I'm sorry, but it's a late date.
In the summer of 2023, my wife and I took our three children, 11-year-old twin siblings and a little nephew who had just finished the high school entrance examination, to start our trip to the capital, and the first stop was the Old Summer Palace.
The Old Summer Palace is a place that every Chinese wants to see. With a romantic and beautiful name, a bright and beautiful face, a lingering and sad story, and an indelible scar and sadness, she uses her broken body to tell everyone the story of the past......
Zheng Huaiyuan/photo
In her arms, the softest and deepest emotions in people's hearts will be instantly aroused. People can think about the past, they can relax in a daze, and they can also find a full sense of security and pride in the contrast between the broken bricks and tiles and the prosperous scene.
In fact, as far as I am concerned, the Old Summer Palace is not unfamiliar.
Every time I go to Beijing on a business trip, as long as I have time, I will go to that big garden for a walk, I have felt her snow and spring, experienced her summer and autumn scenery, and found different stories in her four seasons. I think I understand her beauty and her sadness.
Meng Xiangling/photo
But all the three children's feelings about this "Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens" are only from books and imagination. In any case, they have always looked forward to a face-to-face romantic encounter with the Old Summer Palace.
For this field exploration, the children also did some homework in advance, watched pictures, read history, watched documentaries, and reviewed the incomparable, large-scale palace buildings and the glorious history of the rise and fall of the Old Summer Palace in their hearts.
Then, on that sunny noon day in July, we arrived at the Old Summer Palace with anticipation and awe.
The stone lion at the entrance of the east gate held its head majestically high, although its body was mottled, but the majestic and majestic momentum still showed the domineering spirit of this royal garden. After swiping the card to enter the door, we walked along the tree-lined road and headed deeper into the garden.
The summer clouds hang in the clear blue sky, and the rays of sunlight shine through the branches and leaves of the trees in the garden on the road, on the grass, and on the hearts of every visitor.
Wang Xiu/photo
Although we have seen the appearance of the Old Summer Palace after the destruction of the Old Summer Palace countless times in books, when we really walked to the ruins scenic spot and really stood in front of the various architectural ruins that had been changed beyond recognition, a kind of almost suffocating sadness and anger still shook our hearts with the greatest impact.
The remnants of the stones, the broken walls everywhere, all reveal sadness. That kind of historical humiliation is like a drum hammer in the heart, and each hammer is more painful than the other. The smiles on the children's faces slowly disappeared, and their expressions were serious, angry, and their words were full of pity and pity.
We stood for a long time in front of the remnants of buildings such as Yuanying Temple, Dashui Law, Water Viewing Law, Square Appearance, Water Storage Building, and Harmonious Curiosity, as well as in front of the ruins of wooden palace courtyards that had completely disappeared, outlining their original grandeur in our hearts and imagining the stories that happened to them......
Travel/photograph
The more I can think of her beauty, the more I can feel her pain. The miracle of 3.5 million square meters in the world, the garden residence of the six emperors from Kangxi to Xianfeng, is left to future generations only full of devastation and desolation. Fortunately, her lush ancient trees, clear and bright lake, strong and upright stone pillars, poetic and deep history, and the long-lasting charm of the scenery compensate for her unique beauty.
I wanted to take a few pictures of the children, and they shook their heads, pointed to the scarred stones, and said let's not disturb them, let them watch over the Old Summer Palace quietly.
In the Haiyan Hall and the Old Summer Palace Exhibition Hall, we met a group of children who came to study, and the team leader was telling the story of the twelve beast heads, and we also followed them to listen carefully and think seriously. In front of the replica statue of the twelve beast heads, we smiled and took a group photo. We firmly believe that the head of the beast that does not come back will one day return home.
When they walked through the harmonious fun, bypassed the foundation of the bird cage, and came to the maze of the Ten Thousand Flowers Array, the children returned to their lively and happy appearance. They scrambled to get out of the labyrinth, round and round, tirelessly, chattering about their understanding of the labyrinth. As they stood on the high European-style pavilion in the middle of the labyrinth, the children waved their hands and shouted excitedly: "Dear Old Summer Palace, we have come to see you!" ”
Yang Shengqing/photo
Their appearance is the appearance of Chinese teenagers who were born in splendid China and grew up in a prosperous and prosperous era, and their posture is the appearance of today's China straightening up and forging ahead.
I stood on the pavilion and used my phone to capture every scenery surrounded by greenery. In my lens, the Old Summer Palace in summer is full of greenery and antique, with low walls, crooked corners, and surging peoples in the distance, and old trees, willows, and lush meadows in the distance...... Everywhere is filled with the beauty of hope.
In the evening, we came to the rippling waters of Fuhai. Fuhai is so beautiful at sunset! Maybe that's what the heavenly Yao Chi looks like.
Walking on the shore of Fuhai, it is like stepping into a paradise with birds singing and flowers, clean and thorough, and small bridges and flowing water. The sparkling water surface has become a huge mirror, in which the blue sky and white clouds are reflected, the sun shines like gold on the water, large lotus flowers are embellished, flocks of ducks play in pairs, and smiling tourists cheer and take pictures......
Su Chaoyu/photo
A gust of breeze blows on the cheeks, the tiredness of the body and the heat in the heart are slowly blown away, making people just want to put aside all their thoughts and immerse themselves in this beautiful scenery, relax their minds and wash their souls......
In the Black Swan Scenic Area, we were fortunate to find several pairs of beautiful and unique black swans in the dense waterfowl on the lake, their feathers formed a halo under the reflection of the sun that was about to set, which was more lively and lovely than the appearance of the black swan bronze sculpture works by the lake. When the waterfowl swim or take off, they stir up a circle of ripples and gently spread into the distance, reflecting the lake as the sun sets.
Zhao Ying/photo
When they were about to leave the Old Summer Palace at night, the children stood in front of the propaganda board of the "Qianlong Circle of Friends" and took pictures, and their mischievous postures and funny movements released their joy of playing in the Old Summer Palace.
In a person's life, there will always be a hearty and unforgettable journey experience. Perhaps this late date, the sorrow and joy of the Old Summer Palace experienced in this date, and the history and beauty of the Old Summer Palace will become precious memories for the children on the road to growth.
Since the official micro-blog of the Old Summer Palace was held, it has received many excellent manuscripts from friends. Thank you friends for your love for the Old Summer Palace, we will treat every manuscript with care and share more and better articles with you.
Submission email address: [email protected] (Please indicate the title: Yuanmingyuan official micro submission.) And mark the author's contact information, please "ensure that the manuscript is original, and it is the first publication of the WeChat public account", and refuse to submit more than one manuscript. ）
[Written by]
Ye Jianxia
[edit]
Zhao Lei