A 260-year-old imperial garden, once the favorite of Emperor
Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and ruined by a raging
fire some 80 years ago, has been restored through a five-year
restoration effort.
This is the first restoration project within the Forbidden City,
the palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), since the
end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.
The restoration of the Garden of the Palace of Established
Happiness was funded by the Hong Kong-based China Heritage Fund at
a cost of nearly 100 million yuan (about US$12.5 million).
The restoration was based on historical records, and traditional
Chinese technologies were used, said Happy Harun, a deputy of the
China Heritage Fund.
"No cement or steel bars were used in restoring the buildings in
the garden," said Harun, "we rebuilt the garden just how Emperor
Qianlong built it originally."
The garden was first built in 1740 in the northwestern part of
the Forbidden City. The Emperor Qianlong housed his cherished
antiques in the beautiful garden. But the garden and the numerous
antiques were wrecked by a fire in 1923.
Emperor Puyi, or the last emperor of Qing Dynasty, who was still
living in the Forbidden City at that time, suspected that the fire
was started by the eunuchs who stole lots of antiques from the
garden and wanted to destroy the evidence.
Li Yongge, head of the Ancient Building Repair Center of the
Palace Museum, said that experts have collected a large amount of
historical evidence for the restoration of the garden.
Old pictures and paintings of the Qing Dynasty featuring the
garden, as well as aerial photos, were found in France and Taiwan
by the China Heritage Fund, which offered reliable basis for the
restoration, said Li.
Experts also consulted the unique techniques used to restore a
similar garden in the northeast part of the Forbidden City, built
in 1771.
The restored garden will be used for academic activities and
small exhibitions and reception of important guests, but it will
not be open to ordinary tourists, according to officials of the
Palace Museum.
(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2006)
