Located in the Haiding District with a distance about 15 kilometers away from the Beijing City center and an area of 290 hectares, the the Summer Palace is the biggest and the best-preserved imperial garden in China nowadays, and it is one of the four famous gardens in China also. It is a large-scale mountain and water garden and also a completely-preserved imperial palace garden which sets the Kunming Lake and the Longevity Hill as the base address, and uses the scenery of the West Lake in Hangzhou as the blueprint, and absorbs some design methods and atmosphere. It has been honored as the ” Royal Garden Museum.”
The Summer Palace
The Summer Palace, also called Yiheyuan and The Garden of Harmonious Unity, is an outstanding example of imperial parks and private gardens characteriezd by both northern and southern China and it is a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design, where you can view the beautiful and natural landscape inluding hills, pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges with fantastic charm. Famous both for its general design and its individual structures, the Summer Palace shows its unique beauty and do not forget to view its official sector in its eastern part and its Long Corridor, which is one of the longest of its kind in Chinese history. The Palace Theatre and the Marble Boat should not be missed also during your visit to the Summer Palace.
The Summer Palace
Travel Tips: 1) Opening time and ticket price: 6:30 a.m. – 18:00 p.m. for the entrance in the peak season from 1st, April to 31st, October with the ticket price of 30 RMB/ adult; 7:00 a.m. – 17:00 p.m.for the entrance in the slack season from 1st November to 31st March with the ticket price of 20 RMB/ adult. 2)Best time to visit: summer is the best time to visit the Summer Palace as the weather is temperate at that time. Winter is not recommended time for you to visit there as the lake is frozen and the cruise is not available then. 3) How to get there: Take the no.4 subway line to the North Palace Gate or the West Garden and then walk in the west direction for 500 meters from the Tongqing Street to the East Palace Gate of the Summer Palace. 4) Do not forget wear those shoes which are suitable for long walk.