Engraved Moon and Unfolding Clouds, one of the paintings for the 40 sceneries of Yuanmingyuan drawn in the 9th Year of Qianlong’s reign

Located in the south part of east bank of Rear Lake and close to Nine Continents in Peace in the west, Engraved Moon and Unfolding Clouds, as the garden within gardens around by mountains and waters, is one of the 40 sceneries of Yuanmingyuan. Peony Terrace, which is named for the fame of peonies, was one of the main landscapes in the garden of the fourth son Yinzhen of Emperor Kangxi in Kangxi’s late period.

On March 25 of 1722 (the lunar calendar) (the 61st year of Kangxi’s reign), Kangxi appreciated peonies in the Vassal State Favored Garden of Yinzhen, with his royal grandson Hongli who was just 12 years old. Kangxi was so glad to see his clever grandson, and delivered an imperial order that Hongli should be cultivated in the palace. Thus, Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianglong, the three generations of emperors in China who dominated the fate of China for over 130 years gathered together there, and the flourishing peonies witnessed this story.