Laraine Armenti

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Yiheyuan—New Summer Palace, 1

May 15, 2015 by Laraine Armenti, visual artist

ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — BEIJING, no. 6

New Summer Palace

All that is absent at Yuanmingyuan, the Old Summer Palace, is present a little further west at Yiheyuan, the New Summer Palace, in Haidian, Beijing. The inadequacy of photography to convey atmosphere and grandeur is demonstrated in nearly every picture of my visit. Photographic flattening and miniaturization obliterates dizzying heights and magisterial transformations of space. Each set of interior and outdoor rooms spills into the next with unbelievable charm and complexity. The enormous property had been the exclusive enclave of a tiny feudal elite class. Rebuilt by Empress Dowager Cixi after the catastrophe of 1860, it was opened to the public in 1924. Thousands of visitors trample the grounds daily, kept somewhat in check by ubiquitous railings, continuously posing for and taking millions of photographs and videos. The phrase “rolling in her grave” took ten minutes to explain to my patient guide.

New Summer Palace

Qilin

New Summer Palace

New Summer Palace

New Summer Palace

New Summer Palace

New Summer Palace

New Summer Palace

New Summer Palace

Yiheyuan

New Summer Palace

New Summer Palace

New Summer Palace

New Summer Palace

Yiheyuan

a very large stone that caused so many problems it is called “unlucky”

New Summer Palace

New Summer Palace

calligraphy in the artist’s courtyard

New Summer Palace

an artist painting the marble boat

New Summer Palace

marble boat that does not float, for moon festival parties

New Summer Palace

New Summer Palace

New Summer Palace

New Summer Palace

guard’s gate

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Filed Under: Artist Residency, China, Photo Tagged With: Yiheyuan

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