Here are the latest descriptions of the medal for the Mountain Resort, also known as the Imperial Summer Resort, by Lei Ting:
The ancient royal garden Mountain Resort is located beyond the Great Wall, and so is the least familiar among the Four Classical Gardens. As such, it is endowed with a sense of mystery. The architecture that combines Han, Manchurian, Mongolian and even Tibetan Buddhist styles, and the mountains, waters, towers and pavilions that embody oriental grace and elegance, are well worth exploring. In the Classical Gardens series, this medal was the one that the team gave their most attention to, with pains-taking efforts. We were lucky to have secured Ms. Yu Songmei, a well-known designer at the China Banknote Printing and Coin Minting Co, for the design of the medal. Ms. Yu studied under Rocky Zhao, who in turn was a student to Master Chen Jian. She grew up next to the gates of the Mountain Resort and knows all the landscape in the area, with a deep sense of love and belonging. She made two trips back home to refresh her memory and gain a better knowledge of the vicinity. The final design is amazing and outstanding, stemming from her refined perception and inspiration. The obverse is featured by the brass Royal Lion with Drooping Ears guarding the palace gate, and the Three-Arch Level Bridge and other scenic spots shifted over some distance into the background. The reverse starts from the Lizheng Gate in the foreground, and extends beyond the Mid-Lake Pavilion all the way across the waters and mountains of the royal garden. This medal was painstakingly and meticulously engraved by the famed folk artist Mr. Lin Feng. Even the knocker rings on the palace gate are clearly visible on the small medal. This medal is also the one in the series that took the longest time to release. The design was initiated in the beginning of 2014. The design draft was reviewed and approved by Shanghai Mint in June, thus kicking off the approval process for the project. The clay and plaster models were completed in August. The medal is to be released at the end of May, 2015. It has been a full year and a half. The pattern was struck three times. The dies were re-engraved four times and modified five times to add mirror effect to the sky and arches under the bridge, to clear out the walls of the pavilions and corridors, and to improve the waves on the lake. (The relief of the obverse and reverse was adjusted down a little from the clay model, due to the lesson learned during the Yuanmingyuan/Old Summer Palace production, which cracked more than twenty die sets.) The mintage is as follows:
Silver – Planned: 1200; Actual: 1000
Antique silver – Planned: 500; Actual: 388
Brass: 480 (planned and actual)
Stained copper: 180 (planned and actual)
