Beijing | The Summer Palace

Beijing's Yihe Yuan 'Summer Palace'

The Summer Palace (aka Yihe Yuan or "Garden of Clear Ripples"), originally constructed in 1750, was built by Emperor Qianlong to celebrate his mother's birthday. During subsequent regimes the palace was used as a "pleasure garden" to escape the summer heat in Beijing.

The Summer Palace is located northwest of Beijing, around the man-made Kunming Lake. The lake covers approximately three-quarters of the 290 hectare Palace grounds. There are three man-made islands on the lake that are meant to imitate the three celestial islands of the East China Sea.

Kunming Lake's causeway was designed to emulate the West Lake "Su causeway" in Hangzhou. The "Seventeen Arch Bridge" to the south-east of Kunming Lake links the "East Dyke" with South Lake Island.

Longevity Hill

The Foxiang Ge Tower, also known as the "Tower of Buddhist Incense," or "Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha" is one of the most recognizable temples in China, and is a symbol of dynastic power in ancient China. The tower sits atop Longevity Hill, where the first "Gold Mountain Palace" was built by Emperor Wanyan Liang during the Jin Dynasty (1115 to 1234).

During the Yuan Dynasty (1271 to 1368), Longevity Hill was renamed Weng Shan, meaning "Jug Hill," for a jug filled with gold that was supposedly found on the hill.

The Empress Dowager Cixi, aka "Dragon Lady"

In 1886, the Summer Palace was extensively remodeled and improved under the reign of the infamous Dragon Lady, also known as the Empress Dowager Cixi (1835 to 1908), who was the de-facto ruler of China (the "power behind the throne," "screen" or "curtain") during the Manchu Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911).

Cixi was buried at the Eastern Qing Tombs in Hebei Province, east of Beijing. As was customary for the times, a giant Pearl the size of a "robin's egg" was placed in the Empress Dowager's mouth to protect her corpse from decomposition. In 1928 her tomb was ransacked by Sun Dianying, a Kuomintang warlord. Cixi's body was desecrated, and it is rumored that some of her stolen jewels and her crown were given to Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek who gifted them to his wife, Soong May-ling.

The "Long Corridor"

The 728 meter "Long Corridor" runs along the shore of Kunming Lake, from Foxiang Ge Tower to the Marble Boat. With its 14,000 ceiling paintings, the Long Corridor is considered one of the longest painted galleries in the world.

In 1750, the Long Corridor was added to the Summer Palace by Emperor Qianlong so that his mother could enjoy the gardens without fear of the elements.

Marble Boat

The Summer Palace's "Marble Boat," also known as the "Clear and Peaceful Boat" was built in 1755 as a symbol of stability for the empire of the Qing Dynasty. The boat was built with the idea that "Water can carry a boat, and it can capsize a boat," meaning that the Qing empire would never be toppled.

Both the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace (Yuan Ming Yuan), which was known as the "Gardens of Perfect Brightness," were destroyed during the Anglo-French invasion in 1860.

Rebuilding Yihe Yuan

The palace was rebuilt in 1886, and in 1888 the Summer Palace was renamed Yihe Yuan, meaning "Garden of Nurtured Harmony." Unfortunately, the harmony did not last long, and the palace suffered another devastating attack during "Boxer Rebellion" in 1900. Yihe Yuan was again rebuilt in 1902.

The Summer Palace was added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1998.