Stories of the Old Summer Palace:

Seeking “the lost culture”

Covering 350 hectares in area, the Old Summer Palace was the painstaking work of the Qing emperors for more than 160 years. The Emperor poured national material resources, set innumerable Seiko artisans, and filled the garden with streams and mountains, strange plant flowers and different woods, and set domestic and foreign scenic spots, in order to build this unprecedented "garden of ten thousand gardens." The completion of the Old Summer Palace added a very bright pearl in Chinese cultural and architectural history.

Part I: Stories of the 12 animal heads

Do you ever believe that animals can be used to measure time? The secret comes from the Chinese zodiac, which is based on the Chinese lunar calendar. Chinese lunar calendar calculates a year differently to the Western calender, and thus, for example, the Chinese New Year’s Day falls on varying days every year in the Western calendar. There are 12 zodiac signs represented by 12 animals and each year is associated with a specific animal. After 12 years, the cycle repeats itself. The 12 animal signs are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Chinese zodiac is a mysterious thing, similar to the constellation in the West. Some people believe that a Chinese animal zodiac sign largely decides the character of a person born in the year of the corresponding animal and can even influence their decisions.

According to time and the living characteristics of these animals, each zodiac animal sign represents one ancient hour (which equals two hours in modern life). During a day, the twelve animal heads take turns to let out water from their mouths in the following order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

Rat comes at 11:00pm to 1:00am the next day (i.e., the "Zi Hours"). The rat is seens as the strongest and the most frequent, and thus the Zi Hours matches the rat.

Ox comes in from 1:00am to 3:00am (namely the "Chou Hours"). At this time, ox has eaten enough grass, chewing the thinnest, the slowest and the most comfortable, so the Chou Hours fits with ox.

Tiger shows between 3:00am and 5:00am (i.e. the "Yin Time"). According to ancient books, at this time, the tiger is the most active, the most ferocious and wounding the most, so the Yin Time is associated with the tiger.

Rabbit comes around 5:00 to 7:00 in the morning (the “Mao Hours”. The sun has not yet shown its face, and the moon has not yet lost its full radiance. Rabbit is the animal in the myth of the Moon Palace, so Mao Hours is connected to the rabbit.

The time for Dragon is 7:00 to 9:00 in the morning (the "Chen Hours"). Legend says this is the time when the dragon lines the rain, and therefore the Chen Hours belongs to the dragon.

The Snake time is 9:00am to 11:00am (i.e. "Si Hours"). It is said that the snake at this time does not hurt people, nor does it wander on the road, but it is just hidden in the grass, so “the Si Hours” simbolises the snake.

Horse comes around 11:00am to 1:00pm (the "Noon Hours"). According to the Taoist rule, when the sun is at its peak at noon, most animals lie down to rest, but only horses are accustomed to stand, even when sleeping, and never lie down. In this way, it is the horse at noon.

Sheep is out during 1:00pm to 3:00pm (i.e. "Wei Hours"). It is said that the sheep at this time sprinkled urine the most frequently, being the most active.

Monkey is active between 3:00pm and 5:00pm (i.e., the "Shen Hours"). At this time, the monkeys like to crow most, with the longest and loudest voice.

Rooster is present at 5:00pm to 7:00pm (namely the "You Hours"). At this time when the sun sets at hills, roosters begin to enter the cage to nest.

The time for Dog is 7:00pm to 9:00pm (the "Wu Hours"). When night comes, dogs watch the house with the highest vigilance and produce exceptional eyesight and hearing that can see the farthest and hear the most clearly.

Pig comes at 9:00pm to 11:00pm (i.e. the "Hai Hours"). It is said that the pig sleeps the most soundly, has the loudest snoring, and shakes the body muscle the most severely.

Then how do the animals tell about people’s characteristics? Rats are quick learners; oxen are reliable and diligent; tigers are adventurers and natural born leaders; rabbits are smart and alert; dogs are loyal friends; dogs and pigs are easy-going; snakes are intelligent and mysterious; roosters are observant, punctual and hard-working. Among all, the Dragon has significant meanings to Chinese people: it is the fictional character that stands for bravery and ambition in China.

