Standing Columns of the Old Summer Palace

by Skye Studio

A hillside of broken stone climbs toward a skyline of surviving columns in this black-and-white view of the Old Summer Palace ruins in Beijing. On the left, a carved gateway stands with its heavy scrolled top, flanked by great curling stone volutes that sweep down to the ground like frozen waves. To the right, a line of slender columns with ornate capitals rises against a pale, overcast sky, with a low stone platform behind them and dark trees framing both sides.

In the foreground, the scene is rougher and more earthbound. Tumbled blocks, rounded bases, rows of worn steps and craggy rocks fill the slope, with tufts of grass pushing through the gaps, and a lone round stone sits at the bottom edge of the frame. The wide view lets the eye travel from the rubble up to the carved stonework and out to the sky.

The mood is solemn, quiet and reflective, a reminder of how much can be lost and how much still stands. The site is known for blending European Baroque forms with Chinese palace architecture, and that mix gives the ruins a haunting elegance. This wider view shows the same scene as Carved Arches of the Old Summer Palace, which moves in close on the central gateway, and the two photographs make a natural pair.