Gate of New China - Xinhua Men , ZhongNanHai China CP Leadership Compound (2) History of

Eventhough secluded and hidden under a high security blanket, due to its enormous importance as the Residential Seat of the Leadership there is quite some history to the Zhongnanhai Complex.

The Story of the Garden is is in esssence as old as the City of Beijing itself.

The earliest history and origins of Zhongnanhai date as far back as the (Northern) Liao Dynasty (907 AD - 1125 AD), a Dynasty founded by the Khitan People, an ethnic group from the far northern regions, partially lying beyond the borders of what today is China. In the year 938 AD, Beijing -then renamed Nanjing meaning 'Southern Capital', became the secondary Capital of the Dynasty, rising enormously in importance. Some structures in Beijing still remind of that earliest of Era's and one might say that the Zhongnanhai Complex is one

Thus Zhonghai and Nanhai finally became part of the Imperial Palace, the 'Forbidden City' itself.

In the same year the Church was raised and removed, 1877 AD, work started on yet another fabulous Imperial Pleasure Garden in Beijing.

Due to its connection to the Imperial Palace in the East and the waters of Beihai, already a pleasure garden expanded by the Emperor Qianlong, the design of the garden had to be very much in tune with its surroundings. It was to house the retirement Palace of the Empress-Dowager, who in reality was the ruling Emperor. and would further contain the waters and garden that Cixi so very much enjoyed. The oversight for the construction of the new Imperial Garden and park by under leadership of the 1st Prince Chun, one of Empress-Dowager Cixi's cronies during the Guanxu Reign and the father of the Last Emperor Pu Yi.

In the end the design turned out very much alike Beihai park, established already

during the Ming Dynasty (1368 AD - 1644 AD) with only one major difference, the Zhongnanhai Complex was the location of the new and enlarged personal Palace of the then still ruling Empress-Dowager Cixi. Inside the complex were not merely gardens and temples but also the 'retirement Place of the Empress-Dowager' (as with the Kangxi Emperor, the Old Ruler would however remain always the true ruler behind the Throne, based on Confucian Principles of Filial Piety and Family Traditions).

Parts of this Palace have become quite famous, or notorious, and these still stand today as a reminder to the luxury, intrigue and cruelties of the Feudal Past. Check the adjacent satellite image based Map to find their locations within.

To name but a few, there is chamber of the Spring Lotus, which is part of Cixi's 'Retirement Palace' and later became the residence of Mao Zedong's last and worst wife, known as Jiang Qing and in the east and west notorious and denounced as a member of the so-called 'Gang of Four'. Interestingly, after Mao's passing into the next realm, Jiang Qing had hoped to succeed and thus become a a new 'Empress' of sorts in the likeness of Hsu-Tzi (Cixi).

Far less famous but celebrated by fans of Beijing Opera in the true old style is another relic from the years under the rule of The Empress-Dowager, a large Opera Theatre constructed to facilitate the City Elite during cozy get togethers with the Empress-Dowager and her Court. It was a great honor to be invited to the show, which was no doubt the best in town. For an artist it was the highest thing to dream of, a performance at court for the 'Empress' herself.

See the Sony classic film 'Shadow Magic', to get an impression of what the excitement of such a performance may have been like for both the Empress and the Artist, as this film features a scene taking place at the Zhongnanhai Opera Theatre. Naturally, the film had to make use of another stage, due to the fact that Zhongnanhai is off limits to camera's and no filiming has ever been allowed by outsiders (that we know off).

Another impressive structure, one of many, is the Gate of New China itself. Still the official Main ceremonial entrance into the complex it is a unique piece of architecture, no copy or twin of which can be found anywhere in China.

Palace, the imperial City including the Zhongnanhai Garden were looted by Foreign Troops doing immense damage to China's cultural heritage, and carting off many priceless relics and far more lesser items off to foreign lands. The remainder was destroyed or when useless or too heavy, left on the spot. Although the looting was mourned as a National Tragedy and yet another humiliation at Foreign Hands, today it has turned a blessing in disguise of sorts, as later during the "Cultural Revolution", many unique items remained safely outside of reach and outside of China, often in Museums and private collections. The items lost are today often bought back by rich Chinese Collectors or Chinese Museums. Donations, the voluntary return of the items to the care of the Chinese State do also occur.

of them. That is, the waters and lakes that constitute today's complex, the south lake and the middle lake, were in essence already present in that day.

From the auspiciousness of the Lakes, eventually arose Imperial Gardens and after many centuries at last the Zhongnanhai and other complexes.

