Marble boat ( Chinese exercise р , pinyin : Shí Fǎng , pall .: Shi Fan ) - 36-meter lake pavilion of the Beijing Summer Palace . Also known as the Ship of Purity and Peace ( Chinese ит 晏 舫 , pinyin : Qingyanfang , pall. Qingyangfang ) [1] .
 石舫 ( Marble boat ) | |
 | |
| Marble Rook | |
| Located | China , Beijing |
| Public access | Yes |
| Start of construction | 1755 year |
| Length | 36 m |
Built in 1755 under the emperor Qianlong in the form of a floating boat [2] . The structure is stone, with a traditional wooden superstructure. A long corridor stretched east of the boat. The construction site was chosen in order to hide the contrast between the narrow corridor and the width of the lake.
Destroyed during the Second Opium War (1860) by the Anglo-French forces. It was restored 33 years later in 1893 by order of Empress Cixi [3] . The name was changed to the Ship of Purity and Peace [4] . This name came from the saying: Let the rivers be clear and the sea calm. A new two-story superstructure was built, which included elements of European architecture. The new superstructure, like the previous one, was made of wood, but was painted marbled. On each "deck" there is a large mirror to reflect the waters of the lake and the feeling of complete immersion in the aquatic environment. Circles resembling paddle wheels on each side of the pavilion make it look like a steamboat. The pavilion has a complex drainage system through which rainwater passes through four hollow columns and flows into the lake from the mouths of four dragons.
The creation of the pavilion in the shape of a boat can be correlated with a quote attributed to Wei Zheng , Chancellor of the Tang Dynasty, known for honest advice. It is said that he told the emperor Tai-chong that "the waters that carry the boat can absorb it," implying that the people can support the emperor, but can also overthrow him. Perhaps Qianlong had this in mind when he decided to build a marble boat on a solid stone foundation to emphasize the stability of the Qing Dynasty .
A marble boat is often seen as an ironic commentary on the fact that the money used to rebuild the Summer Palace came mainly from funds originally intended to create a new imperial fleet [5] .
Notes
- ↑ Virtual tour of the Summer Palace . Beijing 北京. Date of treatment December 17, 2016.
- ↑ R.V. Vyatkin . Museums and attractions of China. - M .: Publishing house of eastern literature, 1962 .-- 173 p.
- ↑ MA Aldrich. "The Search for a Vanishing Beijing" . - Hong Kong University Press, 2006 .-- 296 p. (eng.)
- ↑ Marble Boat . travelchinaguide.com. Date of treatment December 17, 2016.
- ↑ David A. Graff, Robin Higham. "A Military History of China" . - Westview Press, 2002 .-- 153 p. Archived December 20, 2016 to Wayback Machine
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