颐和园的英文导游词

发布时间：2015-08-28 09:08:26 来源：文档文库

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颐和园的英文导游词

　

The Summer Palace

Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen:

My name is Joanne. I’m very honored to be youre guide. I do hope all

of you could like my guiding and enjoy everything on your pleasant

day. This morning we are going to visit the Summer Palace.

The Summer Palace is located on the northwest suburbs of Beijing,

about 20 kilometers away from the center of the city. So it will

take us about 1 hour to get there. Before we arrived at the Summer

Palace, I would like to introduce you a brief introduction of the

woderful imperial garden. The Summer Palace is the most beautiful

and the largest imperial garden existing in Chinan, and it is the

best-preserved imperial garden in the world. In 1998, it was placed

on the List of World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO.

The Summer Palace was first built as an imperial garden at the

beginning of 12th century in the Jin Dynasty. The construction

continued to the Yuan and Ming dynasties. In the Qing Dynasty, the

building of imperial gardens reached its culmination. During Emperor

Qianlong’s reign, the famous ‘Three Hills and Five Gardens’ were

built on the northwest suburbs of Beijing. The Summer Palace was a

part of it and at that time was called the Garden of Clear Ripples.

In 1860, the Anglo-French Allied Forces invaded Beijing. The ‘Three

Hills and Five Gardens’ were burnt down to ashes.

In 1888, the Empress Dowager Cixi spent the navy fund having the

Garden of Clear Ripples rebuilt. And then she renamed it the Garden

of Nurtured Harmony (Summer Palace).

In 1900, the Allied Forces of Eight Powers invaded Beijing. The

Summer Palace was once again severely damaged. It was rebuilt again

in 1902.

In 1924, the Last Emperor Puyi was driven out of the palace, after

that, the Summer Palace was turned into a public park.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please look over there, in front of us is an

archway. It is called “Emptiness and the collection of excellence”,

and it is the first scenery of the Summer Palace. The two Chinese

words on the front side of the archway mean emptiness and refer to

everything in nature and in the scenery. The two words on the back

side mean Collection of Excellence and refer to the tranquility of

the beautiful scenery just within the garden.

(outside the East Palace Gate)

Now, we have arrived at the East Palace Gate. It’s the main entrance

of the Summer Palace. On top of the gate there is a plaque with

three Chinese characters ‘The Summer Palace’ in Emperor Guangxu’s

handwriting. The gate that we are now entering was used by the

emperor, the empress only in the old days.

(Inside the East Palace Gate)

Now we are inside the Summer Palace. In front of us is the second

gate of the Summer Palace— the Gate of Benevolence and Longevity.

The annex halls on both sides were used for officials on duty and

the offices of the Privy Council. Well, Before we start our tour in

the garden, I will briefly introduce you the layout of the Summer

Palace and our tour route. O.K., ladies and gentlemen, may I have

your attention please? Let’s look at the map together, From it we

can see the Summer Palace covers an area of 290 hectares, which the

lake occupies the three-fourths. The whole garden can be divide into

three parts: the area was for political activities, resting places

of the emperor and empress, and sightseeing areas. Our tour will

start from the area of the political activities, and end off the

Marble Boat. On the way, we will visit the main constructions of the

Summer Palace, such as the Hall of Jade Ripples, the Hall of

Happiness and Longevity, the Long Corridor, the Hall of Dispelling

Clouds and so on. It will take us about two hours to visit the

Summer Palace. Please attention, we won’t walk back and our driver

will pick us up at the North Gate. Should you get lost or separated

from the group, please meet us at the North Gate.

Ok, everyone, let’s start our tour from the emperors’ office --- the

Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. Follow me please.

(Inside the courtyard of the Benevolence and Longevity)

Passing through the Gate of Benevolence and Longevity, we have

already entered the courtyard of the Hall of Benevolence and

Longevity. The huge rock in front of us is Taihu Rock. It was

quarried from Taihu Lake in Jiangsu Province, so it was known as

Taihu Rock. Please look around the courtyard and you can see there

are four grotesque shaped rocks placed in each corner of this

courtyard, representing the four seasons of the year. The Taihu

Rocks are usually used as decoration for beautifying gardens and

they are thin, crease, leak and 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 three-storied 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 sides.

Well, please look at the construction that stands right opposite the

Grand Theater Building, it’s the Hall of Pleasure Smile. The Empress

Dowager Cixi used bo sit inside the hall to watch and enjoy the

Peking Opera.

