for producing maps and architectural landscapes. The technique produced realistic and distinctive images and allowed printing in quantities that could be gifted to high-ranking officials as a recognition of merit. For these reasons, the Kangxi Emperor ordered Western missionaries to produce copperplate engraving and pass down the techniques in Qing court. Most of these engravings portrayed military victories; only two known sets depicted imperial garden landscapes. This set of engravings of the Western Mansions in the Garden of Eternal Spring was one of them. It was the result of five years of collaborative effort by Chinese court painters and craftsmen, demonstrating the extraordinary development of Chinese copperplate engraving during the Qianlong period. An example of early cultural exchange between China and the West in terms of materials, drawing and printing techniques, and subject matter, Qing court copperplate engraving is significant not only for the art it produced but for the history it recorded.

8003. Model of the Hall of Universal Peace in Yuanmingyuan

This architectural model was made of paper, wood, a special kind of glue, and other materials based on an architectural plan and proportionally scaled. Architectural models of the Qing dynasty were called “Tangyang”. The word “tang” refers to ironing, a method used to shape some of the model parts during production.

In the Qing dynasty, there was a renowned family of architects known as the Lei Family. As many as eight generations of the family took charge of the design, construction, and reconstruction of imperial buildings such as palaces, gardens, temples, and mausoleums. Because the department exclusively dedicated to imperial architecture was called “Yangshi fang”, meaning the department of architectural drawings, the Lei Family, who had long led Yangshi fang, was honoured as “Yangshi lei”. At present, surviving architectural drawings, models, and related documents produced by Yangshi Lei number around 20,000, nearly 2,000 of which are drawings of Yuanming yuan. This exhibition presents three of these architectural models. In 2007, the Qing Dynasty Yangshi Lei Archives was added by UNESCO to the Memory of the World International Register, making it a valuable resource for researching imperial architecture of the Qing dynasty.

8004. The Qianlong Emperor celebrating the Lantern Festival

Look at the figures in motion in the painting and you can feel the festive atmosphere of the occasion. Although the Qing emperors were of Manchu ethnicity, they greatly respected the traditions of preceding dynasties. Take the Qianlong Emperor as an example: whenever a traditional festival, one with customs passed down from generation to generation, occurred—such as New Year's Day, the Lantern Festival, and the Double Seventh Festival—he would hold great celebrations in the palace. The Lantern Festival was the first important festival after New Year's Day. According to folk tradition, on this night when the full moon shines, families would eat “yuanxiao”, glutinous rice balls that symbolize family togetherness, and hang lanterns, light fireworks, and play riddle games. During the Qianlong period, the emperor would leave the Forbidden City after the new year and travel to Yuanming yuan for the Lantern Festival celebration. In this section of the exhibition, you can learn more about different festivals from the poetry and artwork on display.

This painting in front of you shows the Qianlong Emperor and his family celebrating the Lantern Festival at a spacious area in Yuanming yuan called “High-Reaching Mountain and Outstretched River”. Take a closer look at the Qianlong Emperor’s facial expression as he sits comfortably on the second-floor deck. His slight smile gives us a glimpse that under his majestic appearance, he responds to the scene with the ordinary joy of a father and an elder overlooking a warm and lively family gathering.

Now, notice the expressions of other figures in the painting. Do you find them livelier and more three-dimensional compared to traditional portraits? Since the late Ming dynasty, European missionaries had been present in China. Some of them were proficient painters, including the well-known Giuseppe Castiglione. He was commissioned by the Kangxi Emperor to become a court painter, and he created works of great historical value by blending Chinese and Western painting techniques. The painting in front of you is one of them. It is thought that the figures were drawn by Western court painters using their traditional “realistic” techniques to faithfully capture facial features and expressions. But since Chinese people in that era disliked painting faces with heavy, opaque colours, the Western court painters only applied subtle shadows and highlights to make the figures look livelier. The surrounding pavilion and landscapes were painted by other court painters using a Chinese traditional ink technique. These works are a testimony to an aesthetic exchange between Eastern and Western artists more than three centuries ago.

8005. “Begging for deftness in the seventh lunar month” from Yinzhen’s Activities of the Twelve Months

“Yongzheng’s Activities of the Twelve Months” is a set of twelve hanging scrolls that illustrate imperial life through architecture, landscapes, seasons, and traditional customs. Scenes like lantern-offering in the first lunar month, boat-racing in the fifth lunar month, rituals for needlework dexterity in the seventh lunar month, and snow-viewing in the twelfth lunar month are portrayed. Since there are no written records, scholars still debate whether the landscapes in these paintings were in fact set in Yuanming yuan. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that these paintings let us peek into imperial life and traditional customs in the garden from centuries ago.