Being a traditional, unique and symbolic national custom of China, during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty bronze statues of the heads of the 12 animals were made and placed in the Old Summer Palace. During the Second Opium War, British and French troops set fire to the Old Summer Palace and looted the 12 bronze animal heads, causing the national treasures to be lost overseas for more than 160 years. At present, the horse head has been the only head that has returned to the Old Summer Palace; the four heads of the ox, tiger, monkey and pig were rescued by patriots in 2000, 2003 and 2007 respectively, and collected in the Poly Art Museum. It is known that the rat head and the rabbit head are in the museum collection in France, while the dragon head, the snake head, the sheep head, the rooster head and the dog head are still missing. Until now, Chinese people are still trying their best to find the remaining. So what exactly do these animal heads look like?

The statue of the Chinese Zodiac head is a bronze sculpture, with a realistic style. The casting is fine, and the surface was also carved with a fine chisel.and the wrinkles and hairs on the animal head are clear, vivid and natural. It is clear and realistic, and the nose, eyes, ears, and other vital parts and the nose and neck folds are very delicate. The production materials are also unique. The bronze used is alloy copper significantly refined for the palace, including many precious metals selected and refined in the Qing Dynasty. It has a deep colour on the outside and does not rust after hundreds of years. It is made by the artisans of the palace building office dedicated for the Emperor.

[to insert the images of the heads of Monkey, Ox, Tiger]

Each zodiac animal’s head is distinctive. The bronze statue of the monkey head adopts the image of the "Monkey King" in Chinese opera. The bronze statue of the ox head has a distinctive Spanish bullfighting style, with its horns bent forward. The bronze statue of the tiger head is quite different from the traditional Chinese tiger shape. If it were not for the word "King" on the forehead, many people would mistake it for a lion. On April 30 and May 2, 2000, Sotheby's and Christie's auctioneers publicly auctioned the tiger, ox, and monkey heads from the previous 12 Chinese zodiac bronze animal heads in the Old Summer Palace. China Poly Group Company purchased the three animal heads with a total price of HK $30 million.

[to insert the image of the head of Pig]

The shape of the bronze pig head is also quite different from that of the traditional Chinese pig. It looks like a wild boar with a long beak and protruding tusks. However, the large ears, like a leaf fan, are full of traditional Chinese aesthetic taste. In September 2003, Dr. Stanley Ho, a famous entrepreneur in Hong Kong and Macao, made a massive donation to the Poly Art Museum through the Special Fund for Salvage of Lost Overseas Cultural Relic by the China Social Development Foundation (where he recued the Pig Head).

[to insert the images of the heads of Rat and Rabbit]

Rat is sensitive to smell, timid, suspicious and vigilant. Folk people believe that a rat's psychic nature can be used to predict good luck, misfortune, and disaster. Rats are born in nature and grow in character. It is usual for rats to react to unexpected events in nature, such as earthquakes, floods, drought, and locust plague. Limited by human knowledge, its mysteries and rules have not been revealed yet. On the eve of the Tangshan earthquake (July, 1976), people were surprised to see rats scurrying out of the suburbs or crouching in small groups on streets and other relatively empty places, and it was not clear what this sign implied.

Rabbit stands for quickness of wits. A Chinese proverb is called "cunning rabbit three caves," which means the rabbit is clever and good at protecting itself. Rabbits are intelligent animals, so they often play a witty role in folk tales from ancient times. The idiom "moving like a rabbit" vividly describes the agility of a rabbit, so the rabbit is undoubtedly a symbol of alertness. This is how the bronze heads of both rat and rabbit are made according to the characteristics of a rat and a rabbit.

From February 23 to 25, 2009, the rat and rabbit heads were sold at an auction in Paris, France, with an estimated value of RMB 200 million yuan. To compare, Emperor Qianlong's imperial seal was not more than RMB 100 million yuan. On June 8, 2013, the Pinault family donated the rabbit and rat heads to the National Museum of China for free.

