A Study on the Historically Layered Aspects in the Site Planning of the Summer Palace in Beijing

Abstract

The subject of this research is the historical changes in the Summer Palace, and its role as well as the site planning in each era. In particular, the research identified the historically layered aspects of the process of creating vistas at the Summer Palace. This research is unique because it traces the transformation of the Summer Palace over the past 250 years and searches for the attributes of each age in the site plan. This research examines the changes that occurred in each era by determining the changes in the Summer Palace through the study of texts, an on-site survey, and an analysis of old plans and photographs. The history of the Summer Palace was divided into three periods: the Jar Hill and West Lake period (1271 to 1751), the Garden of Clear Ripples period (1751 to 1888), and the Summer Palace period (1888 to the present). Specifically, site planning of the Summer Palace was classified into the categories of Changes in Hills, Lakes; Changes in Architectures; Changes in Excursion Courses; and Changes in the Relationship with the Surrounding Landscape. An analysis of the changes in site planning and vistas in each period was made in accordance with this, and the historically layered aspects in the site planning for the Summer Palace identified.