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Popular Scenic Spots
Tiananmen Square & Forbidden CitySummer Palace
Temple of Heaven
Ming Tombs
Hutong (traditional part of Beijing)
Beijing Zoo
Lama Temple
Xiushui Market/Silk Market
The Sacred Way
Bird's Nest & Water Cube (Olympic Village)
National Centre of Performing Arts
Olympic Green
Great Wall at Juyongguan (the most magnificent)
Great Wall at Badaling (the most famous)
Great wall at Mutianyu (the prettiest)
Great wall at Simatai (good for hiking)
Great wall at Jinshanling (good for hiking)
Huanghuacheng Great wall (not officially open, steep)
Jiankou Great wall (steepest)
- The Most Popular Scenic Spots
Summer Palace
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The Summer Palace has a history of over 800years.I n 115, when the Jin Dynasty made Beijing (then called Yanjing) its capital, it built an imperial palace (the Golden Hill Palace) on the present site of the Summer Palace, In 1750, Emperor Qianlong spent 4.48 million taels of silver (140,000 kilos of silver) building the Garden of Clear Ripples in 15 years and changed the name of the hill to Longevity Hill to celebrate his mother’s birthday. He also named the lake Kunming because he wanted to follow the example of Emperor Wudi (156BC-87BC; reigned 140BC-87BC) of the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220) who had trained his navy centuries before in Kunming Pool in Chang’an(somewhere near Xi'an today).
The Summer Palace was ravaged by the Allied Forces of the Eight Powers that invaded China in 1900. The damage was repaired in 1902. Ever since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it has been renovated for several times. Dominated mainly by Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, the Summer Palace covers an area of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which is under water. It is well known for its large and priceless collection of cultural relics. The major attractions including the Pavilion of Bright Scenery, the Four Great Regions, the Hall of Serenity, Suzhou Street, the Wenchang Galleries and the Plowing and Weaving Scenery Area have been successively restored.
The Summer Palace is a monument to classical Chinese architecture, in terms of both garden design and construction. In December 1998, it was inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO with the comments as below:
1) The Summer Palace in Beijing is an outstanding expression of the creative art of Chinese landscape garden design, incorporating the works of humankind and nature in a harmonious whole;
2) The Summer Palace epitomizes the philosophy and practice of Chinese garden design, which played a key role in the development of this cultural form throughout the east;
3) The imperial Chinese garden, illustrated by the Summer Palace, is a potent symbol of one of the major world civilizations.At present, the Summer Palace has become one of the top famous tourist attractions in Beijing and China.