【文章內(nèi)容簡介】 nd penetration in characters.
The bronze mythical animal behind the Taihu Rock is known as Suanni or some people call it Qilin. According to ancient Chinese
mythology, the dragon had nine sons, but none of them became a real dragon. Suanni was one of the nine sons of the dragon. It was an auspicious animal that could avoid evil spirits in ancient lengeds. Suanni has the head of dragon, the antlers of dear, the hooves of ox and the tail of lion.
(In front of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity)
This grand hall is the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. It was first built in 1750. The name of this hall taken from a book
entitled ?Lun Yu? by Confucius doctrine means, “ those who are benevolent can enjoy a long life.” This hall was the place where
Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi held audience and handled state affairs when they were in the Summer Palace. For protecting the historical cultural relic, we couldn?t enter the hall. So I
would like to briefly introduce you the decorations in the Hall of
Benevolence and Longevity. The arrangement of the hall has been left untouched. In the middle of the hall stands an emperor?s throne carved with nine dragons on design. There are two big fans on both sides behind the throne which are made of peacock feathers. Behind the throne there is a big screen with red sandalwood frame
and glass mirror inlaid. On the mirror there are 226 Chinese
characters of the word ?Longevity? written in different styles.
There are two scrolls on each side of the wall with a big Chinese character ?Longevity? written on it. It was said that the word
?Longevity? written by Empress Dowager Cixi. There are 100 bats painted at the background of the scroll symbolizing happiness. Well, please look up the two pairs of incense burners in the shape of a dragon and a phoenix in front of the hall. They were used to burn incense sticks to create the appropriate atmosphere. In the old days, the dragon and phoenix were the symbol of the emperor and empress. According to ritual, the dragons should be placed in the center while phoenixes were to either side in front of the hall. However, here, the dragons are off to the sides and the phoenixes are in the middle. This was a product of the end of Qing Dynasty when Empress Dowager Cixi handled state affairs behind the screen. (At the entrance of Garden of virtuour Harmony)
We are now visiting the Garden of Virtuous Harmony, where Emperor Qianlong and Empress Dowager Cixi were entertained with Bejing Opera performances. It mainly consists of the Dressing House, the Grand Theater Building and the Hall of Pleasure Smile. The Grand Theater Building was known as the ?Cradle of Beijing Opera? was uniquely laid out and magnificently decorated. There are 7 exhibition halls with articles of daily use on display here.
(In front of the Grand Theater Building)
This is the Grand Theater Building. Of the three main theater
buildings of the Qing Dynasty, the Grand Theater Building is the tallest and largest one. The other two are Changyin Pavilion in the Forbidden City and Qingyin Pavilion in the Mountain Resort in
Chengde. The Grand Theater Building, a threestoried structure, has a double roof with upturned eaves. It is 21 meters high and 17
meters wide. Performances could be staged simultaneously on three levels. The top one was a symbol of happiness, the middle level was emolument level and the bottom stage was named longevity stage. Each level has the entrance and the exit. There are some trapdoors in the ceiling and below the floor for ?celestial being? to fly down from the sky and the ?devils? to appear from the earth to set off a
certain atmosphere on the stage. There is also a well and five ponds built under the stage for a good effect of water scenes. The stage is open to three s