Summer Palace | Which is the best place to enjoy autumn in Beijing? Anyway, I don’t recommend the Summer Palace

Summer Palace, a royal garden during the Qing Dynasty

A Jiangnan style garden modeled on the West Lake

The predecessor of Qingyi Garden was built by Qianlong for his mother, the Empress Dowager Chongqing.

It was later destroyed by the British and French forces and rebuilt during the Guangxu period.

However, after Guangxu, there were still many devastations

After Puyi abdicated, it was still managed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs as his private property.

During the Republic of China, tickets were sold to the public in order to subsidize the garden finance.

The end of October is already the end of autumn in Beijing

As an extremely beautiful city in autumn

Staying at home on weekends is a waste of nature’s gifts

Comparing several places to enjoy autumn

The Summer Palace is a great place to enjoy the scenery and play, and is more suitable for killing time.

Although I usually work in Haidian

I have been in Beijing for more than three years and have not had the opportunity to visit the Summer Palace.

 

The Summer Palace has many doors and covers a large area.

If you have to read every corner, I'm afraid it will take you a whole day.

We won't meet until 2pm

Take a taxi to Xinjian Palace Gate and prepare to visit in an inverted S shape. Exit from Beigong Gate.

Tickets are RMB 30 in peak season and RMB 20 in off-season. It is recommended to purchase tickets online in advance

On the left hand side of the entrance is the Seventeen-Arch Bridge

The Seventeen-Arch Bridge is located on Kunming Lake

Located between Dongdi and Nanhu Island

The stone bridge is 8 meters wide, 150 meters long, and has 17 bridge openings.

There are more than 500 stone lions of different sizes and shapes carved on the railings.

From the Seventeen-hole Bridge, you can overlook the Buddhist Incense Pavilion on the opposite side

 

 

Nanhu Island and Wanshou Mountain echo each other

In addition to this island, there are Tuancheng Island and Zaojiantang Island.

This is a metaphor for the three mountains on the sea: Penglai, Fangzhang and Yingzhou.

On the northwest side of Nanhu Island, you can take a boat to Shifang and then travel eastward.

I chose to go around the island and return to the newly built palace gate.

Talking about Nanhu Island, the scenery is a bit inferior compared to the opposite side.

The entire island is circular in shape. There are Dragon King Temple, Jianyuan Hall, etc., all of which were rebuilt after destruction.

The northern part is a rockery made of rocks.

There are Hanxu Hall and Lancuijian built on the rockery, which are the main buildings on the island.

Cixi once reviewed the Beiyang Navy among the greenery

Walk north along the East Causeway

You need to buy additional tickets for the Summer Palace Museum

On the left is Zhichunting

There are only dead lotuses and fallen leaves left in the lotus pond

Boating tourists create ripples on Kunming Lake

Now it's just a matter of walking around the lake

The first attraction is Yulantang

A three-sided courtyard building

Emperor Guangxu was imprisoned here

Although the doors and windows are closed

But through the glass you can still glimpse the luxury of a century ago

Pass through the screen wall and enter Yiyun Pavilion

It is also a courtyard house where Queen Longyu lives.

There is a dragon and phoenix tree in the northwest of the courtyard. It is said to be 500 years old.

There are 10 stone carvings embedded in the inner corridor wall of Yiyun Gate.

It is a copy of each family's dharma calligraphy written by Emperor Qianlong.

Although the wooden buildings are stained

The faded carved meticulous paintings can still reveal the dignity and nobility of the royal family.

To the west is Leshou Hall which is the residence of Cixi

As the best place to live and play in the park

There are bronze deers, bronze cranes and copper vases displayed in the courtyard, which means "Liuhe Peace".

The living room in the middle, the west suite is the bedroom, and the east suite is the dressing room.

In the center is the "Imperial Case Throne" carved from red sandalwood.

Followed by a 15% off glass screen

Palm fans with peacock feathers on both sides

It is said that Le Shoutang was the first place where electric lights were installed in China.

Cixi was also the first person to use electric light

In the courtyard in front of Le Shou Hall

There is also a large sea-blue stone lying on its side.

It is engraved with Emperor Qianlong's handwriting: Qingzhixiu

The stone is eight meters long, two meters wide and four meters high.

It was picked up by Qianlong on his way back from worshiping his ancestors.

(It turns out that people who want to luck are left in the middle without money.

Next to Leshou Hall is the promenade

The corridor is more than 700 meters long and is known as the "No. 1 Corridor in the World"

There are more than 8,000 colorful paintings on the beams.

If you look carefully, you will find that the artist has condensed thousands of years of history and culture with delicate brushstrokes

Echoing the long corridor that meanders from east to west across the foothills is the vertical axis of the Buddhist Incense Pavilion

Foxiang Pavilion is located in Longevity Hill. It is an exquisite building with eight sides, three floors and four double eaves

From the "Yunhui Yuyu" archway at the foot of the mountain

Pass through Paiyun Gate, Ergong Gate, Paiyun Hall, Dehui Hall, Foxiang Pavilion, and reach the Sea of ​​Wisdom on the top of the mountain.

Forming a central axis that rises layer by layer

Every month, Cixi burns incense and worships Buddha here.

You need to buy additional tickets to visit here

Return the same way you came.

Continue westbound and encounter Tingliu Pavilion on the way

It was originally built by Qianlong for his mother and has a two-story stage inside.

Before the Deheyuan Theater was built, Cixi often watched plays and had banquets here.

Now it has been converted into a restaurant to entertain leaders from various countries.

Seeing Shifang, the trip is coming to an end

The name of the stone boat is Qingyanfang, which means "Hai Qing He Yan"

This is the only Western-style building in the Summer Palace

Made of carved marine marble

There are two floors of ships built on the hull, and the bottom of the ship is paved with tiles.

The windows are stained glass and the top is decorated with brick carvings.

When it rains, the rainwater falling on the roof of the boat passes through the hollow pillars at the four corners.

It is discharged into the lake through the four faucets on the hull.

Stone boats are not uncommon; they can be found in the Lion Grove and the Presidential Palace

But none of them are as exquisite as the Summer Palace.

Walking through Nyana Bridge you will be attracted by the autumn colors

This is the destination we are really looking for on this trip

The three tall ginkgo trees are already golden and heavy

The afterglow of the setting sun shines to the west and hits people’s faces gently and softly.

Tourists took out their cell phone cameras to record the beautiful scenery at this moment.

Going around the back lake, I found a quiet place again

Most tourists wouldn’t realize there’s such beauty in this corner

Compared with the previous golden splendor

It’s more like fireworks here

Red maple trees stand by the lake

The winding riverbank adds a sense of tranquility to the scenery

Walk along the mountain road to Beigong Gate

Suzhou Street , built to imitate Jiangnan Water Town, is under renovation

There are many shops on Suzhou Street. The shop assistants are all dressed as palace maids and eunuchs.

The supreme ruler who cannot be close to the people's livelihood can only play cosplay like this in the Summer Palace

It’s quite funny to think about it

 

It took just over 3 hours to leave the Summer Palace

In fact, I only visited a third of the way.

Without explanations, it is at most an entertainment park

If you come to the Summer Palace just to enjoy the autumn, you will be slightly disappointed

But as a must-visit attraction in Beijing, I still recommend it

 

(PS: The photo was taken on 2021.10.30)