Friday, April 20, 2012

The Marble Boat


The Marble also identified as the Boat of Purity and Ease is a lakeside pavilion on the grounds of the Summer Palace in Beijing, China.

It was first erected in 1755 throughout the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. The original pavilion was made from a base of huge stone blocks which supported a wooden superstructure done in a traditional Chinese design.

In 1860, throughout the Second Opium War, the pavilion was destroyed by Anglo-French forces. It was restored in 1893 on order of the Empress Dowager Cixi. In this restoration, a new two-story superstructure was designed which incorporated elements of European architecture. 

Like its predecessor, the new superstructure is made out of wood but it was absolutely painted to imitate marble. On each "deck", there is a large mirror to reflect the waters of the lake and give an impression of total immersion in the aquatic surroundings. Imitation paddlewheels on every side of the pavilion makes it look like a paddle steamer. The pavilion has a sophisticated drainage system which channels rain water through four hollow pillars. The water is lastly released into the lake through the mouths of four dragonheads.

The boat design of the pavilion can relate to a quote attributed to Wei Zheng, a chancellor of the Tang Dynasty renowned for his honest advice. He is said to have told the emperor "the waters that float the boat can also swallow it", implying that the people will support the emperor but can also topple him. With this in mind, Emperor Qianlong might have chosen to construct the Marble Boat on a solid stone base to point out that the Qing Dynasty was not to be overthrown.

The Marble Boat is often seen as an ironic commentary on the actual fact that the money used to restore the Summer Palace largely came from funds originally earmarked for building up a new imperial navy. The controller of the Admiralty, Prince Chun, owed much of his social standing as well as his appointment to the Empress Dowager, who had adopted his oldest son to become the Guangxu Emperor. Because of this, he probably saw no other alternative than to condone the embezzlement.

The pavilion is 36 meters long. It stands on the northwestern shore of Kunming Lake, near the western end of the Long Corridor.

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