2011-24 Summer Palace, Beijing China
Hello All,
Our next adventure took us to the magnificent Summer Palace about eight miles from downtown Beijing. It is a 700-acre garden and complex of buildings whose Chinese name means, Garden of Nurtured Harmony. Originally built in 1750, it was virtually destroyed by British troops in 1860. The Empress Dowager Cixi rebuilt it in 1888, and it became her favorite residence. The palace was used by the Imperial Court to escape the summer heat of Beijing. Its beautifully landscaped grounds are considered the finest of Chinese architectural gardens. It has a harmonious mix of styles of architecture and contains lakes, ponds, gentle hills, serene pavilions and tranquil cobbled paths. It was lovely but loaded with tourists and local residents due to the long Chinese holiday.
We found the elaborate artistic work on the buildings to be quite exquisite. The following photo is the East Palace entrance.
Our next adventure took us to the magnificent Summer Palace about eight miles from downtown Beijing. It is a 700-acre garden and complex of buildings whose Chinese name means, Garden of Nurtured Harmony. Originally built in 1750, it was virtually destroyed by British troops in 1860. The Empress Dowager Cixi rebuilt it in 1888, and it became her favorite residence. The palace was used by the Imperial Court to escape the summer heat of Beijing. Its beautifully landscaped grounds are considered the finest of Chinese architectural gardens. It has a harmonious mix of styles of architecture and contains lakes, ponds, gentle hills, serene pavilions and tranquil cobbled paths. It was lovely but loaded with tourists and local residents due to the long Chinese holiday.
We found the elaborate artistic work on the buildings to be quite exquisite. The following photo is the East Palace entrance.
There were statues of lions,
dragons, Foo Dogs and mystical creatures scattered throughout the gardens.
Lovely arbors covered with
wisteria and Chinese shaoyao peonies were in bloom throughout the gardens.
There were covered walkways
within the garden that almost could be considered art galleries--so beautiful.
Although walking on them was virtually impossible due to the large crowd.
Periodically the paths were
interrupted by a small pagoda. They were awesome examples of Chinese
architecture and incredible artwork.
Note the artwork on the
ceiling of the pagoda in the following photo.
Foxiang Pavilion sits on
Longevity Hill within the garden. To help with perspective, those are people
climbing the steps in front of the pavilion.
Kunming Lake is the central
lake on the grounds of the Summer Palace. Together with Longevity Hill, they
form the key landscape features of the gardens. This manmade lake was built
some 3,500 years ago. It is a little over ¾ of a square mile in size and is
fairly shallow--with an average depth of about five feet. The lake freezes over
in the winter and is used for ice skating.
Dragon boats took people for
rides on Kunming Lake. Just as we started to board one of the boats, officials
shut them down due to strong winds picking up and creating waves. Bummer, it
would have been a good opportunity for photos. The water certainly looked calm
enough within the docking area.
Smaller more serene boats
operated on the smaller waterways in the gardens.
Departing the Summer Palace we
had a long walk to our bus. We passed many food vendors selling their various
specialties. They looked like quite healthy choices in comparison to what we
are used to in the western world--berries, pineapple, and roasted nuts rather
than sugary candies or pastries.
To say we were happy to reach
our bus would be an understatement. Visiting Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden
City and the Summer Palace all in one day had taken a toll on us--we were
exhausted!
Without a doubt, our trip to
China was wonderful. It is an amazing country that is loaded with history. We
found the people to be hard working, friendly, and kind. We will never forget
our short visit to this amazing place.
But, all good things must come to an end and it was time to go home. We had heard on the news that Alabama had been hit with a devastating outbreak of tornados. However, there were no specifics. We had no idea whether our home had been in the path of one.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
But, all good things must come to an end and it was time to go home. We had heard on the news that Alabama had been hit with a devastating outbreak of tornados. However, there were no specifics. We had no idea whether our home had been in the path of one.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns