zhongshan (dr sun yat-sen) park

zhongshan (dr sun yat-sen) park

the park was formerly the altar of land and grain built in 1420. it was opened as a park in 1914 and its name was changed to zhongshan park in 1928 in memory of dr sun yat-sen, a great pioneer of the chinese democratic revolution. since 1949, the park has taken on a new look after extensive renovations. cypress, flowers, goldfish, rockeries, ponds and pavilions present a serene and attractive atmosphere. many large celebrations and meetings for peace and friendship are held there. the bronze statue of dr sun yat-sen, three metres high, stands on a two-metre-high foundation in zhongshan park. it depicts dr sun in old age. with the suppert of the central committee of the chinese communist party, the project was proposed by a group of 54 members of the beijing committee of the chinese people's political consultative conference (cppcc). zeng zhushan, professor at the central academy of fine arts, designed the statue and he is also a member of the cppcc beijing committee.

the project was completed by november 12, 1986, the 120th birthday anniversary of the great forerunner of the chinese democratic revolution.

zhongshan concert hall

the renovation of the zhongshan concert hall started in july 1997 and was completed in april 1999 lasting one year and five months and opened to the public on april 26, 1999. the concert hall is gifted with first-class construction norms according to world standards for professional concert halls. it is located in zhongshan park (dr sun yat-sen park, north of tian'anmen square, one of beijing's former imperial gardens and one of the most beautiful parks in the city). it is the first chinese concert hall to adopt a digital audio-frequency processor. the ups and downs of the eon- cert hall symbolize the development of beijing's culture. when the people's republic of china took over the concert hall on january 31, 1949, it was nothing more than an outdoor stage encircled by wires. later the municipal government built a theatre there. it attracted many famous chinese musicians and artists. by 1996, it was only used for showing films. the renovation cost more than 80 million yuan (us$9. 6 million).

the renovated zhongshan concert hall covers an area of 4,000 square metres, with a total floor space of 11,835 square metres. its outer appearance looks like a giant fan-shape with a seating capacity of 1,400. also there are 5 vip boxes in the hall.

covering an area of 24 hectares (59.3 acres), the zhongshan park lies west of tian'anmen gate. about a thousand years ago, this park used to be the site of xingguosi (temple of national revival) in the northeastern part of the city of yanjing (yan capital, the old name of beijing) during the liao and jin dynasties (916-1234). the original buildings vanished long ago, but some of the ancient cypresses still survive. during the reign of emperor yongle (1403-1424) of the ming dynasty, when beijing was made the capital in 1420, the taimiao (imperial ancestral temple) and the shejitan (altar of land and grain) were built. the altar was erected in 1421. in 1914, it was converted into the central park, and in 1928 it got its present name: zhongshan park, in memory of dr sun yat-sen. since 1949, it has greatly improved both in natural beauty and in recreational facilities.

the whole park is permeated by a peaceful atmosphere. behind the colorful flower "vase" stands a memorial arch of white marble with the inscription "defend peace.'

this is a huge, artful and intricate rock lying behind the marble archway at the end of a pine-shaded path. it was transferred from the ruins of yuanmingyuan (park of perfection and brightness). from here to the north of an area of bower-beds, a grove of ancient cypresses provides an extraordinary view. seven of these trees are particularly large; each would need four persons to encircle with their arms outstretched full length. they are believed to be about a thousand years old. behind the grove and before entering into shejitan, a pair of statues of sitting lions, carved in stone, lie a heroic manner. they were discovered in1918 in the ruins of an ancient temple in taming county, hebei province. entering the altar by its south gate, the perspective immediately becomes different and enchanting. to the east is the music hall, now rebuilt into an amphitheatre with round pillars. here many well-known and popular dramas are often presented and concerts are frequently held. shrubs, peony beds and well-kept lawns are everywhere. during late spring and early summer, the peonies are in full blossom: many of them are rare and valuable species. from the garden, a straight path leads to the altar, which was once used by the emperors of the ming and qing dynasties for offering sacrifices to the gods of land and grains. the altar is a square terrace of white marble with three tiers. the top tier is sectioned and filled with earth in five different colors (red, black, blue, white, and yellow) to symbolize the feudal dictum: "all land under heaven belongs to the emperor." north of the altar is the baidian (hall of worship). built in 1425 in the ming dynasty, it is now the best-preserved ming dynasty temple of wooden structure in beijing. there is no ceiling under the roof, so the beams and posts are exposed. in 1928, it was renamed the dr sun yat-sen memorial hall. since 1949, the building has been thoroughly repaired and redecorated.

