Old Summer Palace - The Great Fountain

The Great Fountain is located in the north of Changchun Garden of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, China. It is a group of fountains with a western-style stone niche building as the background. "Water fountain" in the Qing Dynasty meant artificial fountain, so it was named the Great Fountain. In many people's minds, the ruins of the Great Fountain are the symbol of the Old Summer Palace. At present, 8 of the 12 zodiac animal heads of the 12 Great Fountains of the Old Summer Palace have returned to China. Among them, the dragon head is currently well preserved in Taiwan, but the whereabouts of the snake head, chicken head, dog head, and sheep head are unknown.

The Western Building is the first European Baroque-style garden built in China. The entire landscape of the Western Building covers an area of ​​80 mu, accounting for about 1.5% of the total area of ​​the Old Summer Palace. From west to east, it includes the Harmonious Wonders, the Yellow Flower Array, the Bird Cage, the Five Bamboo Pavilion, the Square Exterior, the Sea Tranquility Hall, the Water Storage Building, the Faraway View, the Great Waterworks, the Water Viewing Method, the Line Mountain, the Square River, and the Line Painting. The building materials are mostly white marble, the stone surface is finely carved, the roof is covered with glazed tiles, and it covers an area of ​​about seven hectares. The well-known broken stone pillars are only a scene of the Faraway View and the Great Waterworks. Due to the unique incomplete beauty of Western architecture, it has become the symbol of the Old Summer Palace.

The Old Summer Palace is very vast, and the nearest entrance to the Western Buildings and the Great Fountain is the Northeast Gate (near Tsinghua University). The Western Buildings and the Great Fountain are not included in the Old Summer Palace ticket, and you need to buy a separate ticket for 10 yuan.

The Dashuifa site is part of the Western-style building scenic area in Beijing's Old Summer Palace. The main attraction of the Western-style building scenic area is the artificial fountain, which was called "Shuifa" at the time. It is characterized by a large number, great momentum and unique design. It mainly forms three large fountain groups, Xieqiqu, Haiyan Hall and Dashuifa, which are quite interesting and are the essence of Chinese and Western cultures. From the restoration map, we can see that Dashuifa faces south and is a fountain group with a stone niche-style building as the background. There is a "Hunting Dogs Chasing Deer" fountain in the elliptical chrysanthemum-shaped fountain. There is a thirteen-level fountain tower on the left and right front, which is spectacular when it opens together. The Dashuifa building is in the shape of a stone niche, which looks like a doorway. There is a large lion head spraying water below, forming a seven-layer water curtain. In the front and lower part is an elliptical chrysanthemum-shaped fountain. In the center of the pool is a bronze sika deer, which sprays eight streams of water from its antlers; there are ten bronze dogs on both sides, which spray water from their mouths, directly hitting the deer's body, splashing layers of waves. It is commonly known as "Hunting Dogs Chasing Deer". To the left and right of the Great Fountain, there is a huge water spray tower. The tower is square and has thirteen floors. Water columns are gushing out from the top. There are eighty-eight copper pipes around the tower, all of which also spray water together.

When you walk into the Old Summer Palace and come to the site of the Great Fountain, you will see a large pile of white marble sculptures and building materials, and you can almost imagine how beautiful this building was! But the ruins now are heartbreaking.

The buildings in the Old Summer Palace, which had a strong Western style, were destroyed when the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China.

The ticket for the Old Summer Palace shows this attraction, the ruins.

This attraction is shown on the Old Summer Palace ticket.

The Great Waterworks is the remains of the former Western Building. The twelve zodiac animal heads are the symbol of this place. The erosion of time cannot erase that unbearable past. The alarm bell will always ring, and we must not forget the national humiliation.

We must not forget the national humiliation of the Eight-Nation Alliance invading China and burning down the Old Summer Palace.

You need to buy an additional ticket here for 15 yuan, and only cash is accepted. This is also the only attraction in Beijing that only accepts cash.

I had only read about the damage caused to the Old Summer Palace by the Eight-Nation Alliance in books before. I was finally able to see it with my own eyes. It was very shocking. When you come to the Old Summer Palace, you must buy a combined ticket to come and see it.

It is exactly the same as the pictures in the history books, and I was still very touched when I saw it.