(A lakeside walk from the Garden of virtuous Harmony to the Hall of

Jade Ripples)

We are now standing in the middle of a rockery behind the Hall of

Benevolence and Longevity. It appears that there’s nothing special

ahead. However, after we clear the rockery, we will reach Kunming

Lake. This is an application of a specific style of Chinese

gardening.

Now, we are walking along the bank of the Kunming Lake. Look over

there, not far away in the lake there is an islet. It’s called the

Spring Heralding Islet. The pavilion on the islet is called the

Spring Heralding Pavilion. A number of willow trees and peach trees

were planted on this islet. In early spring, when the ice begins to

melt, peach trees are red in pink blossoms, willow trees turn a

tender green signaling that the early spring has returned. Hence the

name ‘Heralding Sping Pavilion’.

(In front of the Hall of Jade Ripples)

This group of special and quiet courtyard dwellings is the Hall of

Jade Ripples. The words “Jade Ripples” came from a verse “Gentle

ripples gushing out of Jade Spring”, which refers to the rippling

water in the lake. It was first used by Emperor Qianlong to attend

to state affairs. In the late Qing Dynasty, it was where Emperor

Guangxu was put under house arrest.

This hall is a hallmark of the Movement of 1898. Emperor Guangxu was

Emperor Dowager Cixi’s nephew. After Emperor Tongzhi died, Emperor

Dowager Cixi made her nephew, who was at that time four years old a

successor in order to continue her hold on imperial power. She

‘handled state affairs behind the screen’. After Emperor Guangxu

‘managed state affairs personally’ at the age of 19, a political

conflict occurred between the conservatives and the reformers. In

1898, the Reform Movement took place with the aim of sustaining the

core principles of the Qing Dynasty while reforming outdated laws.

The movement lasted for103 days until it was suppressed by Empress

Dowager Cixi. It was called the ‘Hundred-Day Reform’. After the

reform failed, Emperor Guangxu was put under house arrest here. For

the strict control of him, Empress Dowager Cixi ordered to build

many brick walls in the front, back, and on the right and left of

the Hall of Jade Ripples. At that time the hall was entirely sealed

up, just like a prison. Today only the hidden walls in the east and

west annex room still maintain its original appearance. It is open

to visitors as the relic related to the 1898 Reform Movement.

(In front of the Chamber of Collecting Books)

This is the Chamber of Collecting Books. In Chinese, it’s called “Yi

Yun Guang”. “Yun” was a kind of fragrant weed. In ancient times, it

was usually used as termite repellent in rooms where books were

stored.In the Emperor Qianlong’s reign, the purpose of the hall was

for collecting books. Later it was converted into a residence. There

used to be the residence of Guangxu’s Empress Longyu, and his

favorite concubine Zhenfei.

(In the Hall of Happiness and Longevity)

This group of courtyard is the Hall of Happiness and Longevity. It

was the major architectural structure in the living quarters and the

residence of Empress Dowager Cixi. The whole compound was basically

made of wood, which is ideal for ventilation and lighting. With its

quiet and tasteful layout, the Hall of Happiness and Longevity made

life very easy and convenient. In front of the Hall of Happiness and

Longevity there is a huge rock placed in the middle of this

courtyard named “Qing Zhi Xiu” and nicknamed as “Family Bankruptcy

Rock”. This huge rock was discovered in Fangshan District by a Ming

official Mi Wanzhong. He wanted to transport it to his own garden

“Shaoyuan”. In the old days, transporting such rock was very

difficult. After spending all his money to ship it, he still could

not succeed in doing this. The big rock was then left on the

roadside somewhere near Liangxiang County, 30 kilometers southwest

of Beijing. Hence it was nicknamed “Family Bancruptcy Rock”. Later

Emperor Qianlong discovered it and transported to the Garden of

Clear Ripples and laid in front of the Hall of Happiness and

Longevity. The colorful glass chandeliers hanging inside the hall

was introduced from Germany in 1903. It is one of the earliest

electric lights in China.

(In front of the Gate of Inviting the Moon of the Long Corridor)

Ladies and Gentlemen, you may have visited some of the best museums

in the world, such as the Louvre in France and the Museum of Great

Britain. Now I will show you a special gallery in the palace—the

Long Corridor. In 1990, the Long Corridor was listed in the Guinness

Book of World Records as ‘the longest painted corridor’ in the

world’. It would be a pity if we leave the Summer Palace without

visiting the Long Corridor and the Marble Boat. Now, here we go, the

Long Corridor first!

