The Summer Palace In China
Posted On November 26, 2009
The Summer Palace or Yihe Yuan is a palace located in Beijing, China. Yihe Yuan means Gardens of Nurtured Harmony. Longevity Hill which is about 60 meters high and the Kunming Lake dominate the Summer Palace. The total area surface of the summer palace is about 2.9 square kilometers out of which, water covers the three quarters of the total area. The Kunming Lake which is located at the center of the palace has the total area surface of about 2.2 square kilometers. The Kunming Lake is totally man made. The soil which was available after the digging of the lake was later used in the construction of the Longevity Hill. In summer palace you can find various gardens, palaces as well as other classically-styled architectural buildings.
In 1750 the Summer Palace was known for being the garden of clear Ripples. The architectural styles were reproduced by the artists by having a look at the numerous palaces in China and getting an inspiration from them. The water body that already existed was extended and the Kunming Lake was formed. The West Lake in the Hangzhou did influence the construction of the Kunming Lake. The Summer Palace was attacked twice. The Anglo-French troops invaded the Old summer Palace in 1860 later it was invaded by eight different powers in 1900. The Garden of the Summer Palace did survived and was rebuilt twice, once in 1886 and then in 1902.
The current name of the palace Yihe Yuan was given to the palace in 1888 and was constructed to be a summer resort for Empress Dowager Cixi.
Longevity Hill got its name from the Qianlog Emperor. The Qianlong Emperor who belonged to the Qing Dynasty which lasted from 1644 to 1911 had ordered for the work on the imperial gardens which were located on the hill in the year 1749 on the occasion of his mother’s 60th birthday.
UNESCO included The Summer palace in the list of World’s Heritage in December 1998. The summer palace was declared as the master piece for its unique landscape garden designs. Even being a popular tourist’s destination The Summer Palace also serves as a recreation Park.
You can easily reach to the Summer Palace by taking a Bus or train. Take bus no. 539 or 469 if you are planning to get off at Yiheyuan West Palace Gate Station else take bus no. 374, 952, 437 or 74 and get off at Yiheyuan New Palace Gate Station. If you are willing take a train get to the sub way 4 and get off at Beigongmen Station and you would be out towards the North Palace Gate of the Summer Palace. If you get off at Xiyuan Station you need walk out of the station from the Exit C2 that is the southwest exit and walk in the west direction. The nearest airport is the Beijing Capital International Airport which is well connected with the national and international cities.
The entrance fee of the palace is 20 CYN and 30 CYN depending up on your time of the visit. The palace is open from 6:30 in the morning to 6 in the evening. And the estimated time required to visit the palace is about 2 hours.