How should I put it? For tourism purposes, there is really not much to see in the Old Summer Palace, it is all ruins. After seeing the restoration renderings, standing in front of the Great Fountain, I suddenly felt a lot of regrets.

The Dashuifa Site is part of the Xiyanglou (European Palaces) scenic area in Beijing's Old Summer Palace. The main attraction of the Xiyanglou scenic area is the artificial fountain, which was called "Shuifa" at the time. It is characterized by its large number, great momentum and unique design. It mainly forms three large fountain groups, namely Xieqiqu, Haiyan Hall and Dashuifa, which are quite interesting and are the essence of Chinese and Western cultures. Dashuifa is adjacent to Haiyan Hall in the west, at the intersection of the north-south main axis of Changchun Garden and the east-west axis of Xiyanglou, and is the most spectacular European fountain landscape in the park. In 1860, the British and French allied forces invaded Beijing and caused havoc in the Old Summer Palace. The British army also set it on fire. Today, only a few marble columns of Dashuifa and Yuanyingguan stand there, recording the heinous crimes of the British and French allied forces in destroying Chinese culture.

Exquisite and intricate patterns can still be seen on the collapsed walls, and the still standing stone pillars seem like a provocation to the war of that year. You can set it on fire, but after the fire there will still be unyielding souls standing upright.

When I walked here, I happened to meet a group of students from the Northeast who were on an autumn outing. They gave a speech about the traces of the past. Their indignation gave me goose bumps and moved me a little. This kind of pure spirit is rarely seen in adults.

The most classic building in the Old Summer Palace, it is considered the representative symbol of the Old Summer Palace

The twelve zodiac animals that went out are all there, but now there are only piles of ruins

The weather was fine and the sky was bright, but the devastation everywhere left me speechless and choked with emotion.

The ruins of the Dashuifa! Oh! I won't introduce it in detail! It's uncomfortable! I still feel a little uncomfortable after seeing it! You can watch the video in my travel notes for details!

The Great Fountain is the essence of the Old Summer Palace scenic area. It is a landscape water feature dominated by stone niches. It was later burned down during the invasion of China by the Eight-Nation Alliance.

The most iconic building in the ruins of the Western-style buildings in the Summer Palace

The ruins in the garden show the decline of the Qing Dynasty and the brutality of the foreign powers.

Actually, it is the Western Building Scenic Area, located in the far north of Changchun. The buildings inside are all imitations of Western buildings.

The single ticket is 15 yuan. You can take the tour guide inside and the explanation is quite detailed.

The iconic picture is located at the "Big Water Method", a garden landscape with fountains as its theme. It is the largest and most spectacular fountain in the Western Building.

Built during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, "Shui Fa" in the Qing Dynasty meant artificial fountains.

To the west of the Great Fountain is the famous Haiyan Hall, which means "peaceful rivers and peaceful seas, a peaceful country and a peaceful people." This is the largest European-style garden landscape in the Old Summer Palace.

Comparing the former wonders with the ruins in front of us, one cannot help but think of the regret and sadness caused by the destruction of the garden, and unconsciously imagine some scenes of its heyday.

Walk to the innermost part of the Western Building ruins, which is also the most crowded place, and you can see the Great Fountain.

This is the most famous attraction in the entire Old Summer Palace, and there are many tour groups coming and going. The Great Fountain surrounded by noisy people looks particularly desolate and lonely. You will naturally hear the story about it when you get there.

Unlike the rebuilt and renovated Summer Palace, most parts of the Old Summer Palace have been deliberately preserved in their original state, which is very sad to see.

But history is always true and cruel. These broken walls and ruins are constantly reminding us not to forget the national humiliation and that falling behind will lead to being beaten!

The Great Fountain is located in the Western Building Scenic Area of ​​the Old Summer Palace Ruins Park in Beijing. It is probably the most important and famous attraction in the park. It can also be seen in many film and television works. Although it was looted and burned by the British and French coalition forces in history, it has begun to take shape after continuous repairs in recent years. The park has small bridges, flowing water, rivers and lakes, and the scenery is pleasant. Looking back on history here, the painful lesson once again reminds us: if you fall behind, you will be beaten.

Now we can see only the broken eaves and broken walls, and the country is backward and bullied.

