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Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing

Beijing · China

Background

World Heritage since
1998
Type of site
Cultural
Garden first built
1750

The Summer Palace in Beijing, first built in 1750, largely destroyed in the war of 1860 and restored on its original foundations in 1886, is a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. UNESCO says the natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value.

The garden covers 2.9 square kilometres, three-quarters of it water. Kunming Lake was entirely man-made, and the excavated earth was piled into the 60 m Longevity Hill; the front of the hill carries halls and pavilions in sequence, while the back is quiet and natural. More than 3,000 ancient buildings hold a collection of over 40,000 relics, and the palace is also the terminus of the South-North Water Transfer Project, Beijing's main water supply.

More on the UNESCO listing More on Wikipedia

  1. 1153The Jin emperor builds a palace in the hills north-west of Beijing
  2. 1750The Qianlong Emperor builds the garden
  3. 1860Largely destroyed in the Second Opium War
  4. 1886Rebuilt on its original foundations for the Empress Dowager Cixi
  5. 1998Inscribed as World Heritage

Find Your Way Around

The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them

  1. 1
    Kunming Lake
    The man-made lake that covers three-quarters of the garden.
  2. 2
    Longevity Hill
    The Tower of Buddhist Incense and the halls climbing the front slope.
  3. 3
    Long Corridor
    The painted covered walkway along the shore.
  4. 4
    Marble Boat
    The stone pavilion-boat on the lake's edge.
  5. 5
    Seventeen-Arch Bridge
    The bridge to South Lake Island.
  6. 6
    The Back Hill
    The quiet, wooded side behind the pavilions.

Know Before You Go

From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides

Allow Half a Day
The GoGo guide gives the palace and lake three and a half hours; the site is huge.
Subway and Shared Bikes
Wikivoyage: Beijing's subway reaches most attractions, with dockless bikes outside the stations for the last stretch.
Boat Across the Lake
Ferries cross Kunming Lake to save the walk back.
Summer Heat
The gardens were built as a summer retreat; the lakeside corridors give the shade.

Lake and Hill

From the GoGo Beijing guide · Open the Beijing Guide ›

  1. 09:00
    Summer Palace and Kunming Lake3.5 hrs
    The Long Corridor and the Marble Boat.
  2. 14:00
    Hutongs Around Houhai90 min
    Old alleys by rickshaw or bike.
  3. 15:45
    Drum and Bell Towers45 min
    The old timekeepers.
  4. 19:00
    Peking Duck Dinner90 min
    Duck carved at the table.

Best Time to Visit

Best months: Apr, Sep–Oct. Freezing days in Dec–Feb. Rainy season Jul.

Typical highs

Best monthsRain: wettest Jul (151 mm), driest Jan (2 mm)

Climate: NASA POWER

Pair It With

Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance

WORTH A NIGHTDAY TRIPSAME DAYDistance not to scale · tap a site
Do These Together
The Forbidden City and the Central Axis are 14 km away and the Temple of Heaven 17 km; the Great Wall at Mutianyu is a day trip.
Sources
UNESCO World Heritage Centre, listing 880 · Wikipedia: Summer Palace · Wikivoyage: Beijing (CC BY-SA 4.0) · GoGo Beijing guide · UNESCO listing