The Summer Palace, an imperial garden in Beijing

The Summer Palace, an imperial garden in Beijing, is a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design that is noted for its mountains, lakes, bridges, pavilions, halls and other ancient architectures.

Built in the Qing Dynasty, using Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill as the basic framework, the Summer Palace combined political and administrative, residential, spiritual and recreational functions within a landscape of lakes and mountains, in accordance with the Chinese philosophy of balancing the works of man with nature. One of the most famous scenic spots is the 17-Arch Bridge, which incorporates features of the Precious Belt Bridge in Suzhou and the Lugou Bridge in Beijing and has 17 arches and 544 distinctive lions on its columns. Although the Summer Palace suffered several times of destruction in history due to war, it was restored and has been a public park since 1924. It is one of the parks you shall not miss when you visit Beijing!