Take a closer look at the scene of the Double Seventh Festival. Do you see the women bent over the bowl on the table? What do you think they are doing? They are observing the Double Seventh Festival, held on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month and also called the Qiqiao Festival or the Girls’ Festival. Since the Han dynasty, this day has been closely associated with the legend of the cowherd and the weaver girl who meet once a year on the celestial Magpie Bridge. In ancient times, needlework was an essential skill for women, giving rise to the custom of “qiqiao”—threading a needle under moonlight to pray for a pair of skillful hands. But by the Ming and Qing dynasties, the needle-threading prayer under moonlight had evolved into a needle-placing test in daytime. The ladies are testing their skill by placing needles on the surface of a bowl of water.

8006. Boating on the West Lake on a Clear Day

This section showcases three sets of landscapes in the imperial garden that were modelled after scenic spots in Jiangnan, in southern China. On your right is the Ten Views of West Lake in Hangzhou. On your left are the Garden for Ease of Mind in Wuxi and the Lion Grove Garden in Suzhou.

The Kangxi Emperor and the Qianlong Emperor were the only two emperors of the Qing dynasty who made as many as six trips each to the Jiangnan region. The Qianlong Emperor typically began his southern tour in the first lunar month, travelling by both water and land. Around the end of the fourth lunar month or the beginning of the fifth one, he would return by the same route. Most of the time, Hangzhou marked the end of the journey, and the West Lake, renowned for its beauty, was an essential stop.

But was the imitation of the Ten Views of West Lake built in Yuanming yuan only after Qianlong’s southern tours? Not necessarily. The Calm Lake under the Autumn Moon, the first scenic spot in Yuanming yuan named after the Ten Views of West Lake, was built in 1729 during the Yongzheng period; the other nine spots were named by the Qianlong Emperor. According to scholarly research, some spots directly replicated features of the actual scenery of West Lake, like “Lingering Snow on a Broken Bridge”, while others only evoked the atmosphere, to create an impression of the Lake. It is only by comparing different artefacts—the emperors’ poems, inscriptions on plaques, court writings and paintings, porcelains—that we can comprehend the ways in which the Jiangnan landscapes captivated the emperors and see how they were integrated into Yuanming yuan.

8007. Lion Grove Garden

In the middle of the water in the Lion Grove Garden in the Garden of Eternal Spring stood a pavilion. To the south of the pavilion were steps that went deep into the water, so the emperor could get directly on shore when arriving by boat. The Qianlong Emperor named this pavilion the Rippling Moon Pavilion. On both its right-hand and left-hand sides were waterside pavilions with verandas that were connected to the main hall on the north. This shows that the western section of the Lion Grove Garden had architecture as the main visual focus, which was very different from the scenic complex built later in the eastern section. The western section was built in 1747 during the Qianlong period, the Qianlong Emperor had not yet begun his southern tours, so this architecture complex in the western section was not designed based on the Lion Grove Garden in Suzhou.

In contrast, the scenic complex in the eastern section was greatly inspired by the Ni Zan’s painting titled “Lion Grove Garden”. The scale of the architecture was reduced, and the visual focus shifted to mountain landscapes. These were made mainly of large, porous limestone rocks known as Taihu Rocks or scholars’ rocks; on top of these, pavilions and towers were built. The scene blended the grandeur of an imperial garden with the elegance of Suzhou landscapes. The Qianlong Emperor stored his collection of Ni Zan’s paintings and other works – including the Engravings of the European-style palaces – in the Elegant Collection Pavilion in this eastern section, and he replicated the Lion Grove Garden again in the Mountain Estate for Escaping the Heat in Chengde. These actions prove how much he valued and appreciated these paintings and landscapes.

By reproducing the Jiangnan landscapes in the outskirts of Beijing, and giving the scenic complexes names with historical references, the Qing emperors bestowed upon the Yuanming yuan an important role in cultural inheritance, development, and regeneration.

8008. The Yongzheng Emperor enjoying flowers in the Peony Terrace

In this section of the exhibition, you will not only see the seals that demonstrate the close relationship between the construction of the Yuanming yuan and three generations of emperors – Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong – but also a hanging scroll that depicts the Yongzheng Emperor enjoying the view of flowers in the Peony Terrace. Under the tall magnolia tree, the Yongzheng Emperor, who wears a dark reddish-brown robe and a yellow waistband, sits cross-legged on a mattress with a reshi mushroom in his hand. He is surrounded by blooming peonies and members of entourage, in plain clothes, scattered among the flowering shrubs. In front and to the right of him is a young boy in a mustard-yellow robe sitting cross-legged on a mattress. It is thought that this is Youngzheng’s fourth son, Hongli, who later became the Qianlong Emperor.

