Beijing Summer Palace (Yiheyuan)

China's Summer Palace situated in the northwest of Beijing, consisting of Longevity Hill (59 meters high), Kunming Lake and about 3000 halls, pavilions, temples, palaces and gardens with an area of 290 hectares. It is one of the largest and best-preserved royal gardens in China.

Yiheyuan Summer Palace was first built in 1750, largely destroyed in the war of 1860 and restored on its original foundations in 1886. In Qing Dynasty, it was used as a private summer residence by the imperial rulers. But nowadays, it becomes a world-popular and excellent place to cool off during hot summer months.

The complex buildings with natural landscape of hills and open water, display elegant, solemn and meticulous characters of ancient Chinese imperial gardens completely, which is the classical Chinese design philosophy - a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value. And precisely because of its high aesthetic value, in 1998, UNESCO listed the Summer Palace as one of the World Heritage Sites.

Beijing Summer Palace Facts

• Peak season (April 1st - October 31st) : Open at 6:00, stop entering at 19:00, close at 20:00
• Off-season (November 1st - March 31st) : The park opens at 6:30, stops entering at 18:00, and closes at 19:00

• Dehe Garden: 5 yuan per ticket.
• The Summer Palace Museum costs 20 yuan per ticket.
• Foxiang Pavilion: 10 yuan per ticket.
• Suzhou Street: 10 yuan per ticket

More Fun Facts about Summer Palace in Beijing

1. The corridor of the Summer Palace is 728 meters long and has more than 14,000 painted works. It is hailed as "the longest gallery in the world".

2. Winner of the Oscar for Best Picture, The Last Emperor, filmed in 1987, was set in the Summer Palace, including Kunming Lake, the Summer Palace Promenade and Wanshou Mountain.

3. Kunming Lake is an elaborate artificial lake. Its shape was ordered by Emperor Qianlong to be modeled after the layout of the West Lake in Hangzhou. The layout of the islands and embankments in the lake are intentionally modeled after the traditional garden design of the West Lake, which is “one pond and three mountains”.

4. In front of the Leshoutang Hall, “Qingzhisui” is a huge piece of Northern Taihu Lake stone. Because of its size and costly transportation, it was called the “stone of defeat”.The stone was moved to the Summer Palace by Emperor Qianlong after the Ming Dynasty official Mi Wanzhong had exhausted his family's fortune in transporting it to his own garden.

5. When Empress Dowager Cixi renovated the Summer Palace, she introduced some "modern" facilities. For instance, the earliest royal train in China (the Ziguangge Railway) was dismantled shortly after due to feng shui issues. Besides, electric lights and Western-style furniture were once installed in the palace.

>> Recommended tour: 4-day Beijing Highlights Tour

The History

China Summer Palace’s history can be traced back to the Jin Dynasty when it was just an ordinary royal garden. In Yuan Dynasty, the garden was enlarged and became a royal hunting ground. Later, during the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong began the large-scale construction of Qingyi Garden in 1750 in order to honor his mother, Empress Dowager Chongqing, as well as to satisfy his own pursuit of garden art. Modeled after the West Lake in Hangzhou, the Qianlong Emperor drew on the design and mood of the gardens in the south of the Yangtze River, skillfully blending natural landscapes with man-made structures. It took 15 years and a great deal of manpower, material and financial resources to create this grand-scale royal garden with beautiful scenery.

However, the Summer Palace's predecessor, Qingyi Garden, was burned down by the British and French forces in 1860. In 1888, the Empress Dowager Cixi appropriated naval funds to rebuild it and renamed it the Yiheyuan or Summer Palace.
In 1900, the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing again, and the Yiheyuan Summer Palace was again severely damaged and looted. 1902, the Qing government partially restored the Summer Palace.
After the founding of New China, large-scale restoration and conservation work was carried out on the Summer Palace. Today, the Summer Palace is listed as a World Heritage Site and one of the must-sees on a tour in Beijing, attracting tourists from all over the world.

What to See

Longevity Hill (Wanshou Mountain)

Standing beside Kunming Lake in Summer Palace, Longevity Hill is part of Yanshan Mountains, and located in the center of the Summer Palace.  

Longevity Hill was originally named Weng Mountain ( Urn Mountain). Legend has it that during the Ming Dynasty, an old man dug out a stone urn on the mountain, hence the name. In 1751, to celebrate his mother's 60th birthday, Emperor Qianlong renamed Urn Mountain as Wanshou Mountain and built many temples and palaces.

