Situated in northwest Beijing, the Summer Palace (Yiheyuan, “Nourishing Peace Garden”) comprises 1.1 square miles of meticulously designed architecture, water elements, pavilions, and winding paths through traditional gardens. Completed in 1764, it provided the Qing dynasty with an airy retreat from sweltering Beijing summers in the wall-enclosed Forbidden City.
Emperor Qianlong established the palace on Kunming Lake, an ancient reservoir that fed the capital of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty (1279–1368). Originally named the Garden of Clear Ripples, it sat nestled under Longevity Hill; the palace fulfilled administrative and spiritual functions, serving as a seasonal residence. In 1860, war swept the region and destroyed it during the Second Opium War. Emperor Guangxu, for the Empress Dowager Cixi, restored the Summer Palace on the original foundations 26 years later. In 1924, the grounds became a public park and have maintained that function.
For visitors, highlights include the Tower of the Fragrance of Buddha, which rewards those who climb its steep stairs with views of the grounds and surrounding mountains. The Garden of Virtue and Harmony is a three-story structure containing a theater initially used for court opera productions for Empress Cixi - it still holds year-round stage traditional dances and operatic performances.
Kunming Lake comprises three islands, designed per the symbolic Chinese mountain garden. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Imperial Garden features a harmonious blending of nature and historic structures, including elaborately painted pagodas.
