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Summer Palace Pictures

The Summer Palace in Beijing is the largest imperial garden in the world, a veritable museum of classical Chinese garden architecture. Its construction was initiated in 1750 by Emperor Qianlong as a birthday gift for his mother. It took 15 years to complete. The majority of the original buildings were destroyed by foreign troops during the plundering of Beijing in 1860. These were renovated in 1888 under the auspices of the Empress Dowager Cixi. Attraction Intro: Summer Palace

Related Tours including Summer Palace: 4-Day Beijing Tour, 3-Day Beijing Tour

Court Area (23)

The Court Area, stretching from the East Palace Gate to the north shore of Kunming Lake, was used for administration in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), in which the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity has the most outstanding architecture. It has almost the same layout as the Forbidden City.

Front-hill Area (19)

The front-hill area is the central part of the Summer Palace, with most of the important buildings concentrated here. The Tower of Buddhist Incense is the central building, with the other palaces scattered on its two sides, east and west.

Lake Area (17)

Most of the buildings in the Lake Area are for recreation and sightseeing, where many bridges and architectures are in the style of the southern part of China. Six bridges in different styles are considered as the essence of the palace.

Rear-hill Area (15)

Many Tibetan style temples and the scenery in styles of southern China highlight the Rear-hill area. In general, this area is not as prosperous as the front area, except the Suzhou Market Street. Only the ruins of the terrace and the walls remain to commemorate its original splendor.

Gallery of Literary Prosperity (28)

The Gallery of Literary Prosperity houses about forty thousand relics of the imperial families from Shang Dynasty (1066BC-1046BC) to Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and includes various categories such as jade, gold, ancient furniture, precious books and so on. It is one of the best exhibition halls in China.

- Last modified on Oct. 16, 2017 -

Questions & Answers on Summer Palace Pictures

Asked by mufti | Jul. 29, 2011 08:45

Landmark of summer palace

What is the landmark of summer palace ? Where is the best place to take picture with this landmark as background ? Can we reach that place without using boat ? Thanks

Answers (1)

Answered by Leo from CHINA | Jul. 30, 2011 01:19

I don't think there is such a concept of Summer Palace landmark. There are so many beautiful sites in it, such as the Kunming Lake, Longevity Hill, Long Corridor, Suzhou Street and Seventeen Arches Bridge. But I know you can take a picture of both Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill on the Seventeen Arches Bridge or by the side of Kunming Lake. Yes, all the sites in the garden can be reached without using boat, just by walking.