The Hall of Jade Ripples was first built in 1750 by Emperor Qianlong, a wonderful place where Emperor Qianlong managed state affairs. It was rebuilt in 1892 during Emperor Guangxu’s reign and used his living quarters.
Constructed in traditional Siheyuan style, a historical type of residence that was commonly found in Beijing with a main hall in the middle and two annex halls beside. This courtyard took the name of the main hall from a verse, ‘Jade Spring with Rippling Water’. The main hall is south facing, and the back door of it leads to Yiyun House, the House where his Empress Longyu once lived. The annex hall is in the east, and another is in the west, both of which have back doors, with the former leading to the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity where the Emperor conducted government business there and later to lake front wharf where you can find the most spectacular view in the Summer Palace.
Hall of Jade Ripples is famous for a historical event - the Hundred Days’ Reform in 1898. The Reform Movement was a national cultural, political, and educational reform movement , aiming at reforming the outdated feudal system and creating a new edict. However, due to sharp disagreements between Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi as well as their fellows, the movement only lasted for 103 days, ending in a coup by powerful conservative opponents led by Empress Dowager Cixi. After the failure of 103 days reform, Emperor Guangxu, who advocated reform, was put under house arrest here byEmpress Dowager Cixi. In order to prevent him from escaping and accessing the outside world, brick walls were built in both annex halls so that both exits in the east and west were blocked. To the south, Cixi assigned eunuchs to watch him continuously. Although most of the walls have been dismantled now, a vestige of them can still be seen, as a witness of that part of Chinese history.