Summer Palace is a tranquil tourist destination in Beijing, exhibiting natural beauty across an ensemble of lakes, outbuildings and colourful aromatic gardens. It is just under three square-kilometres in size with much of it being taken up by water.
The natural landscape of Summer Place meets architectural brilliance, which awarded it a place among UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 1998.
Visiting Summer Palace is a must for anyone going to Beijing, but you get a lot more out of your visit if you go with local professional guides. Sandhills Travel makes Summer Place one of the stops on their Beijing tours. Experience Summer Palace with the best local knowledge on our top-rated tour, soon!
A Brief History of Summer Palace
Summer Palace dates back to the 12th century and has been the location of many famous buildings and temples used by emperors. Its design was based around Chinese mythology; three of the islands are manmade and present to represent three mountains that figure within local myths. Summer Palace has also been the centre of big stories, including being looted by French and British officials after the Second Opium War.
After a short period of Summer Palace becoming a privately-owned area, entry tickets were then sold to the public from 1914. This has been followed up with renovations to parts of Summer Palace that had been destroyed or in need of repair. In 2006, Chinese authorities began issuing Special Summer Palace coins to commemorate the area.
Longevity Hill, the Centre of Summer Palace
At the centre of Summer Palace is a great lake and an area known as Longevity Hill. It is estimated to be 60 metres high and decorated with majestic Chinese buildings. There is a sharp contrast between the front of the hill and the back of the hill. Whereas the front is rich with pavilions and beautiful halls, the back of the hill is much quieter and filled natural wonder. Interestingly, the giant lake, called Kunming Lake, is a manmade lake created through excavation. The soil that they excavated when creating the lake is the same soil that was used to erect Longevity Hill!
When to Visit Summer Palace
Autumn is often the preferred season to unwind within the scenic Summer Palace gardens. Yet, nobody should miss out on a trip to Summer Palace as part of their visit to Beijing. Just remember that Summer Palace has over eight centuries of history, so it is always best to visit with a professional guided tour – just like the renowned tours with Sandhills Travel!