As can still be deduced from the historic Map of Beijing in the year 1875 AD, it all had a lot to do with the basic necessities for human life, water in this case, and who would get the rights to the best of it. Naturally, especially in a growing city, there was quite some competition over the sources for fresh water in the Beijing Region. What was equally important as the abundance of the source, was the quality of the water of the various streams available to the cities inhabitants. Beijing's waters have historically been

When Emperor Guanxu turned 17 in the year 1889 AD he supposedly would become the Emperor in function, thereby freeing himself from the will and policies of wicked Empress-Dowager Cixi. Although the legal position of the Emperor did change, his real political position hardly did. More reform minded than the old and thoroughly traditional Cixi, the Emperor still needed to calculate his every move, and include the Empress-Dowager in the balance when making decisions. Thus, it took yet another ten years until the two differently inclined powers at court came head to head, causing a violent upheaval in Beijing.

The Emperor only openly revolted against the wishes of the respected old 'Empress' when forced by dire events. In the years 1894 AD - 1895 AD the supposedly upgraded Chinese Fleet was yet again humiliated and defeated, this time not by a superior Imperialist (Colonial) Power, but by a fellow Asian nation, the supposedly befriended Japanese Empire.

The situation became clearer and clearer the longer the Emperor sat iddling his time; the Dynasty was dying, and due to the lack of action against the court, and its refusal to reform and modernise, it would be dead very soon if no changes were made to the Courts policies. The Emperor, no doubt, concluded that he had been right about the reform idea's inspired by the Japanese example of modernization, which had clearly made Japan superior to China. The Public, if there was any such thing,

In this case, it should first be noted that eventhough the request was issued and signed by the Guangxu Emperor himself, officially the Nation's highest legal authority, in reality it was his Grandmother, the Empress-Dowager Hsu-Tzi who was behind the request. As history would show later, at the Time the young Emperor, still not of the Age to Govern, was entirely dominated politically by the Empress-Dowager, who reigned over him via the now infamous 'Reign behind a Curtain' (see the Film).

Thus it was Cixi, not Guangxu who had set her eyes upon the Cathedral and the Lakes region. From this one might deduce that perhaps the Cathedral, that hated symbol of the Foreign domination of her own Court, was too close for comfort. It is said today that one reason that the Cathedral became impopular was that Foreigners could look into the Palace from the Church Tower, thus spying on the Imperial Court.

Of such, the Empress-Dowager could have none. As with earlier Dynastic generations in the millenia before her, the Empress-Dowager was extremely font of her privacy. She had several reasons to especially hate the prying eyes of Foreigners, especially missionaries and diplomats. As gar as most Chinese minds went, all foreigners were spies. It was, to say the least, incredible incovenient and quite unfortunate that the Kang Xi Emperor had decided to grant specifically this

particular plot of land. Now, the only place from which one could look into the new Palace extensions turned out to be inside the headquarters of the headquarters of the Foreigners Church. The unthinkable was quite true.

Besides all this, eventhough the Jesuits had done great things for Chinese Science in the past five centuries, by now their presence was relatively useless and they had become more a nuisance than a joy. Not only were the Jesuits always accused of spying for the enemy, their presence this near the Palace brought an unwanted suggestion of close ties and mutual affiliation. The Cathedral had become a political liability for the Court, no doubt.

Cixi, the Empress-Dowager, herself was a notoriously manipulative Lady and an outright conservative cut of the traditional Manchu (Nuzhen) Imperial wood. Today one might call Cixi a Nationalist even, she liked the things the way they were; thoroughly Chinese, according to her rule, and without the fast pace of the western world. Most likely she did not enjoy the view of the Cathedral on the western horizon next to her beautiful Palace. Therefor, the Cathedral had to go.

It did and the Church was well compensated for their willingness to comply with the urgent request without stirring further political troubles or protesting the matter. Far from it, the Priests were happy to be payed off and move out of sight for the time being. They knew they were not leaving the Court nor China. Not yet.

Although one cannot see this from the street and no access is allowed it is known that originally the entire garden, as with Beihai Park (Beihai Gongyuan), was arranged as if a buddhist temple complex.

Cixi, being only the second 'Empress' in Chinese History (the 1st was notorious Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty (Rule: (624 AD – 16 December 705), and known as a devout Buddhist, was often compared to either a Buddha or even the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin. She was also compared to the 1st Empress in many regards. Cixi liked her titles so much, she even occassionaly dressed up as Guanyin - the way in which the 1st Empress Wu Zetian is famously depicted at the famous Longmen Caves near Luoyang in Henan Province, a cultural heritage from the ancient Silk Road era- and played around as such just to have some fun for herself. There exists at least one court photo in which the Empress-Dowager is depicted in this outfit.

