What Is Summer Palace in China?
The Summer Palace, the imperial garden of the Qing Dynasty in China, formerly known as the Garden of clear ripples, is located in the western suburbs of Beijing, 15km from the urban area, covering an area of about 290ha (2.9sq km), adjacent to Old Summer Palace.
It is a large-scale landscape garden based on Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill, based on the West Lake in Hangzhou and drawing on the design techniques of the gardens in the south of the Yangtze River. it is also the most well-preserved royal palace, known as the “Royal Garden Museum”. It is also a national key tourist attraction.
Before Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty succeeded to the throne, four large royal gardens were built in the western suburbs of Beijing.
In the fifteenth year of Qianlong (1750), Emperor Qianlong used 4.48 million taels of silver to honor his mother, Empress Dowager Chong Qing, to transform it into the Garden of clear ripples, forming a 20-kilometer-long royal garden from Tsinghua Garden to Xiangshan.
In the tenth year of Xianfeng (1860), the Garden of clear ripples was burned by the Anglo-French coalition forces.
Guang Xu 14 years (1888) reconstruction, renamed the Summer Palace, as a summer resort.
In the 26 year of Guang Xu (1900), the Summer Palace was destroyed by the “allied forces of the eight powers” and the treasures were looted.
After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the Summer Palace was destroyed again during the period of infighting among warlords and Kuomintang rule.
On March 4, 1961, the Summer Palace was announced as the first batch of national key cultural relic protection units, together with Chengde Summer Resort, Humble Administration Garden and Liuyuan announced at the same time as the four famous gardens in China, and was listed on the World Heritage list in November 1998.
On May 8, 2007, the Summer Palace was officially approved by the National Tourism Administration as a national 5A-level tourist attraction.
In 2009, the Summer Palace was selected by the China World Records Association as the largest existing royal garden in China.
What Are the Characteristics of the Summer Palace?
The Summer Palace is characterized by a large-scale landscape garden built on the basis of Kunming Lake and Wanshou Hill, based on the West Lake in Hangzhou and drawing on the design techniques of Jiangnan gardens. It is also the most well-preserved royal palace. It is known as the “Royal Garden Museum” and is also a national key tourist attraction.
What Is the Brief Introduction of the Summer Palace in Beijing?
The Summer Palace is a world-famous royal garden, which is located in the northwest suburb of Beijing, about 15 kilometers away from the capital, formerly known as the Garden of clear ripples. It was rebuilt in 1888 and renamed the Summer Palace, which cost 30 million taels of silver and took ten years. The Summer Palace covers an area of 293 hectares and is mainly composed of Wanshou Hill and Kunming Lake. There are more than 3000 palace gardens in various forms, which can be roughly divided into three parts: administration, life and sightseeing.
The administrative district centered on Renshou Hall was the place where Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guang Xu sat and listened to the government and met with foreign guests. Behind Renshou Hall are three large quadrangles: Leshou Hall, Yulan Hall and Yiyun Hall, where Cixi, Guang Xu and imperial concubines live respectively. The Dehe Garden Theatre Building on the east side of Yiyun Hall is one of the three major theatre buildings in the Qing Dynasty.
From the sea of wisdom at the top of Wanshou Hill, the Summer Palace consists of Foxiang Pavilion, Dehui Hall, Paiyun Hall, Paiyunmen and Yunhui Yufang, forming a hierarchical axis. At the foot of the mountain is a “corridor” more than 700m long, with more than 8000 colored paintings on the girders of the corridor, known as “the first corridor in the world”. In front of the promenade is the rippling Kunming Lake. The west dike of Kunming Lake is modelled on the Su dike of the West Lake.
Longevity Hill behind the mountain, Houhu ancient wood forest, elegant environment, there are Tibetan temples, Suzhou Creek ancient trading street. At the eastern end of the back lake, there is a small and exquisite Harmony Garden, which is built in imitation of Jichang Garden in Wuxi. It is called “the Garden in the Garden”.
The whole garden art of the Summer Palace is ingenious in conception and occupies a prominent position in the history of Chinese and foreign garden art. It is a rare masterpiece of garden art in the world.
The Summer Palace Is the Best in the World
China’s earliest World Cultural Heritage recognized by the United Nations.
The largest Royal Garden in China.
The most well-preserved royal gardens in China.
The long corridor of the Summer Palace is the longest corridor in China.
What’s the Difference Between the Summer Palace and Old Summer Palace?
The Summer Palace and Old Summer Palace are two different styles of gardens, but they are both famous royal gardens in the Qing Dynasty.
