the summer palace can be divided into two parts: longevity hill and kunming lake. the whole garden covers an area of 290 hectares, of which three- fourths consists of a lake and rivers. this imperial garden features 3,000 room-units and covers an expanse of 70,000 square meters with more than 100 picturesque spots of interest. the layout of the summer palace includes three groups of architectures: palaces where the emperor attended to state affairs, resting palaces of the emperor and empress, and sightseeing areas. entering the east gate we will come the office quarters. entering the east gate we will come to the office quarters. the annex halls on both sides were used for officials on duty.
this is the gate of benevolence and longevity. above the door there is a plaque bearing the same name in both chinese and manchurian characters. the gigantic rock in the foreground is known as taihu rock, or eroded limestone, quarried in jiangsu province and placed here to decorated the garden.
on the marble terrace sits a bronze mythical beast, known as qilin or xuanni. it was said to the one of the nine sons of dragon king. a point of peculiar interest is that it has the head of a dragon, antlers of a deer, the tail of a lion and hooves of an ox, and is covered with a unique skin. it was considered an auspicious creature that brought peace and prosperity.
this grand hall is the hall of benevolence and longevity. it was built in 1750, and was known as the hall of industrious government. emperor qianlong ruled that the halls where monarchs attended to state affairs would be named after them. after the rebuilding of the summer palace, the hall was renamed, suggesting that benevolent rulers would enjoy long lives.
the arrangement of the hall has been left untouched. in the middle of the hall stands a throne made of sandalwood and carved with beautiful designs. in the background there is a screen carved with nine frolicking dragons. on either side of the throne there are two big fans made of peacock feathers, two column-shaped incense burners, crane-shaped lanterns and an incense burner assuming the form of luduan, a mythological animal which was suppose to have the power to prevent fire. the small chambers on eight side were where the emperor qianlong and empress dowager cixi rested and met officials on formal occasions.
on the verandah in the foreground of the hall there are bronze statues of dragon and phoenixes which served as incense burners on major occasions. they are hollow and smoke comes through holes on their backs. also on the veranda are tai ping (peace) bronze water vats made during the reign of emperor qianlong. as a precaution in case of fire, a fire was lit underneath the vats in the winter to keep the water in them from freezing.