The Park being made to resemble a Buddhist

Temple complex, in the original arrangement, the Gate of New China was its entrance point. Thus, inside the Gate were originally a variety of Buddha statues set against a decorated screen wall of flying clouds, 9 on each side.

It is unknown if the statues are present today. They cannot be seen from the outside of the Gate, which is usually closed, and may have been removed during the more politically correct era, after the Communist Party Leaders settled at Zhongnanhai, much later in 1950.

To return to the history of Zhongnanhai, as described it was part of the extended Imperial Palace starting with the reign of the Qianlong Emperor of the Ching Dynasty. During the Guangxu Reign of the Qing Dynasty in 1877 AD, the Canshikou Cathedral was removed and further renovations made creating (almost) much of the lay-out and outline of the Zhongnanhai complex of today.

In the last years of the Qing Dynasty it was then in use as the ruling Palace of the Empress-Dowager, who dominated the Emperor, legitimately at least until his coming of Age.

When his "1898 AD Reform Movement" failed (as described in full on our Ching Descendancy resource page), the Empress-Dowager had the Emperor placed under House arrest here, at YinTai Island (Yin T'Ai offcially) in the middle of NanHai lake.

Later Emperor GuangXu was moved to the remaining Imperial Summer Palace, another Beijing pleasure Garden, taking him further away, out of reach of European invading Forces, which came to Liberate the Besieged. Foreign Legations at the Legation Quarter during the 1900 AD "Boxer" Rebellion. These Forces then went on to attack, unable to take Emperor and his Court hostage, the troops were then ordered to damage, pillage, loot and plunder the Yiheyuan Summer Palace (Summer palace 1, the Yuanmingyuan, was raised to the ground during the 1860 AD Opium War), making Empress-Dowager Cixi and her Court (+GuangXu) flee to Xian.

Along with the Yiheyuan new Summer

During the plunder of Beijing in the Hot and Bloody Summer of 1900 AD other Foreigners visited the Zhongnanhai Palace and Garden, taking photos of the now visitable but otherwise never to be visited buildings inside. It is unknown how much of the garden was photographed, however from the photographs it seems as though the damage to the interior of Zhongnahai and its Palaces was relatively mild and limited. No destruction can be seen on any of the photos found by the China Report Staff, so far. Reasons for this fact are under research but possibly have to do with specific orders given to avoid the Palace of the Empress-Dowager, since she would have been the one to approve the signing the humiliating treaty afterwards, or otherwise with the sheer magnitude of the Imperial Palace and its historic extensions. It is a city within a city, and quite the place to do a house-search, especially confusing to first time visitors. This last defence of the Palace twarthed any overzealous attempt to clean the place out through and through. The soldiers did their best, but nevertheless.

After serving for some time as private estate during China's lengthy KuoMinTang and Warlordism days, Zhongnahai became the Headquarters of the City Government of Beijing during the years of the Japanese Occupation.

progress to power in Beijing. In early 1949 Zhou Enlai, the new government's Premier, established himself in the old municipal government headquarters in Zhongnanhai and oversaw the repair of the compound's dilapidated buildings and the clearing of its silted lakes.

At some time during 1950 AD "ZhongNanHai" became the official China Communist Party Leadership compound, and was home to Chairman Mao Tse Tung (ZeDong)

himself and other important Revolutionary Leaders such as Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Lin Biao and others. It was the luxury new Imperial Palace. for the Party Elite. where, as generations of the Elite had done before,m could live their life in privacy and comfort, seperated from the common folk, those who Chairman Mao had so pointedly dubbed "the masses".

Both ZhongHai and NanHai are part of the ancient watersource of the Old Imperial City of Beijing. Both lakes are part of the pathway from the Western Mountain fresh water springs into KunMing Lake at the Summer Palace. From there the water flows through a series of Canals, HouHai, QianHai, BeiHai, ZhongHai-NanHai, the Imperial Palace Moat, Golden River stream into The Park of The Peoples Culture at the southern front of The Forbidden City (Palace Museum, but once an integrated part of the Imperial Palace (More information+reports on Beijing's Ancient water-source to follow in near future).

