The beginning of summer has passed, and the sun is warm. Outside the southwest wall of Yuanmingyuan, the fan lake is sparkling, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds. According to the Haidian District Landscaping Bureau, the greening project in the one mu garden demolition area between the Yuanmingyuan garden wall and the Summer Palace Road was officially completed and opened to the public recently, and the Fanmian Lake and the one mu garden "returned" to the Yuanmingyuan.
Reproducing the Scenery of Fan Lake and Qu Stream
Walk along Wanquan River and pass the Fourth Ring Road. The Summer Palace Road is not far away from the auxiliary road. At the crossroads, the northeast corner is verdant. On a huge stone, three gilt characters of Fanmian Lake are engraved on it.
The Fanmian Lake behind the boulder is not very deep. The rocks on the bank are stacked in twists and turns. The lake is surrounded by green grass and peach trees. At the southwest corner of Fanmian Lake, a bend of canal runs northward, with red and green hydrangea on the bank. Going northward along the Grand Royal Road, the terrain is undulating. Climbing up the steps to a small hill, it is a "one mu platform", on which three mountains can be seen from the west. The Foxiangge, Yuquan Tower and Xianglu Peak are clearly visible. Below the stage are the sparkling waves of Fanmian Lake, the green grass of one mu garden and the red walls and grey tiles of Niangniang Temple.
"This area mainly consists of three parts in the Qing Dynasty, namely, Yimu Garden, Fanmian Lake and Niangniang Temple, of which Fanmian Lake has the greatest influence. It was excavated in the 28th year of Qianlong's reign (1763), and was originally called 'Qianhu'. It was named after the imperial road passing through the lake, which looks like a palace fan. The Old Summer Palace was destroyed here and became a rice field. After being buried in 2000, a farmer's market was built." Xia Chenggang, the chief designer of the greening project in the demolition area of Yimu Garden, introduced that in the process of reconstruction, they used the muck excavated from the lake to pile up the terrain in situ, forming a winding hilly shape, and designed a "Yimu Terrace" to provide visitors with a faraway view to punch in.
Xia Chenggang introduced that the total green area of the greening project in the demolition area of the one mu garden has reached 186200 square meters, the park has dug 32000 square meters of lake surface and 720 meters of canals, rebuilt the Kunlun Stone, restored the stone bridge, preserved the main body of the Niangniang Temple and all ancient and big trees, and taken protective measures. At the same time, in order to meet the needs of citizens for leisure and sightseeing, 560 meters of water friendly footpaths and 2800 square meters of water friendly squares are set up. The project reconstructs the water system cycle of Yuanmingyuan Fanmian Lake Wanquanhe Yuanmingyuan, restores the water surface and canal of the Fanmian Lake in history, and realizes the connection with the water system in Yuanmingyuan. The scenery of "Fan Lake, Qu River, Colorful Forest and Flower Sea, West Mountain into Painting" reappears.
Identify historical memory point
Wandering along the lake, there are signs everywhere. Reading carefully is the message of history.
Xia Chenggang introduced that the greening project in the demolition area of Yimu Garden is located in front of the Grand Palace of Yuanmingyuan in three mountains and five gardens. During the construction process, great attention was paid to the excavation and display of history and culture. For example, the imperial road culture, the park has restored the traditional style and pattern of three types of imperial roads, namely, the Grand Imperial Road, the Imperial Road in front of the Grand Palace Gate, and the Imperial Road connecting the Grand Imperial Road to the Old Summer Palace, and partially reproduced the key road sections.
"The Grand Royal Road, also known as the Chariot Road, runs through the park from north to south from Xizhimen to Xiangshan Jingyi Garden. During the construction process, historical documents, old photos and style thunder drawings were referred to. It was paved with large stones, and there were historical photos of the Grand Royal Road on the signboard at the scene. The Grand Royal Road in front of the Grand Palace Gate, with willows planted on both sides, reproduced the scene of planting trees by the Grand Royal Road. Here you can read the history of planting trees by the Emperor Yongzheng. 9297 willows were planted from Xizhimen to Changchun Garden. " Xia Chenggang introduced that they purposely marked the historical memory points and presented the poems of predecessors who chanted Fanzi River, Fanmian Lake, etc., so that people can read them everywhere in the park.
Exploring a new way to protect and utilize cultural relics
To the north along the Grand Royal Road, there is a mu garden area. Along the road, there are a sea of flowers. The fragrant snowballs are blooming, the purple white flowers are crowded, the needle leaf sky blue hydrangea is like a pink carpet, and the golden pheasant chrysanthemum is ready to bloom, adding another golden sea of flowers.
Xia Chenggang introduced that the legend of Yimu Garden is the place where Emperor Yongzheng performed farming, but there is no basis. According to Qianlong's "Eighteen Ten Years Longevity Ceremony" and other materials, there are many low buildings in this area, which are affiliated courtyards in front of the Grand Palace Gate. After the Yuanmingyuan was burned down, the area gradually became a residential area.
How to balance the protection and utilization of cultural relics? A new path has been explored for the greening project in the demolition area of Yimu Garden.
When the project was launched in August 2022, the construction goal approved by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage was "simple greening, mainly with Shulang grassland and ground cover plants, leaving room for the subsequent construction of the Grand Palace Gate of the Old Summer Palace."
"In 2023, we carried out two cultural relics surveys, found a small number of intermittent building sites underground, filed the drawing coordinates, and then covered the site with soil for protection." The relevant person in charge of the Haidian District Landscaping Bureau introduced that this area, based on the principle of minimum intervention, retained existing old trees, and planted perennial flowers in other areas to create a flower sea landscape of 47000 square meters, It not only protects cultural relics, but also enriches visitors' garden experience, realizes the excavation, restoration and utilization of historical and cultural resources nodes, and continues the historical memory of the integration of garden and city. (Sun Ying)
