Summer Palace
Summer
Palace (Yiheyuan in Chinese) is the largest and best preserved of imperial
Chinese garden about half an hour by bus northwest of Beijing city center.
Known as the Summer Palace, meaning Garden of Harmonious Unity, the palace
served the court of Chinas last dynasty, the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911).
It was built in 1153 and served as a imperial palace in the Jin Dynasty
(1115 - 1234). In the Qing Dynasty (1750) the palace was expanded and
known as Qing Yi Garden (Clear Ripples). The palace was burned down by
the British-French Allied Forces in 1860. In 1888 it was rebuilt by Empress
Dowager Ci Xi with five million liang of silver from the navy funds, and
renamed Yi He Garden (Garden of Harmonious Unity), also known as the Summer
Palace. The Summer Palace consists of the longevity Mountain, and 
the
Kunming Lake which covers three fourths of the entire palace. Around the
lake are 3,000 halls, temples, gardens and rooms. The palace is now turned
into a public garden. Main attraction spots are the Hall of Benevolence
and Longevity, the Long Corridor, the Pavilion of Precious Clouds, the
Buddhist Temple of the Sea of Wisdom, the Xie Qu Garden (Garden of armonious
Delight) and the 17-arch Bridge. Construction of the palace is a combination
of nature and man-made structures. Though built by men, all the buildings
are harmoniously integrated into the natural scenery and the palace looks
as if it was made by Heaven.