SUMMER PALACE

2 min read

During the Second Opium War in 1860 the Summer Palace was looted and partially destroyed by French and British forces. In 1886, Cixi diverted funds earmarked to build a shaped pavilion and other extravagances throughout the palace. She also gave the palace its current name, yiheyuan, which means the “Garden for Cultivating Harmony, an ill-fitting ony, as the Summer Palace would innane as ould inspire little harmony. China soon paid for her imperial lavishness when a modern Japanese fleet destroyed its navy in 1895ace.( shifang) 1900, Western armies again inharmoniously sacked the Summer amer Palace, this time in retaliation for the Boxer Rebellion. Undeterred, Cixi again rebuilt this pleasure dome and powerful woman, who ruled China from behind the scenes for years, remains very strong on the buildings today.

Most of the major sights are concentrated in the northern part of the compound.Near the East Palace Gate, the entry point for most tourists is the Hall of Benevolent Longevity renshoudian), where Cixi held court on her hardwood throne. short walk away,on here Emperor Guangxu, Cixi’s nephew, held under house arrest on Cixi’s orders for daring to undermine her authority. The Hall for Cultivating Happiness (dehe yuan that includes a Mercedes Benz, the first car imported into China. The Empress Dowager lived in the Hall of Happiness and Longevity(leshou tang), which is decorated with many period pieces.

These private apartments open up to the most resting construction in the Summer Palace, the Long corridor (changlangMore than 65 yards (700 and ending at the Marble Boat (shi fang ), this shaded wal kway is decorated with some 10, 000 painted scenes, each one different. Paths lead off from the Long Corridor to the temple complex atop Longevity Hill(wanshou shan), which includes the Buddhist Incense Towe foxiang ge) and the tiled Temple of the Sea of Wisdom(zhihui hai).The climb will be rewarded with sweeping views of the Summer Palace and the Fragrant Hills (xiangshan) A colorful performance of Peking opera.

The vast Summer Palace compound centers on Kunming Lake. In summer, visitors can explore the lake on boat, and skate across its frozen expanse in the winter. The highly photogenic17 Arch Bridge(shiqikong qido) links the lake’s’ eastern shore to South Lake Island. The most pleasurable way to escape the crowds is to take a leisurely stroll the willow-shaded- paths and arched bridges that encircle the lake- bring your camera and a picnic.