While you climb the Longevity Hill, you can see the charming natural scenery and amounts of traditional Chinese buildings from the foot of the hill to the top.

>> Recommended 1-day Beijing Tour to Forbidden City and Summer Palace

Tower of Buddhist Incense

Standing in the center of the front Longevity Hill, it is highest building in the Summer Palace. It is an eight-sided, three-storey, four-feathered pavilion-style building, 41 meters high. You can see a statue of Guanyin inside it.

Pavilion of Precious Clouds

It is located to the west of the Tower of Buddhist Incense. The pavilion was made of bronze, 7.75 meters in height and 207 tons in weight. So, it has another name – Bronze Pavilion.

>> Recommended tour: 7-day Beijing Shanghai Tour

The Long Corridor of the Summer Palace

The corridor is located between the southern foot of Wanshou Mountain and the northern shore of Kunming Lake. It is 728 meters in total length and has 548 pillars. The Long corridor is renowned for its exquisite architecture and extremely rich colorful paintings. It is the longest corridor in ancient Chinese architecture and gardens. Each lintel and beam in the corridor is painted with more than 14,000 colorful pictures, which are bright in color and magnificent. The content of the colored paintings is mostly landscapes, flower-and-bird pictures and plots from the Four Great Classical Novels of China.

Kunming Lake

Kunming Lake is dotted with islands and bridges of various sizes. Among them, the most famous one is the 17-arch Bridge, which is a joint-arch stone bridge spanning between the east dike and the south lake island of Kunming Lake. It is 150 meters long and 8 meters wide, and consists of 17 holes. The pillars on both sides of the bridge are carved with 544 stone lions of different shapes and sizes.

It is fun to take a boat ride to enjoy more stunning views. It is the best choice to boat from the Marble Boat, and then across the lake to the graceful 17-arch Bridge. You will also see Nanhu Island en route.

Suzhou Market Street

It is a royal street for visitors to pretend to buy products and feel Suzhou custom. With the length of 270 meters, all the buildings like various shops, teahouses and restaurants are furnished with classical Chinese furniture. What’s the most interesting part is that all the shop assistants are dressed in the clothes of the Qing dynasty. While strolling in this street, you may feel like you are in China 100 years ago.

When to Visit

Yiheyuan Summer Palace presents itself with different views for different seasons. In spring, you can breathe fresh air in the garden and enjoy different flowers in full bloom. In summer, you will see Summer Palace in a foggy day like a beautiful “water and mountain” Chinese scroll painting. Autumn is the best time strolling around the lake, feeling the gentle breeze, and the whole Summer Palace presents an enthralling view of autumn, which can not only be seen and listened, but also be tasted and felt. In winter, you can relax yourself by skating on the Kunming Lake. >> Read more about Beijing Weather and Best Time to Visit

How to Get To Summer Palace

You can choose subway, bus or taxi to get here.

Arriving at Donggongmen: you can take subway line 4 to Xiyuan station or bus line: 331, 332, 346, 303, 584, night 8

Arriving at the North Palace Gate: you can take the subway line 4 to the North Palace Gate Station, or bus lines: 303, 331, 332, 346, 384, 394, 563, 584, 594, 601, Night 8, Sightseeing Line 3

Travel Tips

1.Bring a map of the garden with you.

2.Hire a tour guide. The recorded audio guide can be hired at any of the four gates of Summer Palace. And you can return the audio guide at any gates. Or, you can choose our professional guide to provide you with better service.

3.Choose the ideal travel routes. You can consult us in detail.

4.If you travel to Summer Palace in winter, please be careful when skating on Kunming Lake.

5. The Summer Palace provides free wheelchair rental services to visitors at six gates: East Palace Gate, New Palace Gate, South Ruyi Gate, West Gate, North Palace Gate and North Ruyi Gate, as well as at the Visitor Center at the East Palace Gate of the Summer Palace. >> Top 5 Tips For Specially-Abled Seniors To Travel To China

Beijing Summer Palace Hotels

Located in the Haidian District of Beijing, there are many hotel options around the Summer Palace, ranging from high-end luxury to budget-friendly for different needs. International high-end luxury hotels include Aman at Summer Palace, Shangri-La Hotel Beijing, and comfortable hotels include Four Points by Sheraton Beijing Haidian.

Customize a Beijing Summer Palace Tour with ETC

Are you planning your Beijing trip? See below for some of our most popular China tour itineraries that include Summer Palace and other best highlights of China:

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