Summer Palace

Inscribed: 1998 Criteria: C (i) (ii) (iii)

The Summer Palace in Beijing- first built in 1750,largely,destroyed in the war of 1860 and restored on its original foundations in 1886-is a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temple and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstand-ing aesthetic value.

——WHC,UNESCO

The Summer Palace, the largest imperial garden in the world, lies 10 kilometers northwest of Beijing. The Summer Palace has a history of over 800 years, it served as a summer resort for the Jin court and the Qing Dynasty. Occupying an area of 290 hectares, mainly covered by the Kunming Lake, a miniature drilling place for the imperial Navy. The palace divided into 3 parts: halls for political activities, living quarters and the religious building.

In 1860,the Anglo-French allied forces invaded Beijing and burned down the Summer Palace. The Empress Dowager Cixi had Summer Palace rebuilt with the funds intended for the development of the navy. In 1900,it was burned down again by the invading troops of the 8 powers and rebuilt by Empress Dowager Cixi in 1903.

One of the most beautiful landscapes in the Summer Palace is the Long Corridor. It is 728 meters long with 273 sections. More than 8000 gorgeous pictures were painted on the beams of the corridor. Like a ribbon, the corridor connecting the 3 parts of the garden.

Any description of the Summer Palace wouldn't be complete without visiting the garden yourself.