「千尺雪」原是蘇州寒山別墅的一景，乾隆皇帝於辛未年（十六•1751）第一次南巡以後，即愛上此一勝景，北返後即於京城西苑、熱河避暑山莊、盤山靜寄山莊等三處建構「千尺雪」景觀及建築，並特將其闢為品茗茶舍。除御筆繪製〈盤山千尺雪圖〉外，並責成董邦達、錢維城、張宗蒼各繪〈西苑千尺雪圖〉、〈熱河千尺雪圖〉、〈寒山千尺雪圖〉，每圖各繪四卷，四圖合置一匣，分置於各地千尺雪茶舍，因此每至一處千尺雪即可展閱其他三地的千尺雪景觀，而且於各地〈千尺雪圖〉上題詠各地〈千尺雪〉詩。乾隆皇帝在盤山「千尺雪」等茶舍內擺飾陸羽造像、陸羽《茶經》、竹茶爐，以及懸掛唐實〈品茶圖〉、各地〈千尺雪圖〉，這些都是乾隆的精心經營。「千尺雪」茶舍是一處專供乾隆皇帝個人賞景、讀書、看畫、品茗的抒懷場所，而各地〈千尺雪圖〉或〈品茶圖〉上的題詩，則在在顯示乾隆於書畫，器物間如何自誇精於茶道和追摹古人；並經吸收、吐納傳統文化，終成一種屬於自己風格的品茗文化。

Ch'ien-ch'ih-hsueh was among the most beautiful spots in the scenic Ha-shan Resort of Soochow, a site that Emperor Ch'ien-lung became infatuated with during his first southern excursion of 1751. The emperor was so fond of the site flat he, shortly after his return the north, commissioned the building in His-yuan in the Capital, in the Summer Retreat of Jehol, and in the Ching-chi Retreat in P'an-shan, of facilities that would portray the natural beauty of Ch'ien-ch'ih hsueh of Han-shan. These constructions were soon designated by the emperor as places where he would cast aside state affairs to enjoy the art of tea. Apart from giving a rendition of his personal impression of the Ch'ien-ch'ih-hsueh Tea House in a painting known as P'an-shan Ch'ien-ch'ih-hsueh, the emperor also brought in such renowned artists as Tung Pang-ta, Ch'ien Wei-ch'eng, and Chang Tsung-ts'ang, to deliver theirs in Hsi-yuan Ch'ien-ch'ih-hsueh, Jehol Ch'ien-ch'ih-hsueh, and Han-shim Ch'ien-ch'ih-hsueh, respectively. Four copies of each of the four paintings were made at his command, and each Tea House was to house copies of the four Ch'ien-ch'ih-hsueh paintings, collated in a purpose-made box. With this arrangement, the emperor, when visiting any one of the Tea Houses, was able to appreciate the scenic depictions of the others. He even went on to inscribe poetic interpretations of Ch'ien-ch'ih-hsueh on all of the paintings. In the Ch'ien-ch'ih-hsueh Tea House of P'an-shan the emperor had ordered the installation of a statue of Lu Yu, The book Classsic of Tea (Ch'a Ching) by Lu, a bamboo tea stove, the painting P'in-ch'a-t'u (or, Brewing Tea) by T'ang Yin, and the four renditions of the Ch'ien-ch'ih-hsueh painting, all deliberately placed to make the setting as elegant as can be. The Ch'ien-ch'ih-hsueh Tea House was designed from the ground up as a venue where Emperor Ch'ien-lung would spend his spare time admiring the beautiful sights of nature, engaging in reading, appreciating paintings, and enjoying the art of tea, a site where he would let his literary, artistic mind run free. The poetic inscriptions on the paintings, on the other hand, may very well be taken as a rather self-esteemed statement of his mastery of the art of tea and his success in imitating the ancients, a proclamation that he had assimilated traditions to the fullest extent and that he had come up with a tea culture of his very own.