The Summer Palace lies in the west garden of Haidian District in Beijing City.

the Long Gallery

The Summer Palace not only has the reputation of the best classic garden in China, but also is one of the well-known gardening sights in the world. In the first year (1153) of the Zhenyuan reign in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), an imperial palace for the emperor's short stay was built on the present site of the Summer Palace, and was renamed the Haoshan Garden (Garden of Bright Mountains). In the 15^th year (1750) under Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1368-1644), it was expanded and renamed Qingqiyuan (the Garden of Clear Ripples), enjoying the famous reputation as Three Mountains and Five Gardens with Changchunyuan (the Garden of Enjoying Spring), Yuanmingyuan (the Old Summer Palace), the Garden of Clear Ripples on Wanshou Hill (Longevity Hill), Jingmingyuan (the Garden of Serenity and Brightness) on Yuquan Mountain and Jingyiyuan (the Garden of Serenity and Harmony) on the Fragrant Hill. However, the Garden of Clear Ripples is regarded as the best of these gardens for the picturesque natural scenery, once extolled in verses that where do you feel the most happy in Beijing? Certainly the Kunming Lake with the unrivaled natural beauty. In 1860, the Anglo-French Allied Forces invaded Beijing and set fire to the garden. In the 14^th year (1888) under Emperor Guangxu, Empress Dowager Cixi set aside 30 million taels of silver embezzled from the Imperial Navy to restore the grand garden, which took ten years. After the completion, it was renamed the Summer Palace. Empress Dowager Cixi spent her later years in it, where she carried out most of her traitorous policies. Therefore many significant political events can be traced to this garden even now.

The Seventeen-Arch Bridge

The Summer Palace is well known for its picturesque natural scenery that is artificially created, which acclaimed as the model of the classic gardens in China. It mainly consists of the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake, covering an area of 5,000 mu or so, of which three fourths are the Kunming Lake. About 3,000 palaces, temples and other gardens encircle the hill and the lake. All the man-made hills, halls, pavilions and temples, including Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill, blend together harmoniously in spite of their individual styles.  

The garden can be divided into three parts, administration, residence and scenery browsing area. The administration area, taking Halls of Benevolence and Longevity as its principal part, is the place where Cixi dealt with state affairs and received officials. Residence area mainly consists of Hall of Jade Billows, Garden of Virtue and Harmony, and Hall of Joyful Longevity. The Kunming Lake and the Longevity Hill then serve as the scenery browsing area.

In the front of the Longevity Hill, there is a quintessence collection of the best scenes in the palace. With Paiyundian (Hall of Dispersing Clouds), the Foxiangge (Tower of the Buddhist Incense) and the Zhihuihai (Sea of Wisdom) in the middle and Zhuanluncang (Repository of Sutras), the Stone Tablet, the Wufangge (Pentagonal Pavilion) and the Baoyunge (Precious Cloud Pavilion) on the west and east sides as the central axis, all the buildings are constructed along the hill, varied in shapes and models, and full of wit and interests. The Tower of the Buddhist Incense, 41 meters high, is the highest building as well as the symbol of the Summer Palace, commanding the whole palace. Standing on the tower, one will have a panoramic view of the scenes around the Kunming Lake and the Fragrance Hill in the distance. The Hall of Dispersing Clouds was the place where Empress Dowager Cixi held the celebration of her birth, and therefore it was full of the grand imperial style. The birthday presents presented by the ministers to celebrate the 70^th birthday of Empress Dowager Cixi are still displayed in the hall today. The name dispersing clouds is from the poem Traveling Immortals by Guo Pu of the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), which contains verses that the immortals appear from the dispersing clouds, only the golden and silver platforms can be seen. The Hall of Precious Clouds, 7.55 meters high and 207 tons weighed, is the hall of bronze statues of Buddha, generally called Bronze Pavilion, with exquisite models and superb skills, which are rarely seen.

