The Summer Palace or Yiheyuan (Chinese which means "Garden of polite harmony") is a park in Beijing (China). It is dominated by the so-called "Hill of Longevity" (60 meters high) and "Kunming Lake".
It covers an area of square kilometers, of which 75% is represented by water. In the 70,000 square meters in which the complex of buildings is built there are a remarkable variety of palaces, gardens and other architectural structures.
When in 1750 the Qianlong emperor began the preparation of the Summer Palace - which was added to the already existing Ancient Summer Palace - it was known as the Garden of clear gurgles. Artisans reproduced the architectural style of several palaces scattered throughout China, while Kunming Lake was created by extending a pre-existing pond to make it resemble the famous Hangzhou Lake. The palace complex suffered two attacks during its history: one during the Anglo-French invasion in 1860 and the other in 1900, during the so-called Boxer revolt.
The garden survived both times and was rebuilt in 1886 and 1902. In 1888 it was given its present name, Yihe Yuan. It was the summer residence of Empress Vedova Cixi, who hijacked 30 million tael of silver (more than 900 tons, originally intended for the imperial army fleet) for the reconstruction and enlargement of the palace.
In 1998 the Summer Palace was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Summer Palace or Yiheyuan
Address: 19 Xinjiangongmen Rd, Haidian District, Cina, 100091
Phone: +86 10 6288 1144
Site:
http://www.summerpalace-china.com/index_mobile.htmLocation inserted by
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