In the 26 year of Guang Xu (1900), the Summer Palace was destroyed by the “allied forces of the eight powers” and the treasures were looted. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the Summer Palace was destroyed again during the period of infighting among warlords and Kuomintang rule. Old Summer Palace was savagely looted and burned by the Anglo-French coalition forces in October 1860, and then experienced countless destruction and looting, and a generation of famous gardens were finally reduced to ruins.
Founded in 1709 (48 years of Emperor Kangxi), Old Summer Palace is a garden given by Kangxi to Yongzheng, who has not yet ascended the throne, to spend his spare time. In the fifteenth year of Emperor Qianlong (1750), Emperor Qianlong used 4.48 million silver to honor his mother and the holy queen to transform it into the Garden of clear ripples, forming a 20-kilometer-long royal garden from Tsinghua Garden to Xiangshan. In the tenth year of Xianfeng (1860), the Garden of clear ripples was burned by the Anglo-French coalition forces. Guang Xu 14 years (1888) reconstruction, renamed the Summer Palace, as a summer resort.
What Was the Ancient Summer Palace For?
The ancient Summer Palace was a place for emperors of the Qing Dynasty to relax and study.
The Summer Palace is the royal garden of the Qing Dynasty in China. The Summer Palace was originally the palace and garden of the emperors of the Qing Dynasty.
The royal garden is a collection of the great achievements of Chinese garden art, and it is the place for the emperors of the Qing Dynasty to relax and study.
Compared with the forbidden city with strict weather, its furnishings are more artistic, life-oriented and more ornamental.
The Summer Palace is the private property of the royal family. Puyi abdicated on December 25 in the third year of Xuantong (1911). As the private property of Puyi, the Summer Palace is still managed by the Qing House.
The Summer Palace, located in the western suburbs of Beijing, is the royal garden of the Qing Dynasty in China, covering an area of 290 hectares.
The Summer Palace is a large-scale landscape garden with Jiangnan landscape design style.
It is based on Hangzhou West Lake, Kunming Lake and Changshou Hill.
It is also the most complete palace of the Royal Garden Museum.
There are about 3000 palace gardens in the Summer Palace, which are divided into administration, tourism, life and other parts.
Pavilions, trees and rockery complement each other.
The ancient trees in the Summer Palace are a blend of landscapes.
Why Is the Summer Palace the Last Royal Garden?
The Summer Palace, another masterpiece of the imperial gardens of the Qing Dynasty, is the most well-preserved example of the existing ancient gardens in China. This large-scale natural landscape garden covering an area of 290 hectares is the last royal garden in China.
The predecessor of the Summer Palace, the Garden of clear ripples, was founded in the fifteenth year of Emperor Qianlong (1750). Its overall plan is based on the West Lake in Hangzhou and is deeply influenced by the gardens in the south of the Yangtze River.
The Garden of clear ripples, like Old Summer Palace, was burned in 1860. After the actual Empress Dowager Cixi, who was in power at that time, misappropriated naval funds and renamed the Summer Palace, it became a palace away from the palace where Cixi lived and engaged in political activities for a long time.
Water is the most important factor for gardens. People often say that “no garden can be made without water”.
The “dry landscape” in Japanese gardens is also an art form created by imitating the image of water.
The Summer Palace was built by choosing Kunming Lake, the water area formed by the springs of Xishan Mountain, as the center. The three islands of Zhongnan Lake, Zaokantang and Zhijing Pavilion in Kunming Lake are the traditional layout of “one pool and three mountains” in the royal garden. the Summer Palace is the last royal garden to adopt this layout, and it is also the only one left with fruitful results.
Is the Summer Palace Far From the Imperial Palace?
Straight line distance: about 13.7 km.
Walking distance: 15.1 km back (walking for 3 hours and 22 minutes).
Riding distance: 15.5 km (about 1 hour).
Driving distance: 15.6 km (about 28 minutes).
Bus distance: 17.9 km (No. 124 bus -> Metro Line 8 -> Metro Line 10 -> bus No. 74, about 1 hour and 20 minutes).
How Much Is the Ticket to the Summer Palace in Beijing?
Ticket price:
Summer Palace tickets: 30 yuan per ticket (peak season), 20 yuan per ticket (off-season).
Summer Palace joint tickets: 60 yuan per ticket (peak season), 50 yuan per ticket (off-season).
Peak season: 1 April to 31 October 6:30 to 18:00.
Off-season: 1 November to 31 March the following year 7:00 to 17:00.
