The Great Wall, majestic and sublime, was an ancient defense project rarely seen in the history of architecture of the human race. It is an emblem of the Chinese people, and crystallization of the labor and intelligence of our ancestors. Its construction was started in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C. in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Period of the Warring States. When the Qin Dynasty was founded in 221 B.C. the First Emperor of Qin Began building the Great Wall on a large scale, and a gigantic structure with a length of over 5,000km was formed, lasting, from Lin Tao of the Gansu Province in the west, to the eastern Liaoning Province in the east. The Great Wall as that is well preserved today was repaired and rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty, it lasts from the Jiayu Pass in the west the Yalyu-jiang (Amnok-gang) River in the east, with a total length of 6,350km. The Great Wall, renowned for its remote historical origin, monumental scale of engineering, and majestic impressiveness is praised as one of the Wonders of the world, as are the pyramids of Egypt, the Taiji Mahal Mausoleum of India, and the Hagia. Sophia Cathedral of Istanbul and other historic sites.
The Ba-da-ling, Mu-Tian-yu and Si-ma-tai segments of the Great Wall which lie the Beijing District were all built during the Ming Dynasty. Their rising and falling on the peaks and valleys form a picture of power and grandeur. With fully embodiment of its style and features, they are model samples and emblems of the Great Wall. All those who come to Beijing feel happy to have a look at these sights. "He who has not been on the Great Wall is not a true man" has become the brave and inspiring words of travelers both domestic and abroad.
The Summer Palace is situated in the northwest suburbs of Beijing, about 10km from Xizhi Men, which is close to the northwest corner of the demolished old city wall. It is the imperial reserve where the emperors of the Qing dynasty took as temporary office to deal with their administrative affairs, to escape the heat in summer, to play and entertain themselves with performances, and to appreciate landscape and flowers. It is also an imperial garden on a grand scale. The first construction work began in 1750, the 15th year of Qianlong's reign, and the garden complex was named Qing Yi Yuan, or Clear Ripples Garden. It suffered serious damage in 1860, when British and French troops invaded Peking. It was restored in 1886-88 and renamed Yihe Yuan in 1888 after completion. The Summer Palace is 2.90 million sq.m in area and consists mainly of Wan Shou Shan (10,000-year Longevity Mountain) and Kunming Lake. It took full advantage of the natural landscape of hills and lakes, adopted sophisticated handicraft and absorbed the essences of all the past achievements in the art of Chinese Gardening, being itself an artistic masterpiece of classical gardening in China. In the Palace there are several hundreds of structures in the form of the hall, chamber, lounge, house; pavilion, terrace, tower, theater, corridor, bridge, boat from and pagoda. Among them, pieces of exquisite architecture such as the Long Corridor, the Marble Boat, the Buddha's Fragrance Pavilion, the Precious Cloud Pavilion, the Langru pavilion, the Grand Opera Stage, the Seventeen-Arch Bridge and the Jade Band Bridge are all treasures in the world architectural cultural art. The Summer Palace is a most perfectly preserved imperial garden complex that is rich both in design of landscape patterns and in diversity of architectural has been included in the list of "World Cultural and Natural Heritage" by UNESCO in 1998. |
