Located on the outskirts of the city of Beijing, Summer Palace is one of the most famous classical imperial gardens in China. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The palace is surrounded by a lake, Kunming Lake, and has beautiful landscape designs. The tour is available in the morning or afternoon, depending on the time you want to visit. You can also hire a guide to show you around the palace.
A great option for a family tour of the Summer Palace - excurzilla.com
And the lowest prices for car rental can be found here - bookingauto.com
The most famous garden in Beijing is the Summer Palace, which was a summer retreat for the imperial family members. The palace was also the place where the Empress Dowager Cixi's receptions and grand ceremonies took place. The garden is one of the largest Chinese imperial gardens. The garden covers 290 hectares and has six gates. The entrances are open from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm.
The garden has a variety of fountains and pools. The marbled ruins of Western Mansions can also be seen at Yuanmingyuan. Yuanmingyuan was built by the Kangxi Emperor as a gift to his fourth son, the Prince Zhu. After 1725, the garden was expanded by Yongzheng. In addition to the fountains, the garden also features a 17-arch marble bridge. The bridge is lined with lion statues and allowed the Emperor to sail his dragon boat underneath.
Summer Palace is also home to a Buddhist Temple. The Tower of Buddhist Incense is a celebration place for the birthday of Empress Dowager CiXi. The temple is three-storied and has eight porticos. The tower has a bird's-eye view of the Summer Palace.
The Garden of Harmonious Pleasures is located at the northeast corner of the Summer Palace. It is the best known "Garden within a Garden" structure in the Chinese classical garden. This area is also connected by a winding corridor. The Garden of Harmonious Pleasures has a different flavor to the Long Gallery.
The Hall of Joyful Longevity is also located at Summer Palace. The hall is also known as Ren Shou Dian. The building used to be the residence of the Dowager Empress Cixi. The Hall of Joyful Longevity is the only place outside of the Forbidden City where the Emperor and the Empress were together. They used to celebrate their birthdays in the hall every year. In the hall, Cixi also influenced politics from the rooms in the hall.
' fill='%23359391'%3e %3cpath d='M46.1538462%2c43.5714286 L41.5%2c50 L36.8461538%2c43.5714286 L36.8670256%2c43.5714286 C36.3173077%2c42.7142857 36%2c41.6851429 36%2c40.5714286 C36%2c37.4854286 38.4535641%2c35 41.5%2c35 C44.5464359%2c35 47%2c37.4854286 47%2c40.5714286 C47%2c41.6851429 46.6826923%2c42.7142857 46.1329744%2c43.5714286 L46.1538462%2c43.5714286 Z M41.4294872%2c39 C40.6150641%2c39 39.9487179%2c39.675 39.9487179%2c40.5 C39.9487179%2c41.325 40.6150641%2c42 41.4294872%2c42 C42.2439103%2c42 42.9102564%2c41.325 42.9102564%2c40.5 C42.9102564%2c39.675 42.2439103%2c39 41.4294872%2c39 L41.4294872%2c39 Z' id='Location-white'%3e%3c/path%3e %3c/g%3e %3c/svg%3e)
