Imperial residences of the Qing Dynasty could be regarded as the emperors’ traveling “Forbidden City”. The Hot Spring Imperial Residence was located in Xiaotangshan of the Changping District in Beijing, about 40 miles from the Yuanmingyuan (The Old Summer Palace). It was one of the important imperial residences in the north. The Hot Spring Imperial Residence was built in the fifth year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign (1666) and completed in the fifty-fourth year (1715), which took more than fifty years. It was managed by the Imperial Household Department, the position included leader manager (secondary class, fifth rank), manager (eighth rank), assistant manager (ninth rank); and secured by the Green Standard Army who was responsible for the surrounding area, while the guards were responsible for the inner area. Some area in the residence was also used for farming to increase income.
The Hot Spring Imperial Residence was designd in the shape of the Dragon turtle which implied a heathy long life. The front quarters, the dragon head, was usually used for hot spring bathing; The back quarters, the dragon body, was the administrative and living area. There was many beautiful architectures, such as the lakes, rivers and streams, garden bridges and small islands; and also interior features, including thrones, screens, books and Buddhist altar. The Hot Spring Imperial Residence served as a place for imperial family members to recover from illnesses, and the emperors would also conducted administrative affairs there, such as court communication, officials meeting and cases judgement. The emperors would have cultural and religious activities too, including studying, writing poem, playing the qin, playing chess, watching opera and worshiping Buddhas.
The Hot Spring Imperial Residence was at its peak during the reigns of Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong, which was large in scale and rich in features. Then, renovation was stopped in the reign of Emperor Daoguang, destroyed during the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance, and further damaged by the Japanese army during the War of Resistance, and thus gradually fell into decline. Until the development of hot spring resources in Xiaotangshan and Beijing Xiaotangshan Sanatorium was built in 1958. The site is now a cultural relics protection unit, and some structures and lake systems are still well preserved.
The architectures, hot spring resources and cultural activities in The Hot Spring Imperial Residence showed the unique lifestyle of the Qing Dynasty imperial family. Dr SONG shared various of archives, documents, historical photos and layout plan of the Hot Spring Imperial Residence, to explore the secrets of the Hot Spring Imperial Residence about the specific location, architecture, interior features. She revealed the mystery about the daily life of emperors and reconstruct the culture and history of this distinctive and legendary imperial residence.