Location?

Situated in the western outskirts of Haidian District
15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from central Beijing

The name?

The Summer Palace was used as a summer residence by China's imperial rulers. It was used as a retreat from the main imperial palace now known as the Palace Musem (''Forbidden City'')
It was a pleasureground in the countryside, yet near to the city.

bridge single

bridge single
It is said to be the best preserved imperial garden in the world, and the largest of its kind still in existence in modern China
During the hot Beijing summers, the Imperial Family preferred the beautiful gardens and airy pavilions of the Summer Palace to the walled-in Forbidden City.

What to Expect

The Summer Palace is really a museum of traditional Chinese gardening....

It uses rocks, plants, pavilions, ponds, cobble paths and other garden styles.to create a poetic effect between different scenes.

When you walk around the Summer Palace, you will constantly find the area changing

Friday, January 9, 2009

Marble Boat

Marble Boat
Also known as the Boat of Purity and Ease
In 1860, during the Second Opium War, the pavilion was destroyed.
It was restored in 1893
At first, before it was destroyed it was built into just one story. Then after it was destroyed it was rebuilt into 2 story's.
The pavilion has a drainage system that runs the rain water through four hollow pillars. The water is finally released into the lake through the mouths of four dragon heads.
On each deck there is a mirror that they say is made for reflecting the lake water.
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Wednesday, December 17, 2008

History of the Summer Palace

The gardens that became the Summer Palace date from the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234).

Yuan Dynasty, 1279-1368:the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan , he wanted to improve Beijing's water supply. So therefore he ordered the construction of canals to transport water from the Western Hills to the Summer Palace.Also enlarging the lake (now called KunMing Lake) to act as a reservoir.


1750: Emperor QianLong (1736-1796) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) added a lot to the gardens of the Summer Palace. His appointed designers made a lot of the same designs as the rest of China. KunMing Lake was enlarged to imitate the West Lake in HangZhou.


1860: the Anglo-French Allied Forces invaded Beijing and set fire to many of the buildings within the Summer Palace.


1888: Dowager Empress CiXi, (with the funds from the Imperial Navy) restored the grand gardens. The reconstruction and enlargement of the Summer Palace continued for ten years. When they finished she renamed the gardens ''YiHeYuan'' (''Garden of Peace and Harmony'')


1889:The Empress Dowager CiXi moved her administration to the renewed YiHeYuan and the gardens that had long been an imperial "pleasureground" became finally, Summer Palace.


1900:Then, shortly after, the eight allied powers invaded during the Boxer Rebellion to plunder and destroy the newly reconstructed New Summer Palace.


1903:Only when the fugitive CiXi returned to Beijing, did full-scale restoration begin.


After the success of the 1911 Revolution: the Summer Palace was opened to the public.


Then, after the last Qing Emperor PuYi was thrown out of the Palaces in 1924: the Summer Palace was turned into a park.
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