The Summer Palace 颐和园 (Yi He Yuan)

Hours: 8:00-17:00 everyday. 30 yuan ($4) admission in high season. Tourists usually stay two-three hours in it.Hours: 8:00-17:00 everyday. 30 yuan ($4) admission in high season. Tourists usually stay two-three hours in it.

【Interest】 Large royal summer resort and all kinds of traditional architecture. The Summer Palace is the largest Chinese royal garden. It is called"The Summer Palace" Just as its name indicates, the royal family spent their summers here. The Summer Palace was first built in 1750. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi had the resort rebuilt on a larger scale. It was finished in 1898. Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi of Qing Dynasty came here to enjoy the summer every year. Lying about 25 kilometers northwest from the hotel, the Summer Palace consists mainly of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake. Water covers 70% of the area in the park, land the remaining 30%. The Summer Palace began to open to the public in 1924. There was a story about the construction of the Summer Palace. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi ordered the restoration of the park in the name of Emperor Guangxu just for recreation. She defalcated as much as 80,000,000 taels of silver, intended to develop the Chinese naval force, to restore the park. She renamed it "The Summer Palace."

In 1904, the Chinese navy was soundly defeated by the Japanese navy during the Jiawu navy battle. The Qing government was forced to pay out 400,000,000 taels of silver in reparations to the Japanese despite the yearly revenue of the Qing government being only 60,000,000 taels of silver. After the Jiawu navy battle against the Japanese, politicians and historians throughout the ages have debated whether Empress Dowager Cixi should embezzle the navy's funds in order to rebuild the Summer Palace. Many people believe that the loss of funding weakened the Chinese navy resulting in its defeat in the Jiawu naval battle. Others believe that even if the funds had been used for the Chinese navy, it would have been only enough to build a few more warships. It would not have changed the result of the war. China lost the battle because the Qing government was too ineffective. So it seems that to build the Summer Palace is not a bad choice. It provided a great sightseeing for the descendants and the whole world than a few warships. * * * *

We have transportation service to the Summer Palace everyday. Travelers in our hotel should make reservation one day in advance. Travelers in other hotels should make reservation two day in advance. Tour reservation: 879893726 13611129854