Located on the north bank of the Kunming Lake and the south foot of Longevity Hill, the Long Gallery, also called Thousand Pace Gallery, stretches 728 meters and contains 273 intervals between poles, and is the longest of its kind in China. In the 14^th year (1749) of Emperor Qianlong's reign, the emperor ordered to build the gallery especially for his mother, Empress Dowager Xiaosheng, to enjoy the snow scenery. The Long Gallery is tortuous and winding like a colorful ribbon, connecting the administration, residence and scenery browsing area. Among the gallery lie the Liujia Pavilion, the Jilan Pavilion, the Qiushui Pavilion and the Xiaoyao Pavilion, respectively symbolizing the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. The gallery is famous for its elegant paintings. Emperor Qianlong once ordered the painters to draw pictures of the West Lake in Hangzhou, and painted 546 pictures of beautiful scenery and more than 8,000 pictures of figures, stories, mountains, waters, flowers and birds along the gallery. Up to now, the pictures have been increased to more than 14,000.

The Kunming Lake has an area of 220 hectares. Emperor Qianlong named the lake after the place where Han (206BC-220AD) Emperor Wudi trained the navy in Chang'an. There are rippling blue waves, shades of lush willows and many pavilions and towers built on the big or small islands that dot the lake, creating a lofty artistic ambience of the Penglai Island (fabled fairyland of immortals). The six bridges on the west causeway are designed after the Su and Bai Causeways in Hangzhou, quite similar to the scenery south of the Yangtze River. The Seventeen-Arch Bridge crosses the east causeway and the South Lake Island, just like a long rainbow over the water. There are 544 lions in a great variety of shapes and postures vividly caved out of white marble set on the balustrades. In those years, Empress Dowager Cixi often went boating and enjoyed the scenery on the lake. She even dressed herself as fisherwomen, and also ordered the royal concubines and maids to dress up as fisher girls and Li Lianying as the boatman. They went sightseeing and took pictures, which have been preserved till now. Mao Zedong once wrote the famous verses not to say that the Kunming Lake is too shallow, it is better to appreciate the fish than in the Fuchun River.

There is a stone boat carved out of a huge rock in the middle of the lake on the west side of the Long Gallery. It is 36 meters high and is also called the Qingyan Boat. On the eighth day of April in Chinese lunar calendar, generally called the Day of Bathing Buddha, Emperor Qianlong would accompany his mother, Empress Dowager Xiaosheng, to set free fishes and shrimps. The Qingyan Boat was built in Chinese style before the Anglo-French Allied Forces burned it out, and later Empress Dowager Cixi rebuilt it into western style. On both sides of the main part there are two cabins furnished with western tables, chairs and dishware, where Empress Dowager Cixi once had her breakfasts and midnight snacks.

Located in the northeast of the palace, Xiequyuan (Garden of Harmonious Interests) enjoys the reputation of the Garden of Gardens and is well known for its elegance and unique layout, which is built after the Jichang Garden on Huishan (Hui Hill), Wuxi City that is famous in the south of the Yangtze River. Emperor Qianlong once wrote one pavilion and one path, both harmonious and interesting for the Huishan Garden, and thus the garden got its name as Garden of Harmonious Interests. Empress Dowager Cixi often enjoyed sightseeing and fishing in the garden. The pavilions and bridges are apparently scattered about but properly spaced, while the flowers and plants, pines and bamboos are unevenly and irregularly alternated with each other. In the northwest of the Palace, Yuqinxia (Gorge of Jade Qin) is so called because the brooks flow in circles along the Rear Lake, murmuring like the sound of Qin (a seven-stringed plucked instrument). There are rugged huge rocks in the gorge with green vines winding around them. In the palace, the scenery is very similar to that of the gardens in the south of the Yangtze River. At the north foot of the Longevity Hill, there are the Rear Hill and the Rear Lake. The Rear Lake is divided into six small lakes, collectively called Suzhou River, which are zigzagging along the hill. On each side of the river, the hill paths wind up. With tall ancient trees, it appears calm and tranquil in the area of the Rear Hill and the Rear Lake, quite different from the front hill and lake that are splendid and imposing. It really has a distinctive flavor.

After the victory of the 1911 Revolution, the last emperor Puyi was compelled to give up the throne. In accordance with the requirements of giving special treatment to the imperial family, the Summer Palace was transferred as the private property of Puyi. In 1994, it was once open to the public as royal private property with ticket admission. In 1924, it was opened to the public as a park.