• Unbelievable China. Lake of 2 km2 was artificially made only for the emperors. Hill was piled up with the soil of the Lake. The Summer Palace is one of the magnificent China. Worth to look at. Following explanations are quoted from the sign boards in the Palace.

• The Summer Palace: A Brief Introduction
  The Summer Palace landscape, dominated mainly by Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, covers an area of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which is under water. Its 70,000 square meters of building space features a variety of palaces, gardens and other ancient-style architectural structures. Well known for its large and priceless collection of cultural relics, It was among the first group of historical and cultural heritage sites in China to be placed under special state protection. The Summer Palace, originally named Yuan or the Garden or Clear Ripples, was first constructed in 1750. It was razed to the ground by the Anglo-French Allied Forces in 1860. The Government of the Qing Dynasty started to rebuild it in 1886 with funds that it had misappropriated from the Imperial Navy and other sources. Renamed two years later as Yihe Yuan or the Garden of Health and Harmony, it was supposed to serve as a summer resort for Empress Dowager Cixi. Known also as the Summer Palace, it was ravaged by the Allied Forces of the Eight Powers that invaded China in 1900. The damage was repaired in 1902. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Summer Palace has undergone several major renovations. Its major attractions such as the Four Great Regions, Suzhou Street, the Pavilion of Bright Scenery, the Hall of Serenity and the Wenchang Galleries have been successively restored. The Summer Palace is a monument to classical Chinese architecture, in terms of both garden design and construction. Borrowing scenes from surrounding landscapes, it radiates not only the grandeur of an imperial garden but also the beauty of nature in a seamless combination that best illustrates the guiding principle of traditional Chinese garden design: “The works of men should match the works of Heaven". In December 1998 UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List with the following comments. The Summer Palace in Beijing is an outstanding expression of the creative art of Chinese landscape garden design, incorporating the works of humankind and nature in a harmonious whole. The Summer Palace epitomizes the philosophy and practice of Chinese garden design which played a key role in the development of this cultural form throughout the east. The imperial Chinese garden, is a potent symbol of one of the major world civilizations.
• Stone of the God of Longevity (Shouxing Shi)
  This stone was moved here from the Morgan Garden (now inside Beijing University) when the Summer Palace was being reconstructed in the 12th year of Guangxu's reign (1886). Sleek, black, and shaped like the God of Longevity, it was named the Stone of the God of Longevity.
• Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (Renshou Dian)
  First built in the 15th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (1750) during the Qing dynasty, this building was named the Hall of Diligent Government when the whole Summer Palace area was called the Garden of Clear Ripples. In the 12th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign (1886), the Hall was rebuilt where it had been before the Anglo-French Allied Forces burned it down in the 10th year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign (1860). Citing the saying "the benevolent enjoy longevity' from the Analects of Confucius, it was renamed the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. This was where Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu handled court affairs, accepted laudations and received foreign diplomats during their stay in the Summer Palace. As such, it was the Summer Palace's main government building.
• Hall of Happiness in Longevity (Leshou Tang)
  Built in the 15th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (1750), the Hall of Happiness in Longevity originally had two floors. Burned down by the Anglo-French Allied Forces in the 10th year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign (1860), it was reconstructed in the 12th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign (1886) to serve as the living quarters for Empress Dowager Cixi during her stay in the Summer Palace. 。
• Long Corridor (Chang Lang)
  The Long Corridor was originally built in the 15th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (l750) and then rebuilt in the 12th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign (1886) because the Anglo-French Allied Forces burned it down in 1860. It starts from inviting the Moon Gate in the east and ends at Shizhang Pavilion in the west, covering a distance of 728 meters with its 273 sections. Of all the corridors in Chinese classical gardens, the Long Corridor is the longest. On the beams are more than 8,000 colorful paintings depicting stories from Chinese classical novels, folk tales, landscapes as well as flora and fauna. Four pavilions, "Mesmerizing Scenery', "Harmonizing with the Lake", "Autumn Water' and "Clear and Carefree", with octahedral structures and double eaves, were built intermittently along the corridor. Taking the Hall that Dispels the Clouds as the center, the Long Corridor stretches symmetrically to the east and the west along the foot of the hill and the water bank, linking all the structures scattered along the Longevity Hill side into a whole.
• Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha (Foxiang Ge)
  Originally built during the reign of Emperor Qianlong and burned down by the Anglo-French Allied Forces in 1860, it was rebuilt in its original style during Emperor Guangxu's reign (1875-1908). The octahedral tower has three stories with four-layered eaves, altogether 36.44 meters high. Standing upright on a 20 meter-high stone foundation, it constitutes the center of the Summer palace landscape and serves to accentuate its magnificence. A statue of the thousand-handed Guanshlyjn Buddha, cast in bronze and gilded with gold, stands inside the tower. The statue, five meters high and five tons in weight, was cast during the reign of Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty. Set off by the eight imposing pillars which support the tower, it grows with beauty, grandeur and brilliance. Its historical cultural and artistic value can hardly be overstated.

A standard image of Korean dog defends the entrance.	There are a lot of rocks like a rock garden.	Named as Stone of God of Longevity because of shape	A little different lion.
Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, used for politics	Dragon in front of Hall of Benevolence and Longevity	and Chinese phoenix?	Built in 1750. Empress Dowager Cixi rebuilt.
Bridge over Kunming Lake.	Evening sun shines in Kunming Lake.	Tower of the Fragrance of Buddha that reflects in the lake.	As big as 2km2 and is this artificial??!!
Hall of Happiness in Longevity reconstructed in 1886 for Empress Cixi	Long Corridor of 728m	There is a garden along the Long Corridor.	Looking up at Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha
Gate of Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha.	Pray Cloud Hall before the Tower of Fragrance	Three stories and 36-meter high	A statue of the thousand-handed Buddha
Corridor around the Tower	Kunming Lake and Pray Cloud Hall from the Tower	Rapid slope before the Tower.	Pray Cloud Hall itself is a big building.
Wood in the Longevity Hill.	Pray Cloud Hall is wide and big.	Buildings around the Tower.	Piling up rocks for the foundation.
Upward is the Tower. Quite steep.	Feel like descending from a mountain.	Tasty scenery of the way to the Tower.	Looking up the Tower.

2005/01/01