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Xiyang Lou
40°0′44.28″N 116°18′23.76″E / 40.0123000°N 116.3066000°E
Xiyang Lou (Chinese: 西洋楼; pinyin: Xīyáng Lóu; lit. 'Western mansion(s)'), are ruins of 18th-century European-style imperial buildings on the grounds of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, China. They are located in the northern part of the Changchun Yuan (Garden of Eternal Spring), one of the three gardens which once made up the Old Summer Palace, and cover an area of about 7 hectares.
The Xiyang Lou were commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor and designed mainly by the Italian Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione who was in his service as a court painter. Castiglione relied on the French Jesuit scientist Michel Benoist for the engineering tasks, in particular for the fountains, which were the chief interest of the emperor. Construction was carried out by Chinese craftsmen working under their supervision with some further contributions by other European artists, such as the German Ignaz Sichelbarth and the Florentine Bonaventura Moggi.
Planning of the gardens started in 1747 and four years later in 1751, the first waterworks (Xieqiqu) were completed. Other milestones were the building of a large labyrinth (Huanghuazhen) in the years 1756 to 1759 and an observatory (Yuanying Guan) which was added in 1783.
Like the rest of the Old Summer Palace, the Xiyang Lou was destroyed in a fire laid by the Anglo-French allied forces in 1860 during the Second Opium War in response to the imprisonment and torture of their peace delegation by the Chinese. However, since the masonry work was not consumed by the fire, significant ruins of many of the buildings can still be found on the site.
Some conservation work on the site was carried out between 1977 and 1992. The Huanghuazhen labyrinth was rebuilt during this time.
The centerpiece of the Xiyang Lou complex were several waterworks around which the major buildings were arranged. The buildings showcased distinctive European style elements, in particular of Italian baroque. The Grand Trianon apparently served as important source of inspiration. However, numerous design elements of Chinese origin were also included making the result a mixture of European and Chinese architecture.
The main structures of the Xiyang Lou are: the Huanghuazhen labyrinth, the Xieqiqu (Harmonious Wonder) waterworks, the Yang Que Long (a gate with aviaries), the Fangwai Guan (belvedere), the Haiyan Tang (Hall of National Peace), the Yuan Ying Guan (Immense Ocean Observatory), the Da Shui Fa (Grand Waterworks), the Guan Shui Fa (Throne for Viewing the Waterworks), and the Xian Fa Shan (Hall of Perspective).
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Xiyang Lou
40°0′44.28″N 116°18′23.76″E / 40.0123000°N 116.3066000°E
Xiyang Lou (Chinese: 西洋楼; pinyin: Xīyáng Lóu; lit. 'Western mansion(s)'), are ruins of 18th-century European-style imperial buildings on the grounds of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, China. They are located in the northern part of the Changchun Yuan (Garden of Eternal Spring), one of the three gardens which once made up the Old Summer Palace, and cover an area of about 7 hectares.
The Xiyang Lou were commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor and designed mainly by the Italian Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione who was in his service as a court painter. Castiglione relied on the French Jesuit scientist Michel Benoist for the engineering tasks, in particular for the fountains, which were the chief interest of the emperor. Construction was carried out by Chinese craftsmen working under their supervision with some further contributions by other European artists, such as the German Ignaz Sichelbarth and the Florentine Bonaventura Moggi.
Planning of the gardens started in 1747 and four years later in 1751, the first waterworks (Xieqiqu) were completed. Other milestones were the building of a large labyrinth (Huanghuazhen) in the years 1756 to 1759 and an observatory (Yuanying Guan) which was added in 1783.
Like the rest of the Old Summer Palace, the Xiyang Lou was destroyed in a fire laid by the Anglo-French allied forces in 1860 during the Second Opium War in response to the imprisonment and torture of their peace delegation by the Chinese. However, since the masonry work was not consumed by the fire, significant ruins of many of the buildings can still be found on the site.
Some conservation work on the site was carried out between 1977 and 1992. The Huanghuazhen labyrinth was rebuilt during this time.
The centerpiece of the Xiyang Lou complex were several waterworks around which the major buildings were arranged. The buildings showcased distinctive European style elements, in particular of Italian baroque. The Grand Trianon apparently served as important source of inspiration. However, numerous design elements of Chinese origin were also included making the result a mixture of European and Chinese architecture.
The main structures of the Xiyang Lou are: the Huanghuazhen labyrinth, the Xieqiqu (Harmonious Wonder) waterworks, the Yang Que Long (a gate with aviaries), the Fangwai Guan (belvedere), the Haiyan Tang (Hall of National Peace), the Yuan Ying Guan (Immense Ocean Observatory), the Da Shui Fa (Grand Waterworks), the Guan Shui Fa (Throne for Viewing the Waterworks), and the Xian Fa Shan (Hall of Perspective).