Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park is located in Haidian District in Beijing, adjacent to the Summer Palace. It is a theme park with special significance as it is based on the ruins of a celebrated imperial garden.
Yuanmingyuan was the general name for three gardens—the garden of Perfect Brightness (Yuanming), Eternal Spring (Changchun), and Elegant Spring (Qichun). Covering an area of 3.5 square kilometers at its peak, it had over a hundred famous scenic areas. It was built with great care over the course of 150 years, beginning in 1707, during the reigns of emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng. It was well-known all over the world as the "garden of gardens" and a "paragon of gardens worldwide" because of its grand scale, outstanding landscape art, exquisite architecture, and its cultural heritage. On October 18, 1860, while the Palace was occupied by French and British troops, orders were given by Commissioner Lord Elgin to burn the palace, which was carried out over three days leaving the garden destroyed. It fell into ruins, marking a tragic chapter in Chinese history.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the government has attached great importance to the protection and utilization of the ruins. Thanks to years of restoration efforts, the park has taken shape and most of the hills and watershed areas have been restored to their original state. There are hundreds of thousands of lush trees and a gorgeous profusion of seasonal flowers. A few landscaping structures have been rebuilt and restored to their former glory, and some important sites have undergone protective renovation. As a result, a cluster of sites centering on the European Buildings has formed, becoming a beautiful historical and cultural center and tourist favorite.
Add:
No. 28 QINGHUA West Rd, Haidian District, Beijing
Phone:
86-10-62543673
Open:
On season 7:00-18:30 Off season 7:00-17:30
Ticket:
Main Entrance: adult 10 Yuan/person, student 5 Yuan/person (with student certificate): through ticket 25 Yuan/person
Ruins of Western Building: adult 15 Yuan/person, student 5 Yuan/person (with student certificate)
Sand Table: adult 10 Yuan/person, student 5 Yuan/person (with student certificate)
Free ticket: Children shorter than 1.2 meters, retired personnel (with certificate) can have free ticket of the main gate, Ruins of Western Building and san table.
Transportion:
East gate (Changchungong Gate): Take Bus No. 365, 432, 656, 681, 699, 717, 743, 814, 957, 982, Yuntong105, Yuntong205, T4 and get off at YUANMINGYUAN North Gate Station
South gate (Yichunyuan gate): Take Bus No. 319, 320, 331, 432, 438, 498, 628, 664, 690, 696, 697, 826, T6 and get off at YUANMINGYUAN South Gate Station
