Beijing Attractions
Description
Venue: Summer Palace When: Daily
Located 15km from Beijing, the Summer Palace is the largest imperial garden in China. Considered a paragon of Chinese architecture, the buildings blend harmoniously with the natural scenery along the shores of Kunming Lake.
The palace's long history stretches back to the 12th century, when the Jin dynasty first built a palace named the Golden Hill on the site. In 1750 Emperor Qian Long of the Qing dynasty built the Garden of Clear Ripples here and renamed the hill Longevity Hill to celebrate his mother's birthday.
The original Summer Palace was burnt down by the allied forces of Great Britain and France in 1860. Reconstruction started 25 years later when, using funds embezzled from the Imperial Navy, the Empress Dowager Cixi created the present gardens a few kilometres away from the original site.
The reconstruction lasted for ten years and after completion, she renamed the site Yiheyuan - Garden of Peace and Harmony. Although the Summer Palace now draws thousands of tourists every day, history blames the Empress Dowager for her caprice during such a critical moment in Chinese history
A few kilometres away from Yiheyuan (in the direction of central Beijing) are the crumbled ruins of the previous (pre-1860) Summer Palace, Yuanmingyuan, a site well worth visiting in itself.
The Summer Palace was endorsed by UNESCO in 1998 as a world cultural heritage site. Major tourist attractions are the Tower of Buddhist Incense, the 17-Span Bridge, the Long Gallery, the Cloud Dispelling Hall, the Marble Boat, the Beamless Hall, the Garden of Harmonious Delights, the theatre in the Garden of Moral Harmony, and Suzhou Street. The entire place is a de facto museum of China's classical architecture. Housed in these buildings are an immense collection of treasures and cultural artefacts.
Located 15km from Beijing, the Summer Palace is the largest imperial garden in China. Considered a paragon of Chinese architecture, the buildings blend harmoniously with the natural scenery along the shores of Kunming Lake.
The palace's long history stretches back to the 12th century, when the Jin dynasty first built a palace named the Golden Hill on the site. In 1750 Emperor Qian Long of the Qing dynasty built the Garden of Clear Ripples here and renamed the hill Longevity Hill to celebrate his mother's birthday.
The original Summer Palace was burnt down by the allied forces of Great Britain and France in 1860. Reconstruction started 25 years later when, using funds embezzled from the Imperial Navy, the Empress Dowager Cixi created the present gardens a few kilometres away from the original site.
The reconstruction lasted for ten years and after completion, she renamed the site Yiheyuan - Garden of Peace and Harmony. Although the Summer Palace now draws thousands of tourists every day, history blames the Empress Dowager for her caprice during such a critical moment in Chinese history
A few kilometres away from Yiheyuan (in the direction of central Beijing) are the crumbled ruins of the previous (pre-1860) Summer Palace, Yuanmingyuan, a site well worth visiting in itself.
The Summer Palace was endorsed by UNESCO in 1998 as a world cultural heritage site. Major tourist attractions are the Tower of Buddhist Incense, the 17-Span Bridge, the Long Gallery, the Cloud Dispelling Hall, the Marble Boat, the Beamless Hall, the Garden of Harmonious Delights, the theatre in the Garden of Moral Harmony, and Suzhou Street. The entire place is a de facto museum of China's classical architecture. Housed in these buildings are an immense collection of treasures and cultural artefacts.
Beijing Information
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Looking for things to do around Beijing? Here are some of the events and attractions happening in the area.
| Beijing International Marathon |
19 Oct 2008 (annual) Beijing |
| Beijing Longqing Gorge Ice and Snow Festival |
Jan 2009 (annual) Longqing Gorge, Beijing |
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