Summer Palace, Beijing

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The Summer Palace is another of Beijing major tourist draw cards. It's located 12km north-west of the city centre and is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Summer Palace is mainly dominated by Longevity Hill (60 meters high) and the Kunming Lake, which is modelled on the West Lake in Hangzhou. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which is water. The central Kunming Lake, covering 2.2 square kilometers, was entirely man made and the excavated soil was used to build Longevity Hill.

The Summer Palace was originally an imperial garden that dates back to 1750 when Emperor Qianlong had it constructed in order to celebrate his mother's 60th birthday. Unfortunately, it was burnt down by invading Anglo-French forces in 1860 and by during the Boxer Rebellion, in an attack by the eight allied powers in 1900. The Government of the Qing dynasty started to rebuild it in 1886 when Empress Dowager Cixi diverted 30 million taels of silver, said to be originally designated for the Chinese navy, into the reconstruction and enlargement of the Summer Palace. After the fall of the Qing dynasty, it was developed as the private property of the royal family and then formerly opened to the public in 1924.

Open: 8:30am - 5pm. Admission: RMB60 for a through ticket.

When in the Summer Palace, be on the lookout for those Emperor Costumes that they rent out for just US$2 (or was it $10?). I had fun donning it and having my pictures taken. My guide was a bit horrified of my enthusiasm and wanted to explain more about the Summer Palace, but I said I wanted to try this “tourist trap” FIRST.

I was also allowed to walk around with it, and they had a little bit of trouble asking me to remove it because I was having so much fun, hehehehe….The silk was so smooth against the skin and I just pretended I was from the Qing Dynasty (I don’t even know what year that was!).

Definitely this activity is not for the “shy” type though…lol. I dare you…

Everyone knows about the Palace so I'm not going into intrinsic tourist value.

It's a great place to visit but be prepared for:

1. HUGE attendances on weekends and especially on holidays - you will queue and take a lot of time getting anywhere.

2. WALKING: Be prepared for a lot of walking - the sites are located over many acres so you can end up walking for miles - especially if (like me) you got sick of waiting for boats.

3. FOOD & DRINKS: - They cost more here, and there are lots of packet noodles, not much more for budget travellers; take your own.

4. TRANSPORT: If you are going by Taxi walk out of the main gate and head toward Beijing (you will know the direction) they are easier to find on the main road if none at the gate.

5. SUNSCREEN & RAINCOAT. OK You may not need both on the same day but if you end up with lots of walking it pays to be prepared.

The Summer Palace is huge and is a lakeside Imperial residential garden. Located in downtown Beijing, it is easy to get too and may take a half or full day just to see everything you want.

There is a famous long corridor to get from one area to the next as well as boat rides from one end of the garden to the next.

Plenty of steps to climb if you want to have great views from the main temple on the hill.

It's a nice respite from the rest of Beijing, and it should be, as far northwest as it is in the city...

The Summer Palace was used to cool off in the hot, Beijing summers... more details soon.

The palace consists of a large lake and and island, as well as the surrounding areas around the lake, a temple up a lot of stairs offering a lot of views and a heck of a lot of people. It's peaceful, however, and you can take ferries across to various points or walk. Ferries are not free and ticket booths are found where you get the ferries.

If you walk up to the temples, it's a nice hike up. Coming in the North Entrance, you'll encounter a fairly run-down bit of temple- it's nice, really, to get beyond the restoration... climb up that and down the other side to get to the lake. Coming in the East Entrance (I think) you'll just walk into the park and get to the lake right away.

I don't really know what else to say... walk around and enjoy!

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The Summer Palace is not a single building, but rather a large complex of buildings and grounds spreadout over 3 square kilometers in the northwestern suburbs of Beijing. Built during the 1700s and 1800s, the Summer Palace was the summer residence of the imperial family. The grounds are dominated by a large lake named Kunming Lake and a large hill named Longevity Hill. Interestingly, the hill was built from dirt excavated to make the lake.

Highlights of the Summer Palace include the Long Corridor (a long covered walkway with hundreds of landscape paintings along its ceiling), the Marble Boat (a marble replica of a ship), the Tower of Fragrance of Buddha (a pretty tower on the hill overlooking the lake), the Seventeen Arch Bridge (which connects to an island in the lake), and the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (where the throne was located). Aother highlight is the view from the top of Longevity Hill, from which you can see the palace grounds, the lake, and Beijing in the background.

Yiheyuan is the most celebrated imperial garden in China. The garden came into existence early in the 1750s and had once been a summer resort for the emperors. It is acclaimed as a museum of gardens in China, for a visit to this garden bestow on sightseers a glimpse of representative scenes all over China.

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En el Lago Kunming se combinan armoniosamente las tres islas, el Puente de los diecisiete Arcos y la Colina de la Longevidad.
El Puente de los Diecisiete Arcos, es una imitación del Puente Lugou (Marco Polo)y en sus pilares hay esculpidos 564 leones en diversas posturas.

In Kunming Lake mingle the three islands, The Seventeen Arch Bridge and the Hill of Longevity.
The Seventeen Arch Bridge , it is an imitation of Lugou Bridge (Marco Polo) and on its pillars are carved 564 lions in various positions.