The Summer Palace: Chinese Landscape Storehouse

The Summer Palace in Beijing is perhaps the best preserved imperial garden in the world today, it was rebuilt on the ruins of the Qingyi Yuan, or Garden of Clear Ripples which was completed in the 15th year of the reign of Qianlong of the Oing Dynasty. Later, the Garden of Clear Ripple was burnt down by the imperialist invaders. The dowager empress Cixi had it rebuilt in 1888 and renamed it Yi He Yuan, which has remained to the present day. The garden covers 290 hectares. Indeed, every corner of the Summer Palace presents enchanting picture. Each pavilion, tower, hail corridor or archway, even a rock and a tree embodies the artistic imagination of the architect and the superb skill of the workmen. The imperial garden has witnessed the rise and decline of the feudal regime of the Oing Dynasty, the ups and downs in modern Chinese history.