Summer Palace

Situated in the northwest of Beijing, Summer Palace (Yiheyuan in Chinese) is the largest and best preserved royal garden in China. As a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design which is reputed as the Museum of Royal Gardens, it is enlisted on the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1998. Most tourists to China will add the Summer Palace to their tour list.

History

Initially built in 1750, Summer Palace was called Qingyi Garden originally and the whole project took 15 years to complete. The design and structure of the garden based on the Chinese mythology of “three hills on the sea” and West Lake in Hangzhou. A huge lake called Kunming Lake was made in 1750 and later more buildings were built imitated the pavilions and towers south of Yangtze River such as Yueyang Tower in Hunan and Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan.

During the second Opium War, the garden was burnt down by the invaders. It was rebuilt in 1884 as the summer resort for Empress Dowager Cixi, who diverted funds designated for the Chinese navy to enlarge and restore the garden. After 1949, large restorations were made and in 1998, Summer Palace was enlisted on the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO as a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design.

Attractions in Summer Palace

Covering an area of 2.9 square kilometers, Summer Palace is mainly composed of Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill and three quarters of it is water. Centered the Tower of Buddhist Incense, the garden has many pavilions, halls, temples and other buildings.

Longevity Hill is divided into front-hill area and rear-hill area. Buildings in the front area include Long Corridor, Dispelling Clouds Hall, Tower of Buddhist Incense, Sea of Wisdom Temple, etc. The rear area has many little gardens, a Tibet Buddhism temple and a Suzhou Street. The Island in Kunming Lake is Nanhu Island. Imitated on West Lake, it has a West Causeway and East Causeway on the lake bank.

Front-hill Area

East Palace Gate is the front gate of the Summer Palace. Two bronze lions in front of the gate dates back to Qing Dynasty. The courtyards north of the gate were the former residence for emperor’s concubines. Now, they’re separated from the Summer Palace as the site of a restaurant.

Hall of Benevolence and Longevity inside the East Palace Gate was the administrative hall of the Emperors. In front of the hall stands a statue of bronze Kylin (a legendary animal guarding against destruction by fire) as well as stones indicating longevity. Behind the hall is a complex of rockery forest imitated the one in Suzhou.

Jade Ripples Hall west of Hall of Benevolence and Longevity was the dwelling place of the Emperor when he paid a visit to the garden. During the Hundred Days Reform, Emperor Guangxu was arrested at here by Empress Dowager Cixi. People can trace back to the history by the walls in the east and west halls.

Yiyun Hall north of the Jade Ripples Hall was originally a library. Emperor Guangxu (1871-1908) changed it into a house for his Queen. There are ten pieces of stone inscriptions by an emperor in Qing Dynasty. North gate of this hall is connected with the Grand Theater at Virtue and Harmony Garden, which was one of the biggest theaters in Qing Dynasty and served as the place for the royal families to watch performances of the Peking opera.

Joyful Longevity Hall, the dwelling of Empress Dowager Cixi, houses many precious cultural relics made of pearl, agate and jade. The murals on the wall are decorated with gold, silver and precious diamonds. Courtyard behind the hall is planed with beautiful flowers. This hall is also the earliest place installed with lights.

Long Corridor east of the Joyful Longevity Hall is 730 meters long, connecting the attractions in different areas together. It is like a gallery with colored paintings and painted stories and the themes are taken from historical figures, landscapes, flowers and birds.

Dispelling Clouds Hall on the central axis of Longevity Hill was the place to hold ceremony for Empress Dowager Cixi’s birthday. In front of the gate are stone statues of the 12 zodiac figures. The stone platform behind the hall leads visitors to the Tower of Buddhist Incense. East of the hall is a stone stele recording the construction of the garden.

Tower of Buddhist Incense is in the middle of the Summer Palace. As the largest building in the garden imitated Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan, it was the place for Empress Dowager Cixi to worship the Buddhism.

Temple of Sea of Wisdom at the mountain top of Longevity Hill has over 1,000 statues of Buddhist figures on its wall. The temple was built by colorful glazed bricks without a beam and the statue of Bodhisattvas inside the temple dates back to Qianlong Era (1736-1796).

Marble Boat at the western foot of Longevity Hill is a two-storey boat with western design. The governor of the Qing Dynasty placed a stone boat in the lake to indicate their steadfast rule over the country.

Strolling through a Picture Scroll (Huazhongyou in Chinese) in west part of Longevity Hill is a complex of pavilions and towers. Strolling at here, visitors will find themselves in a picture scroll with the beautiful surroundings. That’s why it got the name.

Rear-hill Area

Suzhou Street at the north of Summer Palace imitated a street in Suzhou. It is said the emperor went to Suzhou and paid a visit to the street built by a former poet. He thought the street was interesting and ordered to build a new one in Beijing. Now, the shops in the street offer many souvenir choices.

Garden of Harmonious Interests in the northeast corner has exquisite design and distinctive layout. It is the representative of the classical gardens South of Yangtze River. The bridges over the water allow visitors to watch the fishes closely while corridors along the lake offer great view of the scenic areas.

Four Great Regions is actually a religious complex with a combined style of Han Chinese and Tibetan architectures. Imitated the design of Samye Temple in Tibet, it has a central hall surrounded by four Buddhist buildings, indicating the union of the country.

Kunming Lake Area

Near the East Causeway are several pavilions and towers named Wenchang Tower, Zhichun Pavilion and Kuoru Pavilion. Zhichun Pavilion in the middle part of East Causeway is the largest pavilion among gardens in China. Zhichun means realizing spring and the pavilion got the name as spring begins from here. The Bronze Ox near the pavilion was casted in 1755 and the inscription on its back indicates the casting of the statue.

Nanhu Island in the south of the lake connects with the East Causeway with the Seventeen-Arch Bridge. There are temples and halls on the islands, which echo the buildings on Longevity Hill from a distance. Visitors can take a boat near the island to the hill.

Seventeen-Arch Bridge is a combination of Lugou Bridge in Beijing and Baodai Bridge in Suzhou. The 150-meter-long arched bridge has 17 archways and 544 vivid stone lions in various manners which look fierce and lively.

West Causeway in the style of Su Causeway in West Lake is composed of six bridges and a tower with the style of Yueyang Tower in Hunan. The Yudai Bridge is the only arched one among the six. After visit the Liuqiao Bridge on the south end of West Causeway, visitors have finished their tour in Summer Palace.

The time-honored Tingliguan Restaurant near the Marble Boat serves imperial court food. Every year from lunar calendar January 1 to January 5, the Suzhou Market has a fair and during the period, tourists can buy many local souvenirs can trace back to the spring festival held in imperial palace.

How to get to Summer Palace

Take Subway Line 4 and get off at Beigongmen Station or Xiyuan Station;
Take Bus No 209, 330, 331, 332, 346, 394, 683, 690, 696, 718, 801, 808, or 826 and get off at Yiheyuan Stop;
Take Bus No 469 or 539 and get off at Yiheyuan West Palace Gate Stop;
Take Bus No 209, 319, 320, 331, 332, 394, 432, 438, 498, 628, 664, 718, 801 or 826 and get off at Yiheyuanlu Dongkou Stop;
Take bus 303, 331, 346, 375, 384, 393, 498, 634, 683, 696, 697, 718, 801 or 808 and get off at Yiheyuan North Palace Gate Stop;
Take bus 74, 374, 437 or 952 and get off at Xin Jian Gong Men Stop.