Grand Waterworks

Grand Waterworks

Once the most distinctive structure in the Old Summer Palace, today only ruins remain for later generations to imagine.

Attraction Introduction

The Grand Waterworks is part of the Western-style Buildings area in the Old Summer Palace. The main feature of this area was its artificial fountains, referred to at the time as “waterworks.” These were notable for their large quantity, impressive scale, and unique designs. The Grand Waterworks is located west of the Hall of Calm Seas, at the intersection of the north-south central axis of the Changchun Garden and the east-west axis of the Western-style Buildings. It is the most spectacular European-style fountain landscape in the garden. The architecture of the Grand Waterworks is designed in the form of a stone niche, resembling an arched gateway. Below it is a large lion head that spouts water, creating a seven-tiered waterfall. In front and below is an oval chrysanthemum-shaped fountain pool, with a bronze spotted deer at the center from whose antlers eight streams of water shoot out; on either side are ten bronze dogs that spout water jets directly at the deer, splashing up layers of spray. This scene is commonly known as “hounds chasing the deer.”

On the left and right fronts of the Grand Waterworks are two massive fountain towers. Each tower is square with thirteen tiers, and water jets from their tops. Around the towers are eighty-eight bronze pipes that also spout water simultaneously. However, due to severe damage during the invasion of China by the Eight-Nation Alliance, the Grand Waterworks no longer retains its former grandeur but stands today as a set of historical ruins for people to reflect upon.

Address: North side of the Old Summer Palace Ruins Park, Haidian District

Type: Historic Site

Recommended Visiting Time: About 20–30 minutes

Phone: 010-62543673

Opening Hours:

(Same as Old Summer Palace Ruins Park): 7:00–19:30 from January to March and November to December; 7:00–20:30 in April and September to October; 7:00–21:00 in May to August.

Ticket Information:

No separate ticket required. Included in the Western-style Buildings Ruins area ticket (includes Grand Waterworks, Exhibition Hall, and Labyrinth).