The first President of the Chinese Republic, Yuan Shikai, made the Sea Palaces his official residence. Like subsequent inhabitants, he was a man with imperial pretensions (before he died in 1916 he proclaimed himself emperor), and he chose the old leisure gardens dotted with luxurious halls and pavilions as the seat of the new government. He built an ornate chinoiserie confection called Xinhuamen, or New Flowery Gate, that served as a reviewing stand for army parades.

A Shematic Map of Beiping (Beijing) and wider City Province in the Year 1875 AD using the Old (and oudated) naming sytem. Map depicts major and minor roads, villages and Towns, Walled City of Beijing, Old and New Summer Palaces, The Fragrant Hills and the Western Hills, Tongzhou Village, Shunyi Village, Changping Village, the Ming Tombs Valley, Badaling Village, the Badaling Great Wall of China, Nankou Village, Nankou Great Wall of China Pass, and various other notable locations in the wider vicinity of the Capital of Beijing at the Time. Other details on this Map: mountains, lakes. There were no railroads in the area until 1899AD/1900 AD.

In If any of these protesters had made it past the guards they would have confronted the imposing "screen wall" just inside Xinhuamen. It is inscribed with a slogan in Chairman Mao's calligraphy that reads "Serve the People." Those who know the code of this slogan read it as "Keep out, restricted access."

Beyond the wall is a vast expanse of water, known as the South Sea. Skirting the lake toward the north is an ornamental island, Yingtai, or Ocean Terrace, where the ill-fated Guangxu emperor was imprisoned by the Empress Dowager Cixi after his failed attempt in 1898 to carry out economic and political reform. Today it's a scenic spot for the occasional exhibition and the delectation of select tourists. Apart from Yingtai, the lakes and a few scant pavilions, little of the imperial era survives. Energetic bureaucrats under the Republic and the People's Republic have razed most of the dynastic-era buildings.

What has survived exists in bizarre symmetry with the past. The inappositely named Palace Steeped in Compassion (Huairentang) has been rebuilt for party and government meetings. Many of the most momentous--and occasionally infamous--decisions of the party leadership have been made here. This is where Deng Xiaoping met with the commanders of the troops that crushed the 1989 protest movement. Further north is the Throne Hall of the Effulgent Pole-star (Ziguangge), which once was used to receive barbarian tributaries. For the past half-century, it has been a reception hall for visiting foreign dignitaries.

The extravagant late-Qing halls have been refitted with an eye to Chinese peasant aesthetics. State-of-the-art surveillance equipment monitors rooms filled with ungainly Eastern Bloc furniture, el cheapo light fixtures and chunky neo-traditional objets d'art. Outside, the geometry of the original landscaping has been undone by macadamized roads and cement parking lots for the official limousines that ferry comrades from plenum to post.

Getting into Zhongnanhai has always been hard work, and once you're in, staying there has never been easy. Thinkers, economists and rebels have all vied to be received there by party leaders. To "be called to Zhongnanhai" is an expression with powerful resonance among advisers on the make even today. Some who have made it into Zhongnanhai never got out alive. The most famous suicide was Mao's personal secretary, Tian Jiaying, who killed himself in the early phase of the Cultural Revolution.

The current party chief, Jiang Zemin, calls Zhongnanhai home. For Premier Zhu Rongji, though, it's just an office. Upon his ascension to Beijing, Zhu opted to keep the place at arm's length, taking up residence in a guarded compound nearby. If he topples from grace, at least he won't have that far to go.

notoriously unhealthy. There were but a few clear springs coming off the western hills and surrounding mountains, whereas the majority of wells and streams in the plains' more swampy and silted area's produced low quality water which was quite brackish and foul.

Already during the Liao Dynasty Era the fine natural hills and ponds in what is now the 'Beijing Lakes Region' were recognized as the best and most beautiful parts of the now growing city most attractive for holding residence. The waters in this region were derived from a spring which sprouted in the western hills, yielding an abundance of near crystal clear waters. Thus, apart from the scenery what was more important was the quality of the waters.

To make a long story short, almost naturally in such a strictly hierachical society, the rich and most powerful eventually layed their claim to the best, reserving Beijing's premium water supply for themselves. The less fortunate would have to do with the left-over bits and other water sources flowing through the city and area.

Already before 938 AD, the south, middle and north lakes and surrounding area's became the district of the aristocracy. Upon the crowning of the city as secondary Capital of the Nation, what is now recognized as Beijing's 'Lakes Region' was confiscated by the Imperial Court of the Liao Dynasty, which chose it as the site of the number one pleasure park reserved for the Emperor and his close following. Thus started the history of Zhongnanhai as an Imperial Palace and Pleasure Garden, by now over a 1000 years ago.

