Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sleeping
Summer Palace & Haidian
SUMMER PALACE
( Yihe Yuan;
Click here
19 Xinjian Gongmen; ticket ¥30, through ticket ¥60,
audio guide ¥40; 8:30am-5pm; Xiyuan or Beigongmen)
Unlike the over-
powering flatland of the Forbidden City or the considered harmonies of the
Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace - with its huge lake, hilltop views and
energising walks - offers a pastoral escape into the landscapes of traditional
Chinese painting.
The domain had long been a royal garden before being considerably en-
larged and embellished by Emperor Qianlong in the 18th century. He mar-
shalled a 100,000-strong army of labourers to deepen and expand
Kunming
Lake
( Kunming Hu), and reputedly surveyed imperial navy drills from a hilltop
perch.
Anglo-French troops vandalised the palace during the Second Opium War
(1856-60). Empress Dowager Cixi launched into a refit in 1888 with money
Historic Site
