Attractions of the Summer Palace

There are many attractions in the Summer Palace. In order to get a better understanding of the attractions, we have divided the Summer Palace into four areas according to the location of the attractions. They are Court Area, Lake Area ,Front-hill Area and Rear-hill Area.

Court Area
			East Palace Gate The East Palace Gate, is the front gate of the Summer Palace.There is a plaque hanging under the eaves of the gateway with three Chinese characters “颐和园” (The Summer Palace）in the calligraphy of Emperor Guangxu.
			Hall of Benevolence and Longevity It was the main hall of Summer Palace.
			Hall of Virtue and Harmony It was designed as a theatre for the Empress Dowager Cixi, and consists of a theater building, and two halls, Yiledian (Hall of Nurtured Joy) and Qingshantang (Hall of Celebrating Benevolence).
			Hall of Jade Ripples It is notable for a historical event -after the failure of the Reform Movement in 1898, Emperor Guangxu, who advocated reform, was put under house arrest here by Empress Dowager Cixi.
			Hall of Joyful Longevity It is a typical Siheyuan (Chinese quadrangles) compound with a courtyard in the center and served as the living quarters for Empress Dowager Cixi during her stay in the Summer Palace.
			Yiyun House The main hall was once the dwelling of the Empress Longyu, Emperor Guangxu’s wife, while the western affiliated hall was home to his beloved concubine Zhen.
			Wenchang Pavilion It is the biggest of the six gate forts in the Summer Palace.
			Wenchang Gallery It is the largest and the most impressive gallery of its kind in any classical Chinese garden.
Lake Area
			Kunming Lake It is a perfect blend of natural scenery and artificial landscape.
			Seventeen-Arch Bridge Like a rainbow over the water, the bridge is the only connection to the South Lake Island.
			Nanhu Island The whole island is edged by laid huge stones and enclosed with carved stone fence. Seen from the distance, the island together with the Seventeen-Arch Bridge looks like a tortoise stretching his neck.
			Marble Boat It is known as the Boat of Purity and Ease (Qing Yan Fǎng) is a lakeside pavilion on the grounds of the Summer Palace.
			West Causeway The long West Causeway stretches from the northwest to the south of the Summer Palace. It divides the lake into three discreet areas each with its own island in the center.
			Bronze Ox East of Kunming Lake, near the 17-Arch Bridge stands a Bronze Ox, it was made in 1755 to control flood. It is a life-sized Ox with inscriptions on its back, the inscriptions were written by Emperor Qianlong.
			Jade Belt Bridge The Jade Belt Bridge is the most well-known of the six bridges on the western shore of Kunming Lake.It is famous for its distinctive tall thin single arch.
Front-hill Area
			Longevity Hill Longevity Hill is a 60-meter-high hill. Together with Kunming Lake, it shapes the basic layout of the imperial garden’s landscape.
			Long Corridor First erected in the middle of the 18th century, it is famous for its length (728 m) in conjunction with its rich painted decoration (more than 14,000 paintings).
			Hall of Dispelling Clouds It is a complex of buildings forming the core part of the scenic area in the foreground of the hill at its center.
			Tower of Buddhist Incense Built on a 21-meter base, the tower has a height of 41 meters, three floors, four eaves and supported by eight pillars. On the base of the tower, you are able to have a bird’s eye view of the Kunming Lake and the surrounding area.
			Baoyun Pavilion It is one of the three best and largest bronze buildings existing in China.
			Hall of the Sea of Wisdom It is designed to stand at the upper end of an axis stretching from the Kunming Lake to the summit.
			Strolling through a Picture Scroll A cluster of compact structures give rise to a perfect combination of rockeries and ancient garden buildings.
			Hall of Utmost Blessing The front of the building is a spacious hall where the Empress Dowager enjoyed watching the moon or the spring showers, and received foreign envoys.
Rear-hill Area
			Garden of Harmonious Interests It has an exquisite design and distinctive layout. Among the gardens of northern China, its style is the most representative of the classical gardens of southern China.
			Suzhou Market Street Running 300 meters along the bank of Rear Lake with an area of 3,000 square meters, Suzhou Market Street used to be called “buy and sell street” during the reign of Emperor Qianlong.
			Four Great Regions Four Great Regions is a complex of classical Tibetan Buddhist buildings and currently the largest in Beijing.