Blogs from Summer Palace, Beijing, China, Asia - page 5

Final Days at Beijing This morning we went to a crepe place that was next to our hotel for breakfast. Mom and I split the banana and chocolate crepe which was delicious although I can't say it is very Chinese. We then went to the Summer Palace. Mom and I were expecting one large palace type building that we would walk through...wrong! The Summer Palace is virtually a museum of traditional Chinese gardening that uses rocks, plants, pavilions, ponds, cobble paths and other garden styles to create a poetic effect between different scenes. It was used by the imperial family as a vacation spot during the summer and each emperor added their own touch to the grounds. The grounds were really beautiful for us to walk around; however, we felt that it had become very ... read more

Summer Palace is quoted as "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value." As the largest and seemingly best-preserved imperial garden in China, I would have to agree. Construction of the Summer Palace was initiated in 1750 by Emperor Qianlong as a gift for his mother's birthday. It has been rebuilt (and slightly restructured) twice due to invasions and renovated in 1888 by Empress Dowager Cixi. Six of us visited the palace together and we split up into two groups, cause it's harder to handle the interests of larger groups and you get more glances by Chinese tourists or locals. As you enter the South Gate and ... read more