The whole park covers an area of 3.009 square kilometers (including 2.97 square kilometers of the World Cultural Heritage Area of the Summer Palace), and the water surface accounts for about three quarters. Adjacent to Yuanmingyuan. It is a large-scale landscape garden with Kunming Lake and Wanshou Mountain as the background and Hangzhou West Lake as the basis, drawing lessons from the design techniques of Jiangnan gardens. It is also the most well-preserved royal palace and is known as the "Royal Garden Museum".
Before the Qing Emperor Qianlong succeeded to the throne, there were four large royal gardens in the western suburbs of Beijing. In the fifteenth year of Qianlong (1750), Emperor Qianlong converted this place into Qingyi Garden with silver in memory of his mother, Empress Dowager Chongqing.
Formed a 20-kilometer-long royal garden area from Tsinghua Campus to Xiangshan. In the tenth year of Xianfeng (1860), Qingyi Garden was burned by the British and French allied forces. In the 14th year of Guangxu (1888), it was rebuilt and renamed the Summer Palace as a summer amusement park.
Introduction to the Summer Palace:
Route 1: Classic essence route (3-5 hours).
This route is the best choice for new visitors, because it can fully appreciate the essence of the garden architecture and landscape angle. The specific steps are as follows: enter the Summer Palace from the North Palace Gate, which is the main entrance and the most prosperous entrance of the Summer Palace.
Walk along the lake to Suzhou Street, which is a commercial street modeled after the water town in the south of the Yangtze River. There are various pavements on both sides, so you can buy some souvenirs or try snacks.
Go to four continents There are four small islands in Kunming Lake, which respectively represent the four continents in Buddhism: Dongsheng Shenzhou, Xiniu Hezhou, Buzhou in South Station and Luzhou in North. Each island has a small pavilion with different styles.
Route 2: A quiet and sparsely populated route (3-5 hours).
This route can avoid crowded people and enjoy the unknown beauty of the area behind the Summer Palace. The specific steps are: enter the Summer Palace from the west gate. Go south along the lake to the southern end of Kunming Lake, and you can see small pavilions such as Changguantang and Zaojiantang.
Enter the Xidi and walk the whole Xidi, which was built after the West Lake Su Causeway. The six small bridges are exquisite and unique, and their names are mostly taken from the Book of Songs and lyrics, which are very elegant. On the west embankment, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Kunming Lake and overlook the buildings such as Foxiang Pavilion in Wanshou Mountain.
Cross Wanshou Mountain from west to east, which is the back mountain area of the Summer Palace. There are many quiet small scenic spots, such as humorous garden, Jingfuge, Yishoutang and Jiqingxuan. These scenic spots have their own characteristics and stories, which are worth savoring.
After coming down from the back hill, you can see the Summer Palace Museum, which shows the history, culture, art and nature of the Summer Palace, and gives you a deeper understanding of its charm. Go out from the East Palace Gate and end the tour.
Reference to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Summer Palace