The main attraction of the Western Buildings in the Old Summer Palace is the artificial fountain, which was previously called the Water Method. According to the tour guide, the emperor once let the Fragrant Concubine live here, but because the sound of the water was too loud, the Fragrant Concubine did not live here later!

The Old Summer Palace, built in 1709 (the 48th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign), is one of the famous imperial gardens of the Qing Dynasty and is known as the "Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens". The garden architecture is exquisite and is a model of architectural art and culture in China and even the world. It was burned down by the British and French forces in 1860. Viewing the remains of the Great Fountain, you can feel the bloody history of China's modern humiliation by foreign powers, which warns us not to forget the national humiliation and forge ahead!

My first impression of the Old Summer Palace came from the humiliating history of modern China in school textbooks, the corrupt Qing government, the hateful Eight-Power Allied Forces, and the weak China. Unlike other gardens in China, it exists as a symbol and representative of shame. When I grew up a little, my impression of it became vivid because of the movie "Old Summer Palace". It was no longer just a textual imagination, but a concrete presentation. The destruction of the Old Summer Palace was initiated by the British and French allied forces. The porters and thieves who followed them also took away many cultural relics. Several large groups of bandits around the Old Summer Palace, as well as some unruly people, also took advantage of the fire to loot. The buildings of the Old Summer Palace, especially the Western-style buildings, were not completely razed to the ground at first. After the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, they were tragically demolished by the Chinese people. So the Old Summer Palace was not destroyed once, but was destroyed after countless destructions. Finally, I went to the Old Summer Palace this time. After a century, it seems that this garden still retains its original style. It is still empty, it is hard to imagine that there used to be palaces and pavilions here. Although it looks large on the map of the scenic area, in fact most of the area is woods and water, with only the ruins standing there for more than a hundred years. The Dashuifa site is part of the Western Building Scenic Area. The main scenery of the Western Building is the artificial fountain, which was called "Shuifa" in the Qing Dynasty. It is characterized by large number, great momentum and peculiar conception. It mainly forms three large fountain groups, Xieqiqu, Haiyan Hall and Dashuifa. The bronze statues of the twelve zodiac animals that have attracted national attention before are from Haiyan Hall in the Western Building Scenic Area. Now only some collapsed and tilted marble pillars remain, and the setting sun makes it even more desolate.

This is a great building, but it was destroyed by fire by the Eight-Nation Alliance. We need to protect the historical relics and remember this humiliating history!

The Da Shui Fa is very well-known and is often seen in textbooks.

In the Old Summer Palace, in addition to the ruins, there are black swans and sunset viewing opportunities. In a month, you can go to admire the lotus flowers.

A dilapidated ruin, a witness to history, from here one can vaguely see the prosperity and splendor of the past.

The Dashuifa Site is part of the Xiyanglou (European Palaces) scenic area in Beijing's Old Summer Palace. The main attraction of the Xiyanglou scenic area is the artificial fountain, which was called "Shuifa" at the time. It is characterized by its large number, great momentum and unique design. It mainly forms three large fountain groups, namely Xieqiqu, Haiyan Hall and Dashuifa, which are quite interesting and are the essence of Chinese and Western cultures. Dashuifa is adjacent to Haiyan Hall in the west. It is located at the intersection of the north-south main axis of Changchun Garden and the east-west axis of Xiyanglou. It is the most spectacular European fountain landscape in the park. In 1860, the British and French allied forces invaded Beijing and caused havoc in the Old Summer Palace. The British army also set it on fire. Today, only a few marble columns of Dashuifa and Yuanyingguan stand there, recording the heinous crimes of the British and French allied forces in destroying Chinese culture.

Listening to the guide's explanation, I imagined the original appearance of the Great Fountain and the scene of its destruction. At that time, I was thinking, what's wrong with the Eight-Nation Alliance? They came to the park to destroy it.

It's a pity that the most classic building in Yuanmingyuan is gone, which makes people reflect on it~

Located in the Old Summer Palace, tickets must be purchased separately. Student tickets can be discounted, but someone will borrow your student ID when you buy the ticket, so be careful! The ruins are really spectacular! Although some places have been burned, the exquisite carvings can still be seen. It is very beautiful. I am particularly curious about how the early people built it, so magnificent! ! ! ! !