The history of the Beijing Lakes, of which Zhongnanhai is but a part, continued during the Jin Dynasty which absorbed large parts of the Liao's territory, brought down their Dynasty in 1125 AD and launched a new rule over the City.

It would make little difference to the City of Beijing which held its position of strategic, political and cultural importance in the northern regions.

Subsequently, during the following Reign of the Jin Dynasty Beijing saw the Imperial Winter Palace arose, creating in a sense the first Imperial Palace in Beijing. This Winter Palace of the Jin Emperor was located exactly due North of Zhongnanhai, at the Beihai (North Lake). With the Winter Palace situated in this manner, the Imperial Palace lay upstream from today's Zhongnanhai Complex, and so had a huge Imperial Garden extended in front of and South of the Palace. The South and Middle Lakes so continued their function as the prime pleasure gardens of the Imperial House within the City. It was a tradition that would long be held in honor, as subsequent Dynasties took their residence in what would become the Northern Capital, known as Beijing or Beiping.

In 1153 AD, the Jin Emperor moved his Capital away from the far northern territories of what is today Heilongjiang Province, promoting the the city of Yanjing into Zhongdu (中都) or the "Central Capital".

Now the most important city in the Empire the Palaces and gardens in the city were expanded and further developed, as were the many Temples in the City. The City of Zhongdu itself was located at some distance from the Palace along the river near the village of Fengtai and today's Temple of Heavenly Peace (Tianning Si).

According to historians the Jin expanded the city to the west, east, and south, doubling its size after becoming the home of the Imperial Seat. It is generally held today's map of urban Beijing, the city of Zhongdu would extend from Matteo Ricci's South Cathedral (Nan Tang at Xuanwumen) in the northeast to the Beijing West Railway Station to the west, and south of that line.

It was only later that the Imperial Palace would be located at the center of the City. The Jin emphasized the centrality of the regime by placing the walled palace complex near the center of Zhongdu. It was situated south of present-day Guang'anmen and north of the Grand View Garden. The Lugou Bridge (Lugou Qiao), better known to Foreigners as the Marco Polo Bridge over the Yongding River southwest of the city, was built in 1189 AD. Zhongdu served as the Jin capital for more than 60 years, until the onslaught of the Mongols forced the Jin court to move south to Kaifeng in 1214

The Next phase of the development of the City and the Imperial palaces and Gardens came with the next turn-over of the Heavenly Mandate. Only, unfortunatly for the city inhabitants, not after the utter destruction and pilfering of the City. The first serious foreboding came in the years 1214 AD to 1216 AD when the City came under siege from a huge Mongolian Army sent by their Great Khan. The City narrowly escaped it destruction that time by buying off the Mongolians, but in 1234 AD the city was burned to the ground, starting an entirely new Chapter in the History of Beijing. Afterwards, the city would become the Capital of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty (1271 AD - 1368 AD), as China became the Cathay Khanate, a part of the continent wide Mongolian Empire.

During the Yuan Dynasty the city of Beijing would be known as Khanbalik, the City of the Great Khan.

The story of Zhongnanhai during the later Qing Dynasty can best be started by referring to the Northern Church, which during the second half of the Qing Dynasty (1644 AD - 1911 AD) occupied part of the grounds of what today is Zhongnanhai.

The current Northern Church is located north-west of Beihai Park at Xishiku, however the Northern Church was in the past also known as the Western Cathedral for its earlier location at Canshikou, which lies well inside the exclusive ZhongNanHai communist Leadership compound. To be more specific, it stood on what is now the western banks of the lakes.

The land to build the Church on was originally granted under the Reign of the mighty Kang Xi (1661AD - 1722 AD), the longest reigning Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, for services rendered. Thereafter it was Beijing's largest and most important Church, which served as the home of the Headquarters of the Beijing Roman Catholic Diocese, established originally by Father Matteo Ricci at the beginning of the 18Th Century.

The Catholic Church and the Chinese Court however had a long history of mutual mistrust, and sometimes aggitation and violence. Thus, no matter how important this Cathedral, it was abandoned nevertheless, when in 1887 AD the Guanxu Emperor of the Qing Dynasty turned in a request for the entire Cathedral to move elsewhere. Even though today's history of the Church holds truthfully that the issue was settled and the Church well paid and moved, naturally there was more to the story than the mere explanation that the Guangxu Emperor wished to enlarge the Imperial Palace. It was a politically sensitive issue and the Cathedral had been attacked and partially destroyed on earlier occassions, attacked of a symbol of the increasingly hated Foreign presence in China.