Beijing Photo Gallery - Summer Palace

Located in the distant northwest part of the city but now connected by the metro, it's still a long 15km trek to reach the Summer Palace, which should be bundled with nearby Yuan Ming Yuan as an intense half day excursion.

Built as the imperial family's summer retreat, the current layout mostly dates from Emperor Qianlong's era in the 18th century. who commissioned the palace for his mother's 60th birthday in 1750. It was first destroyed by Anglo-French troops in 1860, and rebuilt with funds originally destined to modernize the navy during a time when China was losing wars against foreign countries.

I started at the northern end of the park. After paying a modest admission fee, I was through the gate and soon was above Suzhou Street. This was a "shopping street" created for the Emperor and his entourage to mimick life on the outside, patterned out after Suzhou's canals and architecture.

Next is a gradual climb up the back side of Longevity Hill to the Four Great Regions, a group of Buddhist buildings in the Tibetan style that were rebuilt in 1980. The gardens are laid out with hills and water to create a natural composition with bridges, temples, and halls.

At the top of the hill, I enjoyed views of Kunming Lake and descended back down to a much busier part of the park.