The peonies in the painting exemplify the beauty of spring on the third lunar month in the Beijing suburbs. It was also the third lunar month when a famous meeting of three generations of emperors took place, as together they appreciated the fragrant blossoms at the Peony Terrace. According to historical records, the Kangxi Emperor first met his grandson Hongli at the Peony Terrace together with his son Yinzhen (later the Yongzheng Emperor). The emperor was fond of Hongli and decided to raise him in the imperial palace. This painting may have been created not only because the Yongzheng Emperor wished to commemorate his father, but also because it functioned as a statement that his appointment of Hongli as heir was legitimate and based on his father’s wishes. After Hongli ascended the throne and became the Qianlong Emperor, he named one of the structures in this area the “Hall of Commemorating Grace” to honour his grandfather. He also wrote many poems about the fateful gathering at the Peony Terrace, including phrases like “Living up to the grace of the imperial grandfather” to express his gratitude.

This painting, then, accomplishes several things at once. It supports a tale of imperial succession, celebrates the beauty of spring, and allows us a glimpse of family happiness.

8009. Consort of the Qianlong Emperor and Yongyan

In one of the earliest built areas of Yuanming yuan, called “A Painting of Natural Scenery”, stood the Hall of the Five Blessings. Many members of the imperial family spent their childhoods here. The Kangxi Emperor bestowed the name when the Yongzheng Emperor had not yet ascended the throne, to symbolise the desirability of longevity, well-being, and morality. In 1784, the Qianlong Emperor joyfully welcomed a great-great-grandson. To celebrate the felicity of having five generations in the family, he extended the name to the “Hall of the Five Blessings and Five Generations”. This title was made into plaques and put up not only in Yuanming yuan, but also in the Forbidden City and the Mountain Estate for Escaping the Heat, so great was the Qianlong Emperor’s delight in family happiness.

The Qianlong Emperor's fifteenth son, Yongyan, who later became the Jiaqing Emperor, was born in an area of Yuanming yuan called Heaven and Earth United in Spring. Later, he lived in A Painting of Natural Scenery, which was previously known as the Bamboo Garden. Look at the painting in front of you. The young Yongyan and his adoptive mother, Consort Qing, stand at the window of a pavilion. Behind them is another window through which you can see bamboos, peonies, and ornamental rocks that resemble the landscape of A Painting of Natural Scenery. It is very possible that this painting depicts a scene from the Jiaqing Emperor’s childhood in the Hall of the Five Blessings. After Yongyan ascended the throne, he expanded the Garden of Gorgeous Spring. By 1814, the garden had more than twenty named landscape scenes and over 100 architectural structures hung with plaques. When the expansion was finally completed, this garden and two others—the Garden of Perfect Brightness and the Garden of Eternal Spring—finally became a single entity after more than a century of construction, under the name of Yuanming yuan.

8010. Autumn Courtyard Overflowing with Happiness

Take a close look at the figures in the painting. This is a scene of the Daoguang Emperor and his children, including the future Xianfeng Emperor, enjoying family time in the imperial garden.

In the Qing dynasty, the Manchu emperors did not strictly follow the Han tradition of designating the eldest son as the heir. In the early Qing period, heirs were decided through consensus among various parties. Perhaps because he experienced competitions among princes, the Yongzheng Emperor established a system that required heirs to be designated in secret. An order with the name of the heir would be stored in a brocade box and placed behind the plaque in the Palace of Heavenly Purity in the Forbidden City that read “Rectitude and Honour”. Only when the emperor passed away would the box be opened publicly in the presence of imperial family members and high-ranking officials.

Two months before the birth of the fourth prince, Yizhu, the future Xianfeng Emperor, the eldest prince died of illness. The second and third princes also died at a young age, making Yizhu the eldest surviving prince. Yizhu’s mother passed away when he was ten, and he was raised by the mother of the sixth prince, Yixin, who was one year younger than him. In the painting in front of us, we see Yizhu and Yixin together by the Daoguang Emperor's side since they were of similar age. As time went by, the brothers became rivals for the throne. According to folklore, the Daoguang Emperor in his later years was still unsure who to choose as heir, but in the end, Yizhu’s benevolent and filial conduct won over the emperor.

But his reign was to be a troubled one. In 1860, before allied British-French forces entered Beijing, the Xianfeng Emperor fled south to the Mountain Estate for Escaping the Heat. After the Anglo-French Alliance troops entered Yuanming yuan, the last emperor born in the garden could never return to this magnificent place that his ancestors spent over a century building. Now, we can only infer his idyllic childhood with a loving father and sibling companion through these artefacts in front of us.