Hall of the Sea of Wisdom (Zhihuihai)

  
Built in 1750 for enshrining Buddha statues, the Sea of Wisdom once housed over 40 Buddhist statues, along with Buddhist scriptures and other religious artifacts. The term "Sea of Wisdom" is originally used to praise the boundless wisdom of Buddha, akin to an ocean.

During a fire in the Summer Palace in 1860, thanks to its stone-brick architecture, though wooden shrines inside the hall were destroyed, most of the complex survived. In 1900, the outer walls of the Sea of Wisdom were damaged, and later repaired in 1983. 
  
The Archway of the Fragrant Realm marks the beginning of the Sea of Wisdom scenic area. Featuring yellow-glazed roofs with green-trimmed edges and a white marble base, the archway is adorned with multicolored glazed tiles. At the center of the roof ridges stand small round Buddhist stupas. Its name, inspired by Buddhist scriptures, represents a fragrant sanctuary symbolizing liberation from worldly impurities.

Uniquely, this is Beijing's only glazed archway with doors. Its curved doorway features vermilion doors with golden doornails in a nine-by-nine grid. The central plaque, inscribed with the archway's name, boasts the highest imperial decoration of twelve dragons, while the side lintels feature carvings of twin dragons cradling the character for “longevity”, reflecting Emperor Qianlong’s (1711-1799) wish for his mother's long life.
 
The Sea of Wisdom Hall is a two-story Buddha hall. Though resembling a wooden hall, it was entirely constructed from bricks and stones, which makes it known as the "Beamless Hall". 

The entire hall is adorned with yellow and green glazed tiles, while the upper sections and roof are decorated with purple and blue tiles, colors rarely used in the Summer Palace, creating a dazzling display. The horizontally arranged white arches beneath lend a holy and elegant aura to the hall.
 

Hall of the Sea of Wisdom

Small Buddha Statues outside the Hall

The exterior walls contain 1,110 small shrines, each housing a small glazed Buddha statue, also known as the "Glazed Pavilion", seated on a pedestal made of marble stone. Upon closer inspection, the Buddha statues have serene faces and yellow bodies, with intricate carvings and clearly visible folds in their robes. They wear Buddhist beads on their chests, each bead distinct, and hold blue-green vases in their hands.

There are three glazed vases on the roof of the Buddha hall, which are auspicious symbols in Buddhism and possess great mystical powers. Between the vases are decorative five-colored auspicious clouds. On both sides of the vases are green dragons, each carrying a Buddhist God to guard the structure.

Inside the hall, there is a statue of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva (the embodiment of compassion) at the center, with Manjushri Bodhisattva (the embodiment of wisdom) and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva (the embodiment of virtue) on either side.
  

Sea of Wisdom Hall

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