(Strolling along the Long Corridor)

The Long Corridor starts from the Gate Inviting the Moon to the

Shizhang Gate. It is 728 meters long and consists of 273 sections.

The Long corridor is one of the major structures of the Summer

Palace. Since the corridor was designed to follow the physical

features of the southern slope of Longevity Hill, four

multiple-eaved, octagonal pavilions ( Retaining the Goodness

Pavilion, Living with the Ripples Pavilion, Autumn Water Pavilion,

Clear and Far Pavilion) were placed at bends and undulation, they

represent four seaons of a year. Thus visitors will hardly notice

the rise and fall of the terrain. As a major part of the

architectural style of the Summer Palace, the Long Corridor serves

as an ingenious connector between the Lake and the Hill. Scattered

buildings on the southern slope were linked to create a unified

complex.

The Long Corridor is the longest covered veranda in any Chinese

garden. On the purlins and beams of the covered veranda, there are

over 14,000 Suzhou style paintings. Among them, there are 546 color

paintings relating to the scenes of West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang

Province. Beside the colorful paintings of natural scenery, there

are also scenes of flowers, birds, fish, insects, mythology and

figures. The paintings of figures are mainly adapted from ancient

Chinese classical literature, such as ‘Pilgrimage to the West’, ‘The

Romance of the Three Kingdoms’, ‘The western Chamber’, “Water

Margin’, and ‘The Dream of the Red Mansion’.

(In front of the Gate of Dispelling Clouds)

Now we are approaching the central part of the structures on the

lakeside slope, the Tower of Buddhist Incense within the Hall of

Dispelling Clouds. The central axis line starts from the wharf next

to the lake to the Sea of Wisdom on top of the Hill. The main

architectural structures here are the Gate of Dispelling Clouds,

Hall of Dispelling clouds, Tower of Buddhist Incense and the Sea of

Wisdom, which altogether form a splendid three-dimensional

landscape. The layout of this group of architectures was based on

scenes described in Buddhist sutras. This group of structures are

among the most magnificently constructed here in the Summer Palace.

This is a good place to taking photos, we will stay here for about

15 minutes.

Now we are walking continuely along the Long Corridor, the next

scene we are going to visit is Marble Boat.

Look over there! Halfway up the slope there stands the Hall of

Listening to Orioles. It was the place for emperor and empress to

enjoy opera and court music. It is said the singing of orioles is

very pleasing. Before the Garden of Virtuous Harmony was built,

Empress Dowager Cixi enjoyed opera and music here. Now the hall is

one of the most famous restaurants in China, featuring imperial

dishes and desserts.

This is the famous Marble Boat. A famous scientist of China’s

Eastern Han Dynasty once said, “Water can float the boat, but it can

also tip it over.” A prime minister of Tang Dynasty Wei Zheng once

used these words to persuade Li Shimin, the emperor of the Tang

Dynasty. He said people are water and the emperor is the boat.

People can support a good emperor. However, they also can overthrow

the dynasty. Emperor Qianlong built this huge boat in the Garden in

order to make the allusion concrete. On one hand, Emperor Qianlong

encouraged himself to run the country well. On the other hand, he

wanted to show that his rule of the Qing Dynasty was as firm as the

Marble Boat and there was no fear of overturning the boat. The

Marble Boat was the place for Emperor Qianlong to sample tea and

enjoy the scenery of Kunming Lake. Emperor Qianlong once came here

to engage in the freeing of captive animals. In the times of

Qianlong, the Marble Boat was a Chinese styled stone boat with a

Chinese style wooden superstructure on the top of it. When it was

rebuilt in the times of Guangxu, a foreign and Chinese elements

mixed resulting in two wheels to be added to the boat, one on each

side. The floor was paved with colored bricks. All of the windows

were inlaid with multiple-colored glass. A big mirror was installed

on the superstructure for viewing rain.

Our tour is drawing to a close after we visited the Marble Boat.

Today we only visited the major scenic spots of the Summer Palace. I

have left other spots of interest for your next visit.

I will now show you out through the Ruyi Gate. Our coach is waiting

for us outside the gate. I do hope you enjoyed today’s tour. Thank

you.