The sprawling grounds of the Summer Palace (Yihe Yuan) served the 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 Empress Dowager Cixi who had it rebuilt twice: once following its destruction 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 Kunming 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.

Longevity Hill

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

Marble Boat

Empress Dowager Cixi paid for this extravagant folly with funds meant for the modernization of the Imperial Navy. The superstructure of the boat is made of wood painted white to look like marble.

The Bronze Pavilion, weighing 207 tons, is a highly-detailed replica of a timber framed building.

Garden of Virtue and Harmony

This three-story building served as a theater, where the court’s 348 member opera troupe entertained Empress Dowager Cixi, who watched from the surrounding gallery.

Like The Imperial Resort at Chengde, the palace grounds are arranged as a microcosm 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 harmonizes 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.

Hall of Benevolence and Longevity

The grounds of the Summer Palace are extensive, but the main buildings can all be visited by those with a bit of energy and time. The main entrance at the East Palace Gate (Gong Dong Men) leads to the official and residential halls of the palace complex. Just inside the main gate stands the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (Renshou Dian). Note the bronze statues in front of this ceremonial hall, including the symbol of Confucian virtue, the mythical qilin, a hybrid, cloven-hoofed animal with horns and scales.

Hall of Jade Ripples

By the lakeside to the west, the Hall of Jade Ripples (Yulan Tang) is where Empress Dowager Cixi incarcerated the Guangxu emperor after the abortive 1898 Reform Movement. Empress Dowager Cixi’s residence, the Hall of Happiness and Longevity (Leshou Tang) is to the west of the Garden of Virtue and Harmony (Dehe Yuan) and north of the jetty from where Empress Dowager Cixi would set sail across the lake. From here, the Long Corridor (Chang Lang) follows the lakeside, interrupted along its length by four pavilions. At the corridor’s halfway point, a series of religious buildings ascends the slopes of Longevity Hill (Wanshou Shan), a sequence marked at the lakeside by a fabulous decorative gate (pailou), beyond which stands Cloud Dispelling Gate, with two bronze lions sitting alongside it.

Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha

The first main hall, the Cloud Dispelling Hall (Paiyun Dian) is a double-edged structure, above which rises the prominent, octagonal Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha (Foxiang Ge). Behind the tower sits the rectangular brick and tile 18th-century Temple of the Sea of Wisdom (Huihai Si), its exterior decorated with green and yellow tiles and glazed Buddhist effigies, many of which have been vandalized. From here you can look down to the Back Lake (Hou Hu) and Suzhou Street, a row of commercial buildings where emperor Qianlong and his concubines would shop that today houses snack and souvenir stalls. West of the Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha is the Precious Clouds Pavilion (Baoyun Ge), also called the Bronze Pavilion. Dating from the 18th century, the building is one of a handful that survived the destruction wrought by foreign troops.

Seventeen-arch Bridge

The buildings at the north end of the lake are more than enough to fill a single day, however the southern end of the grounds can be blissfully free of crowds. Boat trips to South Lake Island depart from the jetty near the Marble Boat (north of which are the imperial boathouses). Alternatively, if time will allow, hire a boat for a leisurely row around Kunming Lake. Loong King Temple (Longwang Miao) on South Lake Island is dedicated to the god of rivers, seas, and rain. The island is connected to the eastern shore by the elegant Seventeen-arch Bridge (Shiqi Kong Qiao). A marble lion crowns each of the 544 balusters along the bridge’s length, and a large bronze ox, dating back to 1755, reposes on the eastern shore. On the opposite shore, steep-sloped Jade Belt Bridge links the mainland to the West Causeway which slices through the lake to its southern point.

Summer Palace Map

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Tips: 6 miles (10 km) NW of Beijing. Xizhi Men then bus No. 32, or 808 from zoo. from Yuyuan Tan Park, and Exhibition Center near zoo (not in winter). 8:30am - 5pm daily.