Summer Palace

The spawling grounds of the Summer Palace (Yihe Yuan) served Qing dynasty as an imperial retreat from the stifling summer confines of the Forbidden City. Despite existing as an imperial park in earlier dynasties, it was not until the time of Emperor Qianlong, who reigned from 1736 to 1795, that the Summer Palace assumed its current layout. The palace is most associated, however, with the empress Dowager Cixi who had it rebuilt twice: once following its destuction by French and English troops in 1860, and again in 1902 after it was plundered during the Boxer Rebellion.

The grounds of the Summer Palace cover 716 acres (290 hectares), with Kumming Lake lying to the south of Longevity Hill. South Lake Island is just off the east shore and a stroll around the entire shoreline takes about two hours.

Following the conventions of Chinese gardens, the palace grounds are arranged as a microscosm of nature, its hills (shan) and water (shui) creating a natural composition further complemented by bridges, temples, walkways, and ceremonial halls. Even after repeated restoration, the Summer Palace tastefully harmonises the functional and fanciful, with administrative and residential quarters leading to the pastoral vistas of the grounds, as well as numerous peaceful temples and shrines. Despite the summer Palace’s popularity a little walking takes you to peaceful corners the most idyllic in Beijing.

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East Palace Gate, the main entrance to the summer palace complex.




Hall of benevolence and Longevity. The principle ceremonial hall, this single-eaved building houses the throne upon which Cixi sat.









The island is connected to the eastern shore by the elegent Seventeen-arch Bridge.

A large bronze Ox, dating back to 1755 but looking entirely modern, reposes on the eastern shore;it was believed to pacify the waters and prevent floods.






The Temple of the Sea Wisdom (Huihai Si), which is directly behind the Tower of fragrance of the Buddha. It has an exterior decorated with green and yellow tiles and facades embellished with glased Buddhist effigies, many of which have been vandalised.



Longetivity Hill. the Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha dominates this slope covered with impressive religious buildings.











In the Hall, rising from a great stone platform, stands the prominent, octaginak, four-eaved Tower of the fragrance of the Buddha (Foxiang Ge)


The stiff climb is worth the effort for views fromthe balcony over the yellow roofs of the halls and pavillions to the lake below.


The Bronze Pavillion, weighing 207 tons (188 tonnes), is a highly-detailed metal replica of a timber framed building













The beans along the length of this 2,388-ft (7237-m) walkway are decorated with over 14,000 scenic paintings.


The Marble boat. Empress Dowager Cixi paid this extravagant folly with funds meant for the modernisation of the Imperial Navy. The super-structure of the boat is made of wood painted white to look like marble

About the author

Fabrice, Eurasian, Student, Traveler, Blogger. I decided to open a blog. I feel I want to write something. This blog is my final haven when everything seems nuisances; urging me to assess and to share my thoughts and my own findings to the world, or at least to my fellow neighbours in the blog sphere.