Gardens of a Chinese Emperor: Imperial Creations of the Qianlong Era, 1736-1796

The Garden of Perfect Brightness (Yuanming Yuan) in the western suburbs of the Qing capital, Beijing, was begun by the great Kangxi (r. 1661–1722) and expanded by his son, Yongzheng (r. 1722–1735) and brought to its greatest glory by his grandson, Qianlong (r. 1736–1796). A lover of literature and art, Qinglong sought an earthly reflection of his greatness in his Yuanming Yuan. For many years he designed and directed an elaborate program of garden arrangements. Representing two generations ...