The Summer Palace — Imperial Garden of Perfect Combination of Natural Landscape and Artificial Buildings

The Summer Palace, also named Yihe Yuan in Beijing, was an imperial garden during the middle to late Qing Dynasty (1636 — 1912).

Today, it stands as a well-preserved masterpiece of the traditional Chinese imperial garden and is recognized as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The palace combines beautiful natural landscapes, extraordinary building complexes, and relics with significant cultural value.

Tower of Buddhist Incense or Foxiang Ge and Other Building Complex on Longevity Hill or Wanshou Shan, Next to Kunming Lake.

Tower of Buddhist Incense (or Foxiang Ge) and Other Building Complex on Front Hill of Longevity Mountain or Wan Shou Shan, Next to Kunming Lake.

Difference Between the Old Summer Palace and Summer Palace

History and Development of the Summer Palace

Structural Designs of the Summer Palace Based on Legends

Special Scenic Views of the Summer Palace

Difference Between Old Summer Palace and Summer Palace

The Old Summer Palace, also known as Yuanming Yuan, covers an area of 3.5 square kilometers.

It was constructed in 1707 as a gift from the Kangxi Emperor to his fourth son, who later expanded the garden after ascending to the throne as the Yongzheng Emperor.

Part of Court Painting "Forty Scenes of the Old Summer Palace" (Yuan Ming Yuan Si Shi Jing Tu Yong), by Artist Tang Dai and Shen Yuan in the Year 1744 — Bibliothèque Nationale de France

The Summer Palace, also known as Yihe Yuan, spans 2.9 square kilometers and was constructed in 1750 under the orders of the Qianlong Emperor as a gift for his mother's 60th birthday.

In 1860, both of these magnificent gardens fell victim to robbery and arson by the Anglo-French Allied Forces during the Second Opium War.

Several decades later, only the Summer Palace was reconstructed under the command of the Guangxu Emperor.

Ruins of the Old Summer Palace

History and Development of the Summer Palace

During the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the area where the Summer Palace was located had been developed.

Some emperors of Ming, such as Zhengde and Wanli, built temporary palaces and spent vacations there.

In 1750, Emperor Qianlong commanded to build a grand imperial garden as a birthday gift to his mother, completed in 1764.

In 1860, the Summer Palace, together with other fabulous royal gardens, was burned down and robbed by the Anglo-French Allied Forces.

From 1884 to 1895, the Summer Palace was rebuilt under the command of the Guangxu Emperor as the retirement residence for Empress Dowager Cixi.

Painting of Empress Dowager Cixi, By Hubert Vos in 1905 — Beijing Summer Palace

In 1900, the garden was destroyed again by the Eight-Nation Alliance, and two years later was renovated by the Qing government.

However, many buildings and decorations were reduced and downsized because of financial issues.

Later, the Qing Dynasty ended in 1912, and this former imperial garden started to sell tickets and opened to the public in 1914.

Tower of Buddhist Incense or Foxiang Ge and Hall of Dispelling Clouds or Paiyun Dian and other Building Complex of Summer Palace.

Structural Designs of the Summer Palace Based on Legends

The Summer Palace mainly includes a big lake, three islands, a tall hill, and thousands of exquisite buildings.

Kunming Lake

Great Emperor Wu of Han (156 BC — 87 BC) used to dig a lake named Kunming to train his navy.

Therefore, Emperor Qianlong named this lake Kunming as well, wishing to obtain exceptional military achievements.

Three Islands

In ancient Chinese Mythology, there are Three Mythical Mountains on the sea, named Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou, on which many deities live.

Therefore, starting with Qin Shi Huang (259 BC — 210 BC), emperors would construct three islands in large lakes within their royal palaces to emulate this wonderland.

Seventeen Arches Bridge to Nanhu Island, One of the Three Islands on the Kunming Lake.

Longevity Hill

Since this garden was built for the Qianlong Emperor's mother, he named the main mountain "longevity" as a beautiful wish.

Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake of the Beijing Summer Palace

Special Scenic Views of the Summer Palace

Long Corridor

Along Kunming Lake, there is the world's longest corridor.

It is a 728-meter-long covered promenade with 273 sections and decorated with over 14,000 exquisite paintings, including historical stories, legends, landscapes, plants, etc.

Part of the Long Corridor, Chang Lang, of the Summer Palace.

Palaces for Royals to Work, Live, and Temples to Pray.

Bronze Statues and Flowers in Front of Hall of Benevolence and Longevity or Renshou Dian, An Important Administrative Building Complex of the Late Qing, Photo from Miaoxishuibuxing.

Baoyun Pavilion, the Biggest (7.5 meters tall) Existing Copper-made Pavilion in China.

Copper Made Baoyun Ge of the Summer Palace

Copper Made Baoyun Ge, the Black Pavilion in the Middle.

Suzhou Market Street

A royal commercial street imitated the southern style of Suzhou City, where the shop assistants were mainly imperial maids and eunuchs.

West Embankment of the Summer Palace

Jade Belt Bridge

Marble Boat

Photos are from the Official Site of the Summer Palace.