Abstract
The emperor of China, or Son of Heaven, was entitled to the maximum pleasure. In imperial China, it was taken for granted that the country and people are both “to consecrate one person” (gongfeng yiren). Only the ruler’s own conscience could restrain his passion and desire. In this sense, the magnificent Yuanming Yuan only matched the paramount status of the Qing emperors who conquered a vast empire. The garden came of age in 1723 upon the ascendancy of the Yongzheng Emperor, who added courts and office buildings to the pleasure environment and set the precedent for running state affairs from the Yuanming Yuan. Indeed, from Yongzheng to Xianfeng, five Qing emperors thoroughly enjoyed the more than 500-acre scenic land, with hundreds of halls and pavilions, and the extremely luxurious living. They inevitably transformed it into a regular residence, or even their principal residence, and spent increasing amounts of time each year in the garden. Britain’s Lord Elgin, who saw both the Forbidden City and the imperial garden, quickly remarked that “I don’t wonder that the Emperor preferred Yuen-ming Yuan” (Walrond 1872, 369).
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