Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the
YeluChucaiMemorialTemple
. Yelu, an adviser to Genghis Khan during the Yuan dyn-
asty, is entombed next to the temple, in the company of his wives and concubines, slaughtered
for the occasion. The small, colourful
Dragon King Hall
nearby was used to pray for rain.
Yuanmingyuan
圆明园
, yuánmíng yuán • Two entrances on Qinghua Xilu • Daily 7am-7pm, buildings close at 5pm • Park
entry
￥
10, ticket including entry to buildings
￥
25 •
yuanmingyuanpark.com
• Yuanmingyuan Park subway
(line 4)
Beijing's original summer palace, the
Yuanmingyuan
was built by the Qing Emperor Kangxi
in the early eighteenth century. Once nicknamed China's Versailles for its elegant, European-
influenced design, the palace boasted the largest royal gardens in the world, containing some
two hundred pavilions and temples set around a series of lakes and natural springs. Today
there is precious little left; in 1860, the entire complex was burnt and destroyed by British
and French troops, who were ordered by the Earl of Elgin to make the imperial court “see
reason” during the
Opium Wars
.
The troops had previously spent twelve days looting the im-
perial treasures, many of which found their way to the Louvre and the British Museum; this
includes the famed “twelve bronzes”, a series of cast animal heads which have been making
their way back to Beijing in dribs and drabs. This unedifying history is described in inflam-
matory terms on signs all over the park and it's a favoured site for brooding nationalists. Still,
don't let that put you off, as the overgrown ruins are rather appealing and unusual.
There are actually three parks here, the Yuanmingyuan (Park of Perfection and Brightness),
Wanchunyuan
(Park of Ten Thousand Springs) and
Changchunyuan
(Park of Everlasting
Spring), all centred around the lake,
Fuhai
(Sea of Happiness). All together this forms an
absolutely gigantic area, but the best-preserved structures are the fountain and the
Hall of
Tranquillity
in the northeastern section. The stone and marble fragments hint at how fascin-
ating the original must once have been, with its marriage of European Rococo decoration and
Chinese motifs.
Peking University
北京大学
, běijīng dàxúe • Haidian • Free, though you may be asked for ID •
english.pku.edu.cn
• East Gate
of Peking University subway (line 4)
On the way to or from the Summer Palace, you may care to stop by China's most prestigious
university. Nobody at all calls this Peking University, or even
Beijing Daxue
- the contrac-
tion “Beida” is used by all and sundry. Its campus is undeniably conducive to learning; in
fact its old buildings and quiet, well-maintained grounds make it nicer than most of the city's
