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| Picture by Kolohe |
Summer Palace is located in the Haidian District, Beijing, China. In 1998, Summer Palace became a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it is "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." Located at Summer Palace are over 3,000 ancient Chinese buildings that contain over 40,000 artifacts from various dynasties.
The area now known as Summer Palace has a rich history dating back to 1153, when the Jin Dynasty capital was moved to Yanjing (present-day Beijing) and Ruler Wanyan Liang built a palace in the Fragrant Hills. Around 1271, a man-made water reservoir was created to endure a reliable water source for the palace and the capital city. Over several hundred years, the palace, lakes, and gardens were expanded several times and given different names.
However, during Qianlong Emperor's (1736-1795) and Empress Dowager Cixi's reign, there was substantial development and expansion in the area that affected the lake's water supply; so two more man-made lakes were developed to stabilize the level of water in the reservoir.
In 1750, a new palace was built and the Hall of Industrious Government was constructed just inside of the east gate. Then, in 1860, the Hall was destroyed by Anglo-French Allied Forces.
Empress Dowager Cixi is considered to have been one of the most powerful women in Chinese history and had the Hall rebuilt in 1886. The new Hall was built on the same site as the destroyed building and named Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, based on the Analects of Confucius that stated: "One who is benevolent enjoys longevity."
While we were in Beijing, we contacted a guide to tour us around for the day and it turned out that his English name was "Peter." Since our guide in Datong was also named "Peter," We called this Peter, "Peter II."
Peter II drove us out to Summer Palace and after purchasing our tickets, we entered Summer Palace through the East Palace Gate. The Cloud Dragon Steps in front of the gate are from Qianlong Emperor's reign and the three Chinese characters above the gate were written by the Guangxu Emperor.
During Qianlong Emperor's reign, the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity was the main office building at Summer Palace and the place where the Emperor and Empress conducted court affairs, accepted laudations, and received foreign diplomats. This is where Empress Dowager Cixi had her throne.
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Kunming Lake covers 2.2 sq km (540 acres) and was entirely man-made by using over 10,000 laborers. The soil excavated when building the lake was used to build Longevity Hill, which is about 60 m (200 ft) high. After building the reservoir, the Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha was constructed on the side of Longevity Hill, along with a number of other religious buildings.
Empress Dowager Cixi enjoyed boating on the lake because she enjoyed the tranquility and natural beauty of the area. Paddle boat rentals are now available so visitors can also explore and enjoy the lake for themselves.
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Seventeen-Arch Bridge is located across a narrow part of the lake and is described as an "architectural marvel." The bridge is 150 m (490 ft) long, 9 m (26 ft) wide, and contains 17 different types of arches.
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Long Corridor runs from the Hall of Joy and Longevity to the Zhizhang Pavilion. The corridor is 728 m (2,388 ft) long and contains over 14,000 paintings of famous places in China and scenes from Chinese mythology. Located along the Corridor are several gardens and beautifully decorated pavilions overlooking Kunming Lake.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Tingliguan was built in 1750 for the Emperor to watch operas and a place for holding banquets. The theater was named The Hall for Listening to Orioles because beautiful singing was compared to the singing of orioles.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Marble Boat was commissioned by Empress Dowager Cixi, but it is actually a wooden boat painted to look like marble. Other tourist boats were also located at other piers.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
We followed a series of paths that eventually led us to the Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha on Longevity Hill.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Peter told us that we could not visit Beijing without going to Haosaozi for sliced noodles, so after touring Summer Palace we stopped for something to eat. Since I'm not a noodle fan, I had Kung Pao Chicken.
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
After eating, Kolohe, Heather and Sophia wanted to go shopping. On the way up an escalator in the mall, I noticed a sign that said "Mind Your Head." I explained to my daughters that the English translation was "Don't spend a lot of money on souvenirs that you have to take home, but have no use for."
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| Picture by Kolohe |
While in the mall we stopped in a Crocs Store and my daughters wanted to know if I wanted to purchase some shoes to go with my watch and sunglasses (See Blog 0633). I declined the offer.
Kolohe insisted on taking a picture in front of the Heytea shop because her nieces and nephews call her "T," short for "Aun-tee."
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Heather |
