The Summer Palace
From The Tourist Map
The Summer
Palace is located in the northwester suburbs of Beijing. It used to be the
imperial garden and residence during the Qing Dynasty. Constructed in
1750, the Summer Palace grew out of the Garden Of Clear Ripples. In 1860,
the Summer Palace was burnt down by the Anglo-French Allied Forces. In
1886, Empress Dowager Cixi embezzled the money budgeted for the navy and other
funds to restore the Garden Of Clear Ripples and changed its name to the Summer
Palace in 1888. In 1900, the Summer Palace was devastated a second time by
the Eight-Power Allied Forces and it was rebuilt in 1902.
Composed of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, the Summer
Palace covers 290.8 hectares, about three-fourth of which are covered by the
lake. It has more than 2,000 buildings including halls, pavilions, towers
and courtyards. The summer Palace can be roughly divided into three areas:
the palace area, the residential area and the scenic area. Empress Dowager
Cixi spent most of her later years here, governing the country +- behind the
screen +-.
The residential area is strewn with spacious courtyards and
winding corridors. The main buildings in this area include the Hall of
Jade Billows, the Hall of Delight and Longevity and the House Of Fragrant Herbs.
This is the place where emperors and empresses resided.
The scenic area is a place where the rulers spent their
leisure time. Here the hills, the lake, the buildings and flowers blend
into one. The Temple of Buddhist Virtue, which nestled in the hills and
faces the lake, dominates the Summer Palace; the Seventeen-Arch Bridge flies
over the wide expanse of the misty lake like a rainbow.; the West Dyke runs
through the lake, which is linked by six bridges of different shapes.
The back hills and back lake is green and lush with tall
pines and cypresses; the slope is dotted with bustling shops and restaurants;
the sparkling lake mirrors the reflection of the imperial palaces, which are
silhouetted against the West Hill and the Jade Fountain Hill. Cleverly
laid out and exquisitely constructed, the Summer Palace is known as the museum
of imperial gardens. It epitomizes China gardening art.
The Summer Palace was open to the public as the private
property of the Qing Court in 1914, and in 1924 it was converted into a park.
In 1961, the Summer Palace was among the first cultural relics that were listed
under protection by the State Council. In 1992, the Summer Palace was
chosen as a well preserved imperial garden with rich man-made landscapes and a
high concentration of ancient buildings.
The main buildings in the Summer Palace have been restored to
the their original splendor, and all exhibition rooms have opened. In
addition the imperial pleasure boats are at service of tourists. In recent
years, the Four Great Islets, the Suzhou Street and the Pavilion of Great
Blessings have been restored and open to tourists.
The Summer Palace is a tourist spot famous for its natural
beauty, elegant gardening art and exquisite historical relics.
From one of the Post Cards
Situated in the northwest suburbs of Beijing, the
famous imperial garden Yiheyuan(Garden of Nurtured
Harmong, known as the Summer Palace in the west) was originally called
Qingyiyuan(Garden of clear Ripples). It
was constructed in 1750, the 15th year of the reign of Qing Dynasty Emperor Qian
long, under orders of the
emperor to celebrate his mother's 60th birthday. It was destroyed in 1860 and
1900, and restored twice by cixi.
There are four parts in Summer Place, the eastern palace gate, the front and
back of longevity hill. The back hill
and lake and the water surface. The famous palaces are Hill of Benevolence and
longevity (Renshoudian), Kunming
Lake, Pagoda of Buddhist Incense, Long Promenade Marble Boat, Seventeen-Arch
Bridge especially. It was so
exquisitely made that it formed the beauty of the garden in South China Garden
of Harmonious Delights.