[to insert the image of the head of Dragon]

Dragon is admired in the Chinese culture, representing the cohesion and accumulation of a unique character of the Chinese people. In traditional Chinese culture, the dragon is a symbol of power, nobility and honour. It is also a symbol of luck and success. These characters represent the Chinese nation, so the Chinese people call themselves "descendants of the dragon." The dragon is the oldest totem of the Han people. People revere nature and worship divine power in ancient times, so they created such a rain-calling, magic boundless idol to worship it and pray for peace. For thousands of years, dragons have been mysterious and sacred in people's minds. The dragon as it is known today combines the features of many creatures, including:

Antlers
The head of a cow
The mouth of a donkey
The eyes of a shrimp
The ears of an elephant
The scales of a fish
The whiskers of a human
The belly of a snake and the feet of a phoenix

The image of the dragon has constantly been developing and changing. Through wars and alliances, people who believed in the dragon totem gradually became the leaders in the long historical process. The totem of the dragon gradually became the flag of the whole Chinese nation. The image of the totem initially believed in by other countries was steadily absorbed and enriched into the idea of the dragon. Hence, finally, the dragon became the representative of the emperor. It is not known what exactly the head looked like because it is missing, but some rumour says that it is owned by some collector in Taiwan.

[to insert the images of the heads of Snake, Sheep, Rooster]

Snakes represent flexibility, and our ancestors expected that their descendants would combine hardness and softness, so they are often combined with the dragon, which means toughness. Sheep represents harmony, and the ancestors hoped that the descendants born in the year of Sheep would not lose their direction and their goals by focusing on the peace around them. Hence, the ancestors combined the horse and sheep, which represent the courage to go forward. The most prominent symbol of the rooster is keeping promises and being punctual. Chickens crow when morning comes, which means that the sky will be bright, and by extension, it symboliszes the liberation from darkness to light.

Horse spirit is a national spirit of unremitting self-improvement and progress that has been advocated by the Chinese nation since ancient times. Ancestors believed that horse was the spirit of the Yellow River, which represents the Chinese nation's main spirit and the highest morality.

Chinese people regard the dog as an auspicious animal. If a dog suddenly comes into the family, it has auspicious meaning and represents the arrival of wealth. Dogs are the most loyal pets and are considered as a symbol of loyalty. A dog does not disrelish poverty. No matter how poor the master is or how poor the family is, the dog will never betray his master.

It is not known what the dog head, snake head, sheep head and rooster head looked like because they are also missing.

An interesting question:

In the ancient times, the 12 animal statues take turns spraying water, but this has raised an interesting question: the twelve animal heads are both fountains and can tell the time, but how can people in the Old Summer Palace be on time without electricity? It has been said that because this is a water storage building, the leading equipment for spraying water is installed and operated here. Although there was no electricity in the Old Summer Palace at that time, the craftsmen had learned about water pressure. The water circulation in the fountain could be completed by applying pressure from higher to lower parts and using a gear machine to lift the water. In this way, the water is transported to the storage building mechanically, and then the animals heads sprayed with water by the pressure, thus creating the spectacular view of fountain in front of the Haiyan Hall.

Overall, why are the bronze heads of the Chinese zodiacs so significant? The bronze statues of the zodiac animal heads were made by a Chinese court craftsman and designed by artists from Europe. Therefore, the bronze statues have a solid traditional Chinese aesthetic style and also integrates the characteristics of Western plastic arts.

Part II: Story of the Dashuifa Ruins

[to insert the image of the Dashuifa Ruins]

To pursue various pleasures, the Qing Emperor introduced a zone of European-style garden architecture, commonly known as "Western Mansions" (“Xiyanglou” in Chinese), in the north boundary of the Changchun Garden. The main body of Xiyanglou is an artificial fountain, which is called the "Dashuifa Site." It mainly consists of three large fountain groups: Xieqiqu, Haiyantang, and Dashuifa, which are fantastic. The engineering was complete around the 24th Year of Qianlong's reign (1759). Dashuifa site is a garden scenery with the central fountain.

The prominent architecture is a large stone shrine-shaped structure. A lion head spraying in the middle is attractive to people, and seven-level water discs form the waterfall. In the front, an oval fountain is underneath with the shape of a chrysanthemum. There is a male sika deer in the pond, with the antler divided into water sprays of 8 bifurcations. There are hunting dogs that are “running” around the sika deer. The mouths of these hunting dogs spray water, and the water shoots to the body of the sika deer with a splash. Two roll-tailed bronze beasts similar to dogs in the east end and the west end are chasing the sika deer, known as "hunting dogs chasing the sika deer", and called "the war of the beasts" by the Westerners. The architectural form is the European late Renaissance "Baroque" style, the garden with the "Lenore" style, whilst also absorbing many traditional Chinese techniques.

The Summer Palace was once a luxurious imperial garden and a mysterious imperial retreat. It has witnessed the glory, suffering and fall of a royal family, as well as the rise and fall of an empire.

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