I was so excited when I saw this. This is the cover of a history textbook, a relic of our country’s history.

It's heavy, but looking at the ruins you can imagine how magnificent it once was.

Every time I come here, I am in awe of the construction technology. It is really beautiful. If it had not been destroyed, this would definitely be my favorite scene in Beijing, second only to the Forbidden City.

There is also a free photo printing machine in the scenic area, which brought us a big surprise as we were traveling together.

The management of the scenic spot is still good, but I felt very uncomfortable after entering. It’s a pity to lose such a good building.

Why is this place called the Great Waterworks? It's not the ruins of the Western Building. I have to say that the electric car is a huge pit, a huge pit.

My impression of the Old Summer Palace since childhood has been stuck in these ruins. The Great Fountain under the sunset is full of the vicissitudes of history!

It is not only a historical witness to the glory and decline of the Qing Dynasty, but also a representative of the profoundness of Chinese culture.

The Dafofa is the most worth-seeing attraction, with its incomplete beauty!

The broken beams and walls bear witness to the raging fire of the dark night a hundred years ago.

Next, we went to the ruins of Xieqiqu, Fangwai, Haiyantang, Yuanyingguan, and Dashuifa. To be honest, I don’t have a clear distinction between these five places, but I was saddened by the scenery I saw in these five places. I still have the restored picture of the prosperous Yuanmingyuan in my mind, but now what is presented in front of me is a ruin. Several times, my eyes were really wet, and it would be a lie to say that I didn’t feel heartbroken. So, in Yuanmingyuan, you can really feel the powerlessness of "the old prosperity and the current decline".

Now this place has basically become the symbol of the Old Summer Palace in people's minds. Although I saw the ruins, I can really feel the powerful aura it brings.

The Old Summer Palace is worth a visit. Although it is in ruins, it can help us remember history.

The Great Fountain can really make you feel the cruelty of its destruction. It would be great if you could see what it looked like before it was destroyed.

Seeing this ruins makes me feel uncomfortable.

After entering the Old Summer Palace, it would take about an hour to walk to the ruins. We decisively chose to arrive by boat, which cost 20 yuan per person and took us directly to the ruins. It was well worth the experience.

This is the ruins of the Old Summer Palace that we see in textbooks. In fact, its name is the ruins of the Great Fountain, which is part of the Western Building Scenic Area of ​​the Old Summer Palace. The Great Fountain means a big fountain. When it was built here, this group of fountains was built with ingenious ideas.

The afterglow shines on the ruins, and the remaining giant carved pillars are still very eye-catching and spectacular. We hope that the ruins area can continue to be protected as it is now so that more people can learn about this history.

The Grand Fountain is in the Old Summer Palace. It was the most advanced architectural method in the world at that time, with automatic fountains. In particular, the fountain composed of twelve animal heads amazed the world. I have been to the Old Summer Palace several times, and it is still very deserted. The Eight-Power Allied Forces burned down the Old Summer Palace and took away countless treasures, which are now distributed all over the world. Some may never come back, and the twelve zodiac animal heads are still not complete. Now there are also several patriotic education here.

It is exactly the same as the picture in the textbook. I searched for a long time and found it in the Western Building of Yuanmingyuan.

We Chinese should remember this scene, remember our past pain, reflect on our own mistakes, and not let history repeat itself.

The day we visited the Great Waterworks was a rainy morning in late July 2011. Despite the heavy rain, many tourists braved the rain to see this piece of land of our motherland that had been humiliated.

The people who come here to visit are basically Chinese, and occasionally there are a few foreigners whose nationalities are unknown. But no matter who they are, I think not all of them come here to see the scenery, although the scenery here is also very beautiful, so I only give the scenery three stars, the purpose is to remind us: although the scenery is very beautiful, if there is no strong national strength to support it, all the beautiful scenery may be destroyed and blown away by the wind.

The Great Waterworks has gone through great changes and has remained standing for hundreds of years, just like the Chinese people who never bow their heads or give in. Although other nations can humiliate my body, they can never bend my soul.

