专题 25 中国文化读写专项：颐和园+故宫- 2024年高考英语常考中国文化读写专练+素材积累

Lesson 3. Summer Palace颐和园 The Summer Palace in Beijing – first built in 1750, largely destroyed in the war of 1860 and restored on its original foundations in 1886 – is a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious whole effect of outstanding aesthetic value. The imperial Chinese garden, taking the Summer Palace for example, is a symbol of one of the major world civilizations. The Summer Palace is a perfect example of the philosophy and practice of Chinese garden design, which played a key role in the development of this cultural form throughout the east. Between 1750 and 1764 the Qing Emperor Qianlong created the Garden of Clear Ripples (Summer Palace), extending the area of the lake and carrying out other improvements based on the hill and its landscape. During the Second Opium War (1856-60) the garden and its buildings were destroyed by the allied forces. Between 1886 and 1895 it was reconstructed by Emperor Guangxu and renamed the Summer Palace, for use by Empress Dowager Cixi. It was damaged in 1900 by the international expeditionary force during the suppression of the Boxer Rising and restored two years later. It became a public park in 1924. The Summer Palace covers an area of 2.97 km2, three-quarters of which is covered by water. The main framework is supplied by the Hill of Longevity and Kunming Lake, complemented by man-made features. It is designed on a large scale with its role as an imperial garden. It is divided into three areas, each with its particular function: political and administrative activities, residence, and recreation and sightseeing. The political area is reach by means of the monumental East Palace Gate. The central feature is the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, an impressing structure with its own courtyard garden. This area connects directly with the residential area, w