Bridge, Summer Palace, Beijing

This photograph shows two of the many picturesque bridges in the lake at the Summer Palace complex outside Beijing. Built in 1750 for the Qing dynasty's Qianlong emperor (r. 1735–1796), this complex comprises palaces, temples, pavilions, and gardens situated on and around Longevity Hill and the manmade Kunming Lake. The lake occupies more than threequarters of the total complex area. Bridges of different shapes and sizes connect the artificial islands on the southern part of the lake. The islands and shores separate the lake into sections in which were created different views referring to scenic locations elsewhere in China. This treatment of landscape gardening exemplifies a practice made famous by the Qing emperors—that of "borrowing a scene."