The Past and Present of Zhongnanhai was once a royal garden, and it is still mysterious
China, a country with a long and powerful history, has left behind many representative ancient buildings, which have carried thousands of years of vicissitudes of wind and rain, inherited traditional Chinese culture and aesthetics, and demonstrated the prosperity and wisdom of ancient China.
Among them, Zhongnanhai is a representative ancient building, which has symbolized China's national image since ancient times. In ancient times, it was a royal garden; In the ** period, it became the office of Beiyang**; After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it became the office of many important state organs. Zhongnanhai has shown the world a vibrant China full of history. This place is full of mysteries and countless evocative stories have taken place.
This land has witnessed the rise and fall of China, and its historical story has left people in awe. The transformation of Zhongnanhai is not only the evolution of a building, but also a mirror image of Chinese history.
Zhongnanhai is an architectural treasure in the history of the Chinese nation, and its world-famous reputation is not only because it is located in the vast territory of China, but also because it enjoys a high reputation around the world. It has set multiple records and is by far one of the oldest, most extensive, best-preserved and most scenic royal gardens in the world.
It has witnessed so many celebrities and major events that it has become one of the most politically mysterious places.
Let's start with the long history of Zhongnanhai. Located on the west side of the Forbidden City and Jingshan, it is famous for the combined name of the Middle Sea and the South China Sea, and the North Sea forms the name of the Three Seas. It is precisely because of the beautiful scenery here that the ancients took a fancy to this treasure land.
The construction of Zhongnanhai can be traced back to the Liaojin period, when this area was known as Yaoyu and was a resort for the Liao emperors. Its rich historical heritage adds a profound cultural connotation to this garden.
In 1179 of the Jin Dynasty, large-scale construction began in Zhongnanhai, which was initially named Daming Palace and later renamed Wanning Palace. There are pavilions and palace gardens on Qionghua Island, and in order to beautify Qionghua Island, the builders even transported Taihu Lake stones from far away Bianjing.
With the advent of the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial court continued to expand on the original basis, and operated and carved Qionghua Island and Wanshou Mountain on the island, making the mountain peaks and clear water, green trees and strange stones complement each other, and it is beautiful. The palace stands on Wanshou Mountain, and there is a stone bridge at the bottom of the mountain, which perfectly combines man-made buildings with natural scenery.
During the Yuan Dynasty, the capital city was established with Qionghua Island and Haizi as the center, and Zhongnanhai became a formal royal garden, and the political atmosphere gradually increased.
With the continuous maturity of construction technology, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the scale of Sanhai gradually took shape, and the buildings of the previous dynasty were repaired in the early Ming Dynasty, and then larger-scale construction was carried out. The South China Sea was opened, the liquid pool was expanded, the water between the Yitian Temple and the Forbidden City was filled, the Tuan Cheng was built, and many new constructions were carried out around the Great Liquid Pond and on Qionghua Island.
By the Qing Dynasty, the construction of Sanhai was basically completed, mainly repairs and supplements. Some old buildings were demolished, some were rebuilt, and some were newly built. For example, the buildings on the top of Qionghua Island were demolished to build a lama pagoda and a Buddhist temple, and the mountain was renamed Baita Mountain because of its white pagoda.
After the Qing Dynasty, there were basically no greater changes, and the modern Beiyang ** demolished the outer wall of Baoyue Tower and renamed it Xinhua Gate, making it the main gate of Zhongnanhai. The whole process has witnessed the evolution and development of Zhongnanhai from ancient times to the present.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhongnanhai was rebuilt, mainly focusing on the renovation of old-style buildings, and demolishing some buildings that were difficult to repair.
Since the Liaojin era, Zhongnanhai has a history of about 1,000 years, witnessing the construction of generations of Chinese and evolving into what it is today.
Zhongnanhai has gone through the change of dynasties, countless disasters, wars and foreign invasions, and finally ushered in the new China. This thousand-year-old history has endowed Zhongnanhai with the character of "long history". Speaking of the grandeur of Zhongnanhai, it covers an area of about 1,500 acres, of which the water area accounts for about half, about 700 acres.
The interior of Zhongnanhai is rich in scenery, including Ziguang Pavilion, Fengze Garden, Jinggu, Shuiyun Pavilion, Jiaoyuan, Qinzheng Palace, Wanshan Palace, Regent's Palace, Yingtai and so on. Pick one of them at random, all of them show an extremely magnificent architectural style, such as the Xiangluan Pavilion north of Yingtai, which is two floors high, with a total of 14 rooms on the left and right, and a total of 38 rooms on the left and right extension buildings.
When it comes to the beauty of Zhongnanhai, there is no need to say more. Its long history and heritage are the embodiment of inner beauty, and its magnificent and exquisite landscapes are the expression of outer beauty. These two kinds of beauty are difficult to have at the same time in other landscapes.
Before the Yuan Dynasty, the construction of Zhongnanhai, regardless of its size, was mainly for fun. However, since the construction of the imperial city in the Yuan Dynasty, it has gradually evolved into a royal garden and has begun to show some political overtones.
By the time of the Qing Dynasty, Zhongnanhai's political significance surpassed that of any previous era. The emperors of the Qing Dynasty frequented this place, and the Empress Dowager Cixi also had a soft spot for Zhongnanhai. Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong often held banquets in the Hanyuan Hall in Yingtai to entertain the civil and military ministers. During the Wuxu Reform, the Guangxu Emperor often dealt with state affairs in Yingtai, but after the failure of the reform, the Guangxu Emperor was imprisoned here by the Empress Dowager Cixi, and finally died here.