the building behind this was formerly the front gateway of the altar, inside which 72 iron halberds were kept. they were looted away when the combined forces of the eight imperialist powers invaded beijing in 1900. further back are the cypress yard and houhu (rear moat). in the court- yard tourists may find tables built with han dynasty bricks in quaint pat- terns. east of the altar is a very quiet section containing pavilions, rockeries, unique rocks, a teahouse and a restaurant.

going westward along a covered corridor from the south gate of the park, tourists can reach the goldfish breeding ground, where many rare species of the fish are kept. further on is the quietest spot in the park area, where a rich variety of pavilions, bridges, rocky hills, flowers, and trees are art- fully laid out, centering around a lotus pond. the water pavilion, built over water on three sides, is now used for exhibitions of various kinds. proceeding northward from here tourists come to lantingheiting (pavilion of the orchard pavilion steles). to the east is the tanghuawu (tang flower village), a hot house where many rare flowers and plants such as the canaan lily, orchid, and lemon trees are displayed all the year round. further east lies the xiliting (pavilion for rehearsing rites). this was formerly the honglusi (office of rites) in the ming and qing dynasties, which moved from pingpu street to the present location. here, officials who were for the first time received by the emperor rehearsed the rites before their audience took place.

the western section of the park is the busiest. here, in the midst of the cypress grove, are many pavilions and artificial rockeries, as well as a hall of entertainment and a ground for riding on an electric horse. in the cy- press grove itself, colorful lights are hung, under which tourists may drink tea, listen to music, play chess or simply chat on summer evenings.

the park is also well-known for its great variety of flowers and goldfish, ancient halls and cypresses, the charming pavilions, summer houses and grotesque rock gardens. the park attracts millions of visitors each year. giant pipe organ

set up the largest organ in china was installed on december 8, 1999 at beijing's zhongshan concert hall. made of more than 3,000 pipes, the organ is 12 metres high and weighs 20 tons. it was produced by the austin, a us company that is a major producer of organs in the world.

celebration of the installation of the organ was held on december 8, 1999. under the baton of tan lihua, the beijing symphony orchestra performed dames chinese composer zhao jiping's "symphony 2000".

carol williams was the first organist to give concerts at the concert hall of zhongshan park in beijing. the british organist spent five years at the royal academy of music, where she specialized in playing the organ as a student of david sanger after a brief period with the late douglas hawkridge. williams lied in paris to study with daniel roth, the organist at the church of st surplice. she was at one time the deputy organist at st columbia's church of scotland in london's knightsbridge. in 1999, williams released a cd titled "music from blenheim palace," in which she recorded edouard silass "fantasia," arthur sullivan's "lost chord" and mendelssohn's "ode for the wings of a dove." williams gave two concerts in beijing on april 28 and 30, 2000. the first concert was titled "from bach to saint-sarns." together with the beijing symphony orchestra and conductor tan lihua, williams played classical pieces, traditional tunes and ragtime works. the program included bach' s "aria from suite in d," scott joplin' s "the entertainer," "green sleeves" and saint-sarn' s symphony 111 in c minor, opus 78. "the second concert was a solo organ recital. williams played john philip sousa's "the washington post march", "scott joplin's maple leaf rag" and the theme from the film, "titanic."

 

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