Page:Peking the Beautiful.pdf/52

 A Thousand-Colonnade Walk

NDOUBTEDLY the most fascinating spot in all Peking is the lovely Yi Ho Yuan, or "Garden of Peaceful Enjoyment." Formerly known as Un the Wan Shou Shan, it was renamed thus by Her Imperial Majesty, a Tzū Hsi, who rebuilt and beautified it during the later years of her long regency. The Empress Dowager was an artist to her verg finger-tips; and in this quiet spot by the lakeside, where nature so kindly lends itself to art, she gave full expression to her innate sense of the beautiful In all Chinese art three things predominate. They are always there-mountains, trees, and water. Without these three no picture is complete. Thus, in the forest-covered Dan Shou Shan, or "Mountain of Ten Thousand Ages," with the sparkling waters of the K'un Ming Lake playing at its feet, the artist soul of the great Empress found a hapen of rest from the duties and cares of state. Here she could lavish untold millions without regret in an effort to adom and make it still more beautiful The Imperial summer homes overlooking the water "are massed in a townlike group at the northern end of the lake One, double-storied," belonging to the emperor, "Jaces a vied across the lagoon that even a sovereign was lucky to command. "The Empress Dowager's quarters, further on, also give directly onto the lake with special landing stages whose balustrades are curled into sea foam, and coiled into dragons. These apartments, like all Chinese palaces, consist of a series of verandahed pavilions connected by open corridors built around spacious courts." In the summer time these courtyards, brilliant with flowering shrubs and trees, laden with sweet perfume, were roofed over with "honey colored matiings, thus transforming them into cooloutdoor living rooms like Spanish patios." From the Empress Dowager's quarters there extends a gorgeous covered walk, decorated with hundreds of pictures showing various scenes within the Summer Palace grounds. This colorful promenade, mounted on its terrace of chiseled stone, follows the Marble balustrade the full length of the northern end of the lake. Dinding past lovely pavilions and graceful marble bridges: fronted by dazzling pailous and artistic marble landing-places, this cool inviting walk terminates at the famous "marble boat." From end to end this picturesque structure is bordered by majestic cypress trees and inlaid paths of stone Our plate shows a ting section of this gorgeously decorated promenade, the long line of which is broken at frequent intervals by graceful pavilions. These not only served to break the monotony of the lakeside scene, but also afforded frequent resting places where Her Majesty might stop and refresh herself with a sip of tea, with naught to break the evening stillness save the lapping of silver-capped waves ont marble shores. See paqes 20, 88, 58, 88, 80, 90, 94, 104, 116, 118, and 130.]