Page 24 - The Garden of Perfect Brightness l: The Yuanmingyuan as Imperial Paradise (1700–1860)

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To the north of the Main Audience Hall was the central complex of the
Yuanmingyuan—designated by the Yongzheng emperor as the “Nine Continents
Clear and Calm” because it consisted of nine islands surrounding the Back Lake
or Houhai. This is where the emperor and his immediate family lived and took
pleasure in the scenery. The various islands were connected by bridges. Each one
was represented in the 40 Scenes (numbered 3 to 11). This third scene shows the
emperor’s own residential quarters, and those of the imperial ladies. This island

faced south to the Front Lake and back toward the Back Lake. It was densely
covered with a series of one-story buildings, characteristic of northern style
architecture; typically buildings were aligned along a north-south axis, with a
central courtyard that was surrounded on four sides with other buildings. The
various buildings were connected by walkways, usually covered. Privacy and

intimacy were assured, and yet the private chambers were adjoined.

All the buildings were of secondary importance to the overall design of the
gardens. What was valued was the natural but planned setting. Unlike Versailles
or St Petersburg, the Yuanmingyuan was not dominated by a single grand palace,
but a series of gardens into which the buildings were placed. When the emperors
ordered or helped design a new section of the gardens, they imagined a perfect
or exquisite view. The trees, shrubs, flowers, rocks, and ponds were all carefully

juxtaposed.

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