During the Qing Dynasty, with the increase of contacts with foreign countries, Zhongnanhai became a place for some diplomatic activities to meet foreign envoys and receive credentials.
Ziguang Pavilion is located in Zhonghai, where the two emperors Kangxi and Qianlong gave it a strong military atmosphere. Emperor Kangxi renovated the Ziguang Pavilion to make it a place for reviewing guards and conducting martial arts competitions. Emperor Qianlong collected the drawings of previous battles and captured ** here, and at the same time hung the portraits of the heroes in the pavilion.
During the ** period, Zhongnanhai was set up as the Generalissimo's Mansion, the Great ** Mansion and other institutions, and Li Yuanhong was even imprisoned here by Yuan Shikai.
In the course of nearly 1,000 years of evolution, Zhongnanhai has gradually transformed from an entertainment venue to a center of political, military and diplomatic activities. Builders gradually built according to these uses in the reconstruction, and this tradition has continued in modern times.
Zhongnanhai not only has a magnificent palace, but also a quaint house, which is both solemn and poetic. It can be used both as a venue for major events as well as for residence.
During the last years of the Qing Dynasty, China experienced turbulent years such as warlord warfare and foreign invasions. The Eight-Nation Alliance, the Kuomintang Army, and the Japanese Occupation Army all left traces in Zhongnanhai.
During this period, the area suffered from war, either destroyed by greedy bandits, or due to a lack of awareness of historical preservation, and a long-term lack of effective management. This magnificent royal garden has experienced a period of decay.
With the advent of the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the relevant parties gradually realized that due to the increase in affairs, ** and *** faced a lot of inconvenience in handling affairs, and needed a convenient office space. Zhongnanhai became the ideal choice, with its expansive space in the heart of the city and having been identified as a political center in ancient times.
According to the instructions of the superiors, Qi Yanming, secretary of the Government Council, and three directors of the ** department, Shen Bochun, Jin Cheng, and Zhou Zijian, took the lead in entering Beijing. Later, he was instructed to take over Zhongnanhai and Beijing Hotel first.
At that time, Zhongnanhai did not have the police of the new China, nor did it have the People's Liberation Army, and the gate was open and anyone could enter, which created conditions for the destruction of Zhongnanhai.
Subsequently, the Beiping Picket Corps entered Zhongnanhai, and it was only here that it was protected. However, the clean-up is also a huge undertaking.
In the past, the Japanese occupation forces and some Kuomintang people did not have a sense of protection when using it, resulting in serious damage to the houses, and the yards were in a mess, with garbage, fallen leaves and sludge all over the ground. The original turquoise pool has also become like a stinky ditch, and this environment is obviously not suitable for the office of state agencies.
As a result, hundreds of PLA fighters carried out a comprehensive clean-up from start to finish, of which it took months to clean the pool. In addition to garbage, a lot of *** items were found in the pond, which not only polluted the water quality, but also posed a safety hazard. 
At the same time as the clean-up, Zhongnanhai was repaired and renovated. In order to revive those dilapidated buildings, considerable efforts were expended, and the famous architect Mr. Liang Sicheng was even invited to participate in them.
After nearly half a year of hard work, this magnificent royal garden has been restored to its former glory, and ** and *** have also moved in here to start living and working here.
Zhongnanhai has many stories and legends, today's Xinhua Gate used to be Baoyue Tower, according to legend, it was built by Emperor Qianlong for Xiangfei, completely according to the scene of Xiangfei's hometown.
One of the stories is about Emperor Qianlong, and it is said that Baoyue Tower was built by him for Concubine Xiang, but later the Empress Dowager was very angry when she heard about it, and finally gave Concubine Xiang to death. Over time, the story has been processed and enriched to become even more legendary, adding a veil of mystery to the place. In fact, this story is more fictional and apocryphal by posterity.
Some of the stories or legends of the ancient royal family are fictional, but the stories of the hard work and self-discipline requirements of proletarian revolutionaries such as the chairman and the prime minister are real.
Back then, *** was actually reluctant to live in Zhongnanhai, because that was where the previous emperor lived, and ours ** was the people**, which was obviously different from before. Despite this, Zhongnanhai has been designed and built in accordance with the idea of national offices since ancient times, and it is indeed very convenient for office.
Even after *** moved in, his residence was still very modest, with a bed, a desk, a sofa, and a bookshelf full of books. Everything is extremely simple. In the *** room, you can't imagine that this humble room is actually in the middle of a magnificent royal garden. This embodies the spirit of the revolutionaries of the older generation who have never forgotten their original aspirations.
In addition to the Juxiang Book House where *** lives, another place we are familiar with is the West Flower Hall, which is the residence of the prime minister, and the furnishings there are also simple.
At any given time, people seem to be able to see *** walking briskly in the room to think about a certain problem, and staying up all night in the dim light in order to complete a certain job. He lived in the most modest room and ate the simplest meals, but here he put into practice many ideas to change the face of the country and make the people rich.
Although Zhongnanhai was once a place of entertainment for the ancient royal family, we still have to affirm the great wisdom of the ancients in architecture, which is indeed a treasure of the Chinese nation.
Once a venue for emperors to feast and entertain, Zhongnanhai later became the center of the leaders of New China to lead the people of the whole country to prosperity and strength. And in this new era, Zhongnanhai has been given a new mission.