The Summer Palace

The Chinese name for the Summer Palace is Yiheyuan, "The Garden of Harmonious Unity." The palace is an outstanding example of imperial parks and private gardens of both northern and southern China, and is the best preserved and largest of the Chinese imperial parks.

China has long been known worldwide for its gardens, including private gardens and imperial parks, all characterized by the harmony of natural and manmade beauty. The Summer Palace has natural beauty resembling that of the mountains and rivers of northern China and the lower reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River, and it has the manmade beauty of grand imperial palaces and exquisite residences.

The Summer Palace is located in the northwestern suburbs of Beijing, and is composed of three parts—the imperial palaces, Longevity Hill, and Kunming Lake—with a total area of 2.9 square kilometers.

The imperial palaces are in the eastern part of the Summer Palace. The main structure in this area is the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (Renshoudian), also known as the Hall of Industrious Government (Qinzhengdian). It was here that the rulers took care of state affairs during their stays in the park. On each side of the gate leading to the hall stands a stone statue of a guard. One is Monkey, and the other is Pig, two characters from the classic novel Journey to the West.

In the middle of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity stands an imperial throne. Behind it is a large screen decorated with a nine-dragon design symbolizing imperial power and with the Chinese character for "longevity" in 226 types of calligraphy. Placed around the throne are incense burners on tripods and crane-shaped lamps.

Nearby is the Hall of Jade Ripples (Yulantang), where Empress Dowager Ci Xi detained her son Emperor Guang Xu under house arrest, while the empress lived in Yiyun Hall behind, and Ci Xi lived in the Hall of Happiness and Longevity (Leshoutang) northwest of Yiyun. It is said that during her stay here, Empress Dowager Ci Xi spent 60 taels of silver on food each day.

North of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity is the Garden of Virtuous Harmony, which contains one of the three largest palace theaters in China, the other two being the Pavilion of Unimpeded Sound (Changyinge) in the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Pavilion of Clear Sound (Qingyinge) in the Mountain Resort of Chengde, Hebei Province. Performances were staged in the theater to celebrate Empress Dowager Ci Xi's birthdays.

West of the Hall of Happiness and Longevity is the Long Corridor, a covered promenade running for 728 meters along the northern shore of Kunming Lake and connecting with a row of buildings at the foot of Longevity Hill. It is the longest garden corridor in China, and it has more than 8,000 paintings in traditional Chinese style.

Near the Long Corridor is the palatial Cloud-Dispelling Hall (Paiyundian) midway up the slope of Longevity Hill. Two corridors, one on each side of the Cloud-Dispelling Hall, lead to two parallel flights of 114 stone steps, which take the visitors up to the Pavilion of the Fragrance of Buddha (Foxiangge). This octagonal pavilion enshrines a statue of Buddha. On the 1st and 15th of every lunar month, Empress Dowager Ci Xi came here to worship. The pavilion is the symbol of the Summer Palace and an outstanding example of traditional Chinese architecture.

Looking down from the pavilion one can see the Cakravarti (Zhuanlunzang) Tower in the east and the Precious Cloud Pavilion, or Bronze Pavilion, built with 207 tons of bronze, in the west. High on the slope is the Sea of Wisdom, also known as the Beamless Hall, the highest structure in the Summer Palace.

South of Longevity Hill is Kunming Lake. In the lake is a causeway called the West Dike, modeled after the Su Dongpo Causeway on the West Lake in Hangzhou. The West Dike divides the lake into east and west and is not actually a dike but a series of six connected bridges, one after the other, among which the Jade Belt Bridge is the most charming. It is said that both Emperor Qian Long and Empress Dowager Ci Xi liked to stroll along the West Dike. Empress Dowager Ci Xi once put on fisherwoman's clothes and had her picture taken here with the eunuch Li Lianying, also in fisherman's clothes.

The West Dike is connected with the East Dike, a stone causeway, whose middle section is the Seventeen-Arch Bridge built on the model of the Marco Polo Bridge in Beijing. The 564 balusters along the bridge are topped by carved lions, each in a different pose.

Kunming Lake, the Three Islets in the Lake, the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, and Longevity Hill each have their individual styles, but they all blend harmoniously with the landscape.

The Summer Palace, with Yuquan (Jade Spring) Mountain as its background, is a masterpiece among Chinese classical gardens, combining the beauty of gardens, courtyards, building complexes with a total of more than 3,000 rooms in various styles, and natural landscapes.

As a place of importance in the management of the state affairs of the Qing Dynasty, the Summer Palace witnessed the royal life of the Qing Dynasty.

Longevity Hill (Wanshoushan) was known as Wengshan before the garden was built, and Kunming Lake was called Wengshanbo. The lake was considered to be as beautiful as the West Lake in Hangzhou, and the picturesque scenery attracted numerous men of letters, who wrote poems glorifying the beauty of the lake and the lotuses that blossomed there in summer.

Because of the aroma of the flowers in the lake and the beautiful scenery in the Xishan (Western Hills) area, the Qing rulers decided to build imperial gardens in the region, among which Qingyi Garden (the predecessor of the Summer Palace) on Longevity Hill, Jingming Garden on Jade Spring Hill, Jingyi Garden on Fragrant Hills, Changchun Garden, and Yuanmingyuan are the most famous. These gardens were destroyed by fire in 1860 during the Second Opium War, and all their treasures were looted.

Work on the Qingyi (Clear Ripples) Garden began in 1750 under the order of Emperor Qian Long, who wanted the new garden in order to celebrate his mother's 60th birthday. Wengshan Hill was renamed Longevity Hill, and the lake was renamed Kunming Lake. The Garden of Clear Ripples was one of the gardens destroyed in the Opium War. Later, Empress Dowager Ci Xi reconstructed it and renamed it Yiheyuan.

Although each spot in the Summer Palace has its own meaning, the entire garden represents the supreme power of the rulers. Every vista represents the long history and the brilliant culture of the Chinese nation.

Every year since the reform and opening policies were implemented in China, the Summer Palace, the best among the Chinese imperial gardens, has received millions of Chinese and foreign visitors. It is now one of the major tourist attractions in China. In 1998, the garden was listed as one of the World Cultural Heritages by UNESCO.