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Lot Essay
The present painting depicts a sweeping panoramic view of Beihai in Beijing and is remarkable for its monumental scale. Paintings of Beihai of such dimensions are exceptionally rare. Far removed from the intimate scale of conventional literati paintings or commercially produced city views, the present work was almost certainly commissioned for an special setting, where it would have served both documentary and decorative purposes.
Beihai Park, situated northwest of the Forbidden City, represents one of the earliest surviving imperial gardens in China and remains amongst the best preserved. Together with Zhonghai and Nanhai, it formed the “Three Seas” of the Western Gardens, with Beihai traditionally regarded as the most scenic of the three. At its centre rises Qionghua Island, crowned by the iconic White Pagoda, a landmark described by the architectural historian Liang Sicheng in his History of Chinese Architecture as ascending prominently above the lake and visible across the capital skyline. The island was first developed during the Jin dynasty in 1179, and the surrounding Taiye Lake area continued to evolve through the Yuan and Ming dynasties as an important imperial pleasure ground used for excursions, banquets, ceremonial gatherings, archery, and dragon boat festivities.
The Qing dynasty transformed Beihai on an even grander scale. In 1651, during the reign of the Shunzhi Emperor, the Tibetan style White Pagoda was erected atop Qionghua Island on the former site of the Guanghan Hall, establishing Beihai as both an imperial garden and an important centre of Tibetan Buddhist patronage. Although destroyed by earthquake in 1679, the pagoda was rebuilt the following year. Under the Qianlong Emperor, extensive additions further expanded the complex, including temples and scenic retreats such as Chanfu Temple, Xitian Fanjing, Xiaoxitian, Kuai Xue Tang, and Jingxin Studio, creating much of the layout visible today. The site consequently combined multiple functions as palace, religious sanctuary, landscaped garden, ceremonial space, and imperial retreat.
The design of Beihai also reflects the ancient Chinese garden concept of “one lake and three immortal mountains”. Within Taiye Lake, Qionghua Island, Tuancheng, and Xishantai symbolically evoked the legendary isles of Penglai, Yingzhou, and Fangzhang associated with Daoist immortality, expressing the imperial aspiration to recreate a terrestrial paradise. While influenced in part by the aesthetics of Jiangnan gardens, Beihai retained the monumentality and axial dignity characteristic of northern imperial landscape design. Its religious architecture incorporated Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese Buddhism, and Daoist traditions alike, making it one of the most symbolically layered royal garden complexes in Beijing.
The present composition adopts an almost cartographic panoramic perspective, capturing the White Pagoda rising above Qionghua Island, the expansive waters of Taiye Lake, connecting bridges, and the numerous halls, pavilions, and temple complexes dispersed throughout the grounds. The unusually large format enabled the artist to render the architectural forms and relative spatial relationships with exceptional precision, endowing the work not only with artistic significance but also with considerable documentary value for the study of the historical topography of Beihai.
Beihai Park, situated northwest of the Forbidden City, represents one of the earliest surviving imperial gardens in China and remains amongst the best preserved. Together with Zhonghai and Nanhai, it formed the “Three Seas” of the Western Gardens, with Beihai traditionally regarded as the most scenic of the three. At its centre rises Qionghua Island, crowned by the iconic White Pagoda, a landmark described by the architectural historian Liang Sicheng in his History of Chinese Architecture as ascending prominently above the lake and visible across the capital skyline. The island was first developed during the Jin dynasty in 1179, and the surrounding Taiye Lake area continued to evolve through the Yuan and Ming dynasties as an important imperial pleasure ground used for excursions, banquets, ceremonial gatherings, archery, and dragon boat festivities.
The Qing dynasty transformed Beihai on an even grander scale. In 1651, during the reign of the Shunzhi Emperor, the Tibetan style White Pagoda was erected atop Qionghua Island on the former site of the Guanghan Hall, establishing Beihai as both an imperial garden and an important centre of Tibetan Buddhist patronage. Although destroyed by earthquake in 1679, the pagoda was rebuilt the following year. Under the Qianlong Emperor, extensive additions further expanded the complex, including temples and scenic retreats such as Chanfu Temple, Xitian Fanjing, Xiaoxitian, Kuai Xue Tang, and Jingxin Studio, creating much of the layout visible today. The site consequently combined multiple functions as palace, religious sanctuary, landscaped garden, ceremonial space, and imperial retreat.
The design of Beihai also reflects the ancient Chinese garden concept of “one lake and three immortal mountains”. Within Taiye Lake, Qionghua Island, Tuancheng, and Xishantai symbolically evoked the legendary isles of Penglai, Yingzhou, and Fangzhang associated with Daoist immortality, expressing the imperial aspiration to recreate a terrestrial paradise. While influenced in part by the aesthetics of Jiangnan gardens, Beihai retained the monumentality and axial dignity characteristic of northern imperial landscape design. Its religious architecture incorporated Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese Buddhism, and Daoist traditions alike, making it one of the most symbolically layered royal garden complexes in Beijing.
The present composition adopts an almost cartographic panoramic perspective, capturing the White Pagoda rising above Qionghua Island, the expansive waters of Taiye Lake, connecting bridges, and the numerous halls, pavilions, and temple complexes dispersed throughout the grounds. The unusually large format enabled the artist to render the architectural forms and relative spatial relationships with exceptional precision, endowing the work not only with artistic significance but also with considerable documentary value for the study of the historical topography of Beihai.