The exquisite carvings and beautiful patterns of the Great Fountain all tell of the splendor and glory of the past. And it is these exquisite carvings and beautiful patterns that deeply hurt my heart. Why can't our motherland, a country with a long history and splendid culture, protect this beautiful scenery? Why did we allow those robbers to come and humiliate us? Why did those robbers wantonly rob and humiliate our mother in our beautiful motherland?

Perhaps historians have already told our people the answers to these questions. But do our people already know and remember these answers?

I stood barefoot in front of the fence of the Great Waterworks, watching quietly, feeling very heavy-hearted. Occasionally, a few children ran by, and their cheerful footsteps and loud laughter made me think, do our descendants really know the reasons I thought of above?

Today, to a certain extent, our people may regard the Dashuifa as a tourist attraction to visit and tour. As for its history, many people may not know it or may not fully understand it.

Working in a university, I have come into contact with many college students. On some occasions, when I intentionally asked about some historical issues, such as the Opium War, the burning of the Old Summer Palace by the Eight-Nation Alliance, the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Vietnam, and even the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the most common answer from our college students was "I don't know" or "I'm not sure"!

A Chinese college student who doesn't even know the history of his own country, or more accurately, the history of his country being humiliated and insulted by other countries, can such a college student, or the way we train college students, or our education model, be said to be qualified?

Today we advocate quality education. We want to improve the overall quality of students, but we have abandoned our history education and other aspects, such as astronomy and geography, and are busy preparing for exams from dawn to dusk. There are even schools that are "college entrance examination factories"! I can't help but feel a little worried about the future of our country.

I hope my worries are unnecessary.

I call the beauty of the Great Fountain the beauty of humiliation!

May the humiliation it suffered always remind today’s Chinese people not to forget history, even though our motherland is becoming increasingly powerful!

It is beautiful, even if it is dilapidated, it is still beautiful.

The well-known bronze statues of the twelve zodiac animals in the Old Summer Palace originated from the fountain in front of the Haiyan Hall (another building on the west side of the Great Fountain) in the Western Building Scenic Area, not from the Great Fountain.

The large fountains are all in Western style and very distinctive. . One look will leave a deep impression on people

A ruin, a piece of history, bitterness, grief, and inspiration.

The Dashuifa Site is part of the Western Building Scenic Area in Beijing's Old Summer Palace. The main attraction of the Western Building Scenic Area is the artificial fountain, which was called "Shuifa" at the time. It is characterized by its large number, great momentum and unique design. It mainly forms three large fountain groups, namely Xieqiqu, Haiyan Hall and Dashuifa, which are quite interesting and are the essence of Chinese and Western cultures. Dashuifa is adjacent to Haiyan Hall in the west. It is located at the intersection of the north-south main axis of Changchun Garden and the east-west axis of Western Building. It is the most spectacular European fountain landscape in the park. In 1860, the British and French allied forces invaded Beijing and destroyed the Old Summer Palace and set it on fire. Today, only a few marble columns of Dashuifa and Yuanyingguan stand there, recording the heinous crimes of the British and French allied forces in destroying Chinese culture.

I believe most people have seen these ruins in history textbooks. It is heartbreaking to see them there. The Old Summer Palace was once at its peak. It was built with the whole country’s efforts and housed the world’s treasures. But a fire burned for three days and three nights, and all the treasures were looted. These buildings could not be taken away, so they were destroyed, and so the current ruins of the Great Fountain were formed.

The most famous are the twelve zodiac animal heads that spray water once an hour. After being stolen, they were lost in the world and their whereabouts are unknown. They have been very popular in the past two years. Jackie Chan's movie "The Chinese Zodiac" also started here. However, not all of the animal heads have returned to China yet, which is sad.

These things are shameful in the past, and we cannot forget them. We come here not to see how beautiful the scenery is. For people who know a little about history, such as the Chinese, the atmosphere will infect you; the wisdom of the ancients will also surprise you; the combination and collision of the central culture will make you amazed. . .

You should go, and it's worth going. . . .

The classic image in the textbooks, coming to the Old Summer Palace is to see the Great Fountain. We entered from the main gate of the Old Summer Palace, and almost had to go through the Old Summer Palace to reach the Western Building Scenic Area where the Great Fountain is located. There is an electric car out of the Western Building Scenic Area, which costs 8 yuan to go directly to the South Gate.

