Day Two in Beijing Continues With a Visit to the Summer Palace

As if day one didn't have enough on the agenda, one of the highlights of our stay in Beijing, in addition to Tiananmen Square, will be a visit to the iconic Summer Palace. The huge regal encampment of the Summer Palace is one of the city's principle attractions. Once a playground for the imperial court eluding the insufferable summer swelter of the Forbidden City, today the palace grounds, its temples, gardens, pavilions, lakes and corridors teem with visitors. The site had long been a royal garden and was considerably enlarged and embellished by Qing Emperor Qianlong in the 18th century. Enlisting 100,000 labourers, he deepened and expanded Kunming Lake (Kūnmíng Hú) and reputedly surveyed imperial naval drills from a hilltop perch. Anglo-French troops badly damaged the buildings during the Second Opium War in 1860. Empress Dowager Cixi began a refit in 1888 with money flagged for a modern navy, indulging herself with the extravagant marble boat on the northern edge of the lake! The place is packed in the summer. Beijing residents take full advantage of Kunming Lake, which takes up three-quarters of the park. The graceful 17-arch bridge spans 150m to South Lake Island (Nánhú Dǎo) from the eastern shore of the lake. Cixi visited the island's Dragon King Temple (Lóngwáng Miào) to beseech the temple's statue for rain in times of drought. Of course, reading about the Summer Palace is one thing, but if you'd like to get a closer visual look now, along with some Chinese locals, take a few minutes to enjoy the video below!