The Marble Boat, Summer Palace, Beijing

The Marble Boat is located in the northwest corner of Kunming Lake and close to the western foot of Longevity Hill at the Summer Palace. It is flanked to the east by Baizhang Pavilion and to the north by Xing Bride. Hidden from the surrounding views, the boat comes as if it was just sailing from the south. The boat is also called Han Chuan (Land Boat) or Bu Ji Zhou (Unmoored Boat) because it is not navigable. In ancient China, people often built smaller versions of boats as part of the decoration in classical gardens to enrich the beautiful scenery, as well as provide a seat for people to enjoy the sight and feast.

The Marble Boat was built in 1755 with a base made from huge stones. The base supported a wooden pavilion in traditional Chinese style imitating the sailing boats of Emperor Qianlong (1711 – 1799). The boat replaced a platform belonging to Yuanjing Temple during the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). Wei Zheng, a prominent prime minister under the reign of Emperor Taizhong, Tang Dynasty, once said, “Water can carry the boat as well as overturn it.” He meant that water symbolizing the common people can support a good emperor or overthrow a bad emperor. Emperor Qianlong had the huge Marble Boat fastened in the water to indicate the steadfast rule of the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911).

Image published by Baetho on 2015-08-01 18:53:47 and used under Creative Commons license.

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