The Great Fountain is a famous attraction in the Old Summer Palace. The Great Fountain is built in the shape of a stone niche. The ruins tell the sad history of the past. The once magnificent and amazing fountain group landscape was burned down by the British and French coalition forces. Now it no longer exists. Only these stone pillars and piles of rocks with exquisite Western flower carvings are left.

After seeing the ruins of the Great Fountain, you will have many fantasies. How magnificent and shocking would the original Great Fountain be? !

The ruins of the Great Fountain are part of the Western-style Buildings Scenic Area of ​​Beijing's Old Summer Palace. After entering, you can see it by walking straight inside. Opposite it is the very famous Old Summer Palace ruins picture I have seen in books before. Although only a few marble pillars of the Great Fountain and Yuanying Pavilion remain there, you can still imagine its former glory and grandeur. The weather was fine on the day I went there, so the photos I took were very beautiful.

The dilapidated ruins always make people sad... Compared with the Summer Palace, visiting the Old Summer Palace is still more sentimental. From the various architectural details, one can imagine that it must have been very magnificent in the past. Now we can only imagine it.

Shocked, distressed! Angry💢Admire the wisdom and skills of the ancients

People in the past built this better than some of the buildings now. It's great. It's really wonderful. I like them. It's a pity that it was destroyed.

Because this is a historical site, I have to go. All I saw along the way was the desolation left behind by barbarism, which hurt my heart and made me remember history forever.

I feel like it would be more appropriate to position it as a patriotism education base. It would be very sad to see it.

The Great Fountain is located in the Western Building Scenic Area of ​​the Old Summer Palace. It is the first scenery that comes to mind when mentioning the Old Summer Palace, and it is also the pattern printed on the Old Summer Palace ticket. This scenic spot is not included in the gate ticket and is charged separately, so I bought a combined ticket directly. Many sites in the Western Building Scenic Area can be visited, but the Great Fountain cannot be entered and can only be visited outside the railings. The Great Fountain is actually a huge fountain built for the Fragrant Concubine, but she only lived in it for more than ten days because the sound of the water was too noisy. Opposite is the Guanshui Fa, which was used to watch the Great Fountain opposite. The marble relief behind it shows a ferocious-looking soldier holding a Western gun. I wonder how the emperor felt when he was sitting below? The prosperity of the old days has gone, leaving only the marble engraved with gorgeous patterns, revealing a desolate beauty against the background of the sunset.

The Old Summer Palace has been destroyed and nothing is left. Nothing can be seen.

The entrance fee to the Old Summer Palace Ruins Park is 15 yuan, which is included in the entrance fee to the Western Building Ruins Scenic Area (including the Great Fountain, Exhibition Hall, and Maze). It is now surrounded by railings, and it is also for the protection of cultural relics, so you can't get close to experience it. But seeing the broken walls and ruins, I still can't help but recall the unbearable past.

There are some broken artifacts scattered there, you can look for them, and there are others, I won't post pictures. From the details of the parts, you can see that the ancients' craftsmanship is really good, although the designer is a foreigner.

Attached are photos from 2007. There were no fences at that time, so I walked up and ate lunch leaning against the cultural relics! Some of the angles of the photos cannot be taken today. I visited again this year (2015), and the fence was built! Look at it from the outside! This is very important for protecting cultural relics, otherwise, the remaining ones will soon be gone. Afterwards, I went to Xieqiqu and saw foreign children climbing on the cultural relics. I felt that the new Eight-Nation Alliance had arrived! I really wanted to give them a beating. It also shows the importance of the Dashuifa fence.

The Great Fountain is a must-see attraction for tourists. The ticket is 30 yuan. The building is very delicate and detailed. Whether you look at it from a distance or close up, the Great Fountain will bring you different aesthetics. When I went to the Great Fountain to sketch last time, I liked it very much, so I recommend this attraction to everyone. It is also one of the attractions with great historical significance because it was once one of the important attractions in the royal garden. I hope everyone will go and take a good look. If it had not been burned down, it must be a beautiful and valuable attraction in Beijing, no worse than the attractions in the Summer Palace. Thank you everyone, please like it! I played for 4 hours!

This is the most complete small building complex in the Yuanmingyuan.