Beijing's renowned attraction, the Summer Palace, has officially launched its Kunming Lake boat tours on March 16th. With 220 small boats and 12 ferry routes, visitors can now eagerly await the opportunity to experience the pleasure of boating on Kunming Lake, which will become a popular activity in 2024.
On March 17th, a picture taken at the Summer Palace shows peach blossoms along the shore, harmonizing with the boats sailing on Kunming Lake.
On the morning of March 15th, staff from the Haidian Transportation Management Division of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport arrived at the Yulan Hall Pier in the Summer Palace to conduct safety inspections on the soon-to-be-used small boats and piers. Among the three small boat piers, Yulan Hall Pier is the closest to the main tourist area and receives a large number of visitors boarding here each year. The staff from the transportation management division meticulously inspected the life-saving, fire-prevention, mooring equipment, and anti-slip facilities of various types of boats, as well as their life-saving equipment and batteries, ensuring that all preparations and safety measures for the Summer Palace's boat tours were properly in place.
The period around the Qingming Festival is a popular time for people to visit the Summer Palace for leisurely strolls and admire the blooming flowers while boating on the lake, which holds nostalgic memories for many people born in the 1980s and 1990s. Taking a boat tour on Kunming Lake during the summer has also become a unique highlight of visiting the Summer Palace.
In preparation for the 2024 Kunming Lake boat tour season, the Summer Palace has been dedicated to improving service quality and enhancing both software services and hardware facilities. The aim is to meet the diverse needs of citizens and tourists who wish to enjoy water-based sightseeing. For this purpose, twelve ferry routes have been established, covering the main scenic areas of the Summer Palace. The routes include special lakefront tours starting from the Paiyun Gate Pier and the Zaojian Pavilion waters, as well as a summer lotus-viewing route. These additions offer visitors a unique perspective while exploring the Summer Palace from the water.
Last year, the Summer Palace's small boat tours entered the era of 5G technology, enabling visitors to make boat reservations, pay deposits, start boats, and settle payments through a "5G box." This year, the Summer Palace has supplemented an additional 40 small boats, with a total of 220 small boats being deployed at the Yulan Hall, Wenchang Pavilion, and