The place where Cixi in the Summer Palace provides for the aged is called Le Shou Tang. The place where Li lives is called Yongshouzhai.
Le Shoutang:
Leshou Hall was originally a Qingyi Garden building in the 15th year of Qing Qianlong (AD 1750). It was originally built by Qianlong for the 60th birthday of his mother, Empress Xiao Shengxian. The tenth year of Xianfeng (A.D. 1860) was burned by the British and French allied forces, and the seventeenth year of Guangxu (A.D. 189 1 year) was the abdication and reconstruction of Cixi. "Le Shou Tang" is a gold horizontal plaque on a black background, written in Guangxu calligraphy.
Entering the compound from Qindian in Shui Mu, I immediately saw a huge stone on a white marble pedestal. This big stone is shaped like Ganoderma lucidum, with the "Qing Xiu" written by Emperor Qianlong.
There are two strange stones in the courtyard, and the story is unknown.
In addition to magnolia, there are begonia trees and peony flowers in the yard. Peony is also called Fu Gui, which means "Jade (Blue) (Sea) Hall Fu Gui (Peony)". It means "Jade Hall is rich". Now a magnolia in front of the moon invitation door was transplanted from the south by Qianlong.
Bronze deer, cranes and vases are displayed in the courtyard of Leshou Hall, which means "Liuhe is peaceful".
Le Shoutang is the residence of Cixi.
Shui Mu Qinzi Hall is the main entrance of Leshou Hall. It is five rooms wide and faces Kunming Lake. The hall is a hall, with corridors in front and back and a roof leaning against the mountain. The walls on both sides are inlaid with various windows. In the front hall, there used to be two bronze double-ring statues in Qianlong style in Shui Mu, but now there are only a few stones left. At present, the Shui Mu Family Hall is the royal telephone showroom.
Before visiting the temple, Shui Mu can see the high suspenders. This is called dragon pole or sea pole, which is equivalent to the current telephone pole. It was founded in the 18th year of Guangxu (1892). The lamp post is a double wooden pillar with golden Yunlong painted on it, supported by a semi-circular gold-plated copper beam with dragon patterns, two red copper beads with pulleys below. At night, eunuchs will hang an extra-large steam lamp on the dragon lantern pole with pulleys. Daylighting range can reach Paiyun Hall in the west, Dade Heyuan in the east and Yulantang and Kunming Lake in the south. 1900 was destroyed by Eight-Nation Alliance, and 1902 was replaced when it was repaired. 1989 restitution. The bronze sculpture on the top of the dragon lamp pole is an original work of the Qing Dynasty.
Leshou Hall faces Kunming Lake, backed by Wanshou Mountain, Dade Heyuan and Renshou Hall, and connected to the promenade in the west. This is the best place to live and play in the park. There is a pier for Cixi to take a boat in front of the main hall.
Today, more than a hundred years ago, it was not so developed. Cixi took a boat from the Forbidden City to the Summer Palace. Go to bed from Zhongnanhai, cross Beihai and Shichahai, leave Xizhimen, disembark from Zizhuyuan via Gaoliang River, burn incense and worship Buddha at Wanshou Palace, then take a boat to Nanhu Island of Kunming Lake, burn incense and worship Buddha at Longwang Temple and take a boat to Leshoutang Pier.
Now there are docks in Xizhimen and Zizhuyuan, and tourists can go to the Summer Palace by boat.
The overall architectural structure of Leshou Hall is a big quadrangle with two entrances, and everything has a courtyard. The main hall in the courtyard is Le Shou Hall, and the east and west sides are affiliated halls. There are nine back view halls in the backyard. The East Cross Court is called Yongshouzhai, which is Li's residence. The West Cross Academy is called Foreigner Peak, which is a small royal garden.
Le Shoutang is now a single-story building, with seven rooms wide and two rooms deep, five in front of Baoxia and three in the back.
East annex hall: five rooms in width, the front porch of the hall is the hall, reaching the front yard of Yongshouzhai to the east and leading to the backyard of Yiyun Hall. The plaque says "Shu Hua Bush".
West Annex Pavilion: The building is the same as the East Annex Pavilion, with the inscription "Renyue Mountain Scenery". The East-West Annex Hall is the resting place of Fujin, Gege and Mingmu who served Empress Dowager Cixi.
The back cover of Le Shou Temple is nine rooms wide, and there is a veranda in front. Qingyi Garden exhibited many cultural relics. During the Guangxu period, there were as many as 3,000 boxes of jewelry for Empress Dowager Cixi in the hall. Now it's a warehouse.
Yongshouzhai
The small door in the east leads to Yongshou Zhai, a courtyard across the east.
The Zhai of Yongshou Zhai refers to the affiliated building structure of an important main building, which plays the role of scenic spot and guard. Yongshouzhai is the east lateral courtyard of Leshou Hall, with two courtyards. The front yard leads to Yiyuntang and Leshou Hall respectively, and faces the lake in the south, but there is no gate. There are actually five main rooms in the backyard, and there is a supporting room on the east side of the middle. There is no supporting room on the west side, but it can be connected to the backyard of Leshoutang through a hanging flower door.
Entering Yongshou Zhai, you face a wooden screen wall, followed by the front hall. You sit facing south, five rooms wide, and go out of the corridor before and after. There is no corridor for copying hands.
The back room is Li's residence. He is the house manager.
Wing on the east side of Yongshouzhai: There is no wing on the west side, and there is a hanging door (where I stand) connected with the backyard of Leshoutang.
The small door to the west of Leshou Hall leads to the West Courtyard to show benevolence.
The west courtyard of the Summer Palace, the front yard of the foreigner's peak, the east entrance of the promenade-the invitation to the moon gate is in the west. The promenade in the courtyard connects the Yueshou Hall and the Moon Inviting Gate.