From Album of the Yongzheng Emperor in Costumes, by anonymous court artists, Yongzheng period (1723—35). One of 14 album leaves, colour on silk. The Palace Museum, Beijing.
Friends Abroad
This tour is for exclusively for Friends of the Royal Academy of Arts
14–28 October 2006 (ET 451)
15 days
£3,300
Lecturer: Rose Kerr
Kangxi (1662–1722), Yongzheng (1723–35) and Qianlong (1736–95) were the three most powerful Emperors of the Qing Dynasty. Their reigns are the subject of the magnificent exhibition at the Royal Academy (12 November 2005 to 17 April 2006). One of the most important shows in the Academy’s history, a large proportion of the exhibits come from the Palace Museum in Beijing, most of which have never been outside China before.
The era surveyed was the apogee of the Qing and these charismatic emperors left a clear imprint as they travelled throughout their empire. Kangxi and Yongzheng were keen to consolidate their power base in the north-west and north-east of China and travelled there on both military and hunting expeditions. Kangxi and Qianlong also travelled in areas to the south of the Yangtse.
This is why almost everywhere you go in China – famous mountain, beauty spot, historic temple – you will invariably find inscriptions on stone tablets executed in the calligraphy of the Qing Emperors recording their visit and their impressions.
In this itinerary we have of course included Beijing, for while it is a city changing at a dizzying speed, at its heart it is very much a Qing city with the Palace Museum or Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace and the ruins of the Old Summer Palace (Yuan Ming Yuan).
Then there is Chengde some 90 miles north of Beijing where Kangxi found the perfect place to establish a summer retreat. Within a seven mile long wall are royal buildings, gardens, winding paths, pavilions and lakes. It is said the ‘feng shui’ is so well balanced that even the most jaded traveller’s spirits are lifted by being here. The other important site at Chengde is the Eight Outer Temples: the Qing emperors were keen to bring unity to the different nationalities and religions of their Empire – Tibetans, Mongolians, Uighurs, Manchus etc. The five remaining temples reflect this diversity – there is even a ‘mini-potala’.
While it cannot be said that Xian was as important to the Qing emperors as it had been when it was capital of the Tang dynasty, it is not a city to be missed on a first visit to China with its now world-famous Terracotta Army.
Finally, like the Qing emperors, we come to the south of the Yangtze River to Shanghai and the Garden City of Suzhou, where the Tarrying Garden or ‘Liu Yuan’ represents the best of Qing garden design.
Contact us for full details of the tour, which has been planned in collaboration with one of the most experienced of specialists in tours to China.
Participation is exclusive to Friends of the Royal Academy of Arts (London). If you are not already a Friend, you will need to to join the tour. Click here for more details about membership.
How to book
Contact Martin Randall Travel directly:
Martin Randall Travel
Voysey House
Barley Mow Passage
London W4 4GF
United Kingdom
Telephone +44 (0)20 8742 3355
Fax +44 (0)20 8742 7766
Email info@martinrandall.co.uk
