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Summer Palace

Crown Jewel of Chinese Gardens

The Summer Palace (颐和园), formerly known as the "Garden of Clear Ripples (清漪园)", was destroyed by the British and French allied forces in 1860, and the Summer Palace seen today was rebuilt to celebrate the birthday of Dowager Cixi. With Kunming Lake (昆明湖) and Longevity Hill (万寿山) at its core, the Summer Palace combines the beauty of the southern China attractions in one garden. You can enjoy a panoramic view from the Tower of Buddhist Incense (佛香阁).

The Summer Palace (颐和园) is located in the northwest of Beijing, about 15 kilometers from the city center. The Summer Palace is based on Kunming Lake (昆明湖) and Longevity Hill (万寿山), with palaces and pavilions, corridors, bridges and galleries built among the hills and lakes, is a masterpiece of royal gardens of the Qing Dynasty.

The Summer Palace was formerly known as the Imperial Garden of Clear Ripples (Qing Yi Yuan 清漪园), built to celebrate the sixtieth birthday of Qianlong’s mother, after the outbreak of the Second Opium War in 1860, including the three mountains and five gardens (Qing Yi Yuan, Yuan Ming Yuan, Jing Yi Yuan, Chang Chun Yuan, Jing Ming Yuan) were all destroyed by the British and French allied forces, the park’s treasures also was plundered completely.

In 1886, for the Empress Dowager Cixi, Emperor Guangxu began to rebuild Qing Yi Yuan, soon renamed it “Summer Palace”. At this time when The Qing government’s treasury was empty, the country did not have such a large sum of money to support the construction of the Summer Palace. So the Empress Dowager used the naval funds to fill the gap. The construction of the Summer Palace caused China a great loss of vitality, accelerating the decline and demise of the Qing government.

The Summer Palace covers more than 70,000 square meters, of which Kunming Lake alone accounts for three-quarters. The Paiyun Hall complex standing on the north shore of Kunming Lake is the core area of the Summer Palace, starting from the Yunhui Yuyu Archway at the dock, all the way through the Paiyun Gate, the Second Palace Gate, the Paiyun Hall and the Dehui Hall to the majestic Tower of Buddhist Incense (佛香阁), behind which is the Sea of Wisdom. This axis of buildings rises up the hill, step by step, and no matter where you are on the shores of Kunming Lake, this gloriously magnificent complex will be at the center of your view. The view from the observation deck in front of the Tower of Buddhist Incense The Expansive Kunming Lake is just below your feet, creating the illusion of being among the clouds.

Manywhere Trivia:
Kunming Lake is named after Kunming City, Yunnan province.

The Emperor Qianlong spent fifteen years in the construction of this garden, incorporating what he had seen and heard during his six trips south of the Yangtze River. First of all, Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace is a reproduction of the beauty of Hangzhou’s West Lake, and the prototype of the West Causeway is the Bai Causeway and Su Causeway of the West Lake. The Summer Palace also has a southern-style garden called Garden of Harmonious Pleasures (谐趣园), which is modeled after the Jichang Garden in Wuxi Huishan, which was a must-visit destination for the Qianlong Emperor during his six trips to southern China. The two banks of Suzhou River are decorated as Suzhou water street, with shops connected, and flags hanging high. A boat ride through it is like a southern China water town trip.