Located in the northeastern corner of the Summer Palace, the Garden of Harmonious Interests is an imitation of gardens in Southern China. Due to its refinement and distinctive style, it’s also called “the Garden of Gardens”. One of the most notable settings in the garden is “the Know-the-Fish Bridge”. 

Legend has it that the bridge was created by immortals. After the completion of the garden, Emperor Qianlong developed affection for it due to its beauty and elegance. One night, two immortals came to the Garden of Harmonious Interests to enjoy the view. An old eunuch who was alarmed by the steps put on his clothes quietly and walked out of the room with a club in his hand. He saw two white-bearded old men strolling in the garden. One of them said, “Brother, this Garden of Harmonious Interests is even more beautiful than our fairyland.” The other replied, “Indeed, my brother. Such beautiful scenery is a real feast for the eyes, but the lake looks very empty.”After this, he threw a dragon-head stick into the air which changed into a white dragon. After flying over the Garden of Harmonious Interests for a while, the white dragon dived into the lake and its body turned into a white marble stone bridge and its head into a stone archway at the bridgehead. Seeing this, the old eunuch was struck dumb. The bridge brought a finishing touch to the lake, making the Garden of Harmonious Interests even more charming. 

After learning from the old eunuch about the incident, Emperor Qianlong realized suddenly that it was all because the immortals were actually deeply touched by the beauty of the garden. Walking on the bridge and seeing the fish swimming freely in the lake, Emperor Qianlong wrote the characters “Know-the-Fish Bridge” on the stone archway. Inside the Hanyuan Hall and the Zhichun Hall of the garden there are special cultural exhibitions. The Zhichun Hall, where the emperors of the Qing dynasty used to handle state affairs and receive court officials, is arranged in the original way according to descriptions in the archives of the Qing dynasty.