The discovery at the Summer Palace of three sections of roof painting dating back to the Qing Dynasty gave a pleasant surprise to historians conducting an investigation of the old imperial garden.
The discovery occurred on April 26, in the second week of the ongoing survey. When archaeologists exposed the ceiling of the Hall of Paiyun on the Longevity Hill, they found a large section of roof painted in the southern style, with auspicious patterns on the ridge. The archaeologists believe it was done over 100 years ago during the reign of Empress Dowager Cixi, in the late Qing Dynasty.
The paintwork is intact and the colors are still fresh and bright, largely due to the fact that it has been sealed up in the roof above the ceiling for the past century, and kept away from natural decay, according to the researchers.
Two other similar pieces were found the following day in two side chambers to the east and west of the Hall of Paiyun. The discovery of the three sections of painted roof has significant value in the study of painting on traditional architecture, said the archaeologists.
The Hall of Paiyun, which was first built in the 1860s, sits on the central axis on Longevity Hill. It was where Empress Dowager Cixi celebrated her birthday every year on the tenth of the tenth month of the lunar calendar. Some of the birthday gifts presented to the dictatorial Empress Dowager by court officials can be seen displayed in the hall.
The investigation and survey of the Summer Palace was launched on April 18, with the aim of protecting the world-famous imperial garden. Each of the 3,000-odd buildings within the garden will be carefully examined. The information collected will be used to establish a Summer Palace Archive aimed at providing first-hand materials for the garden as preservation in the future. The investigation will be completed in early June.
(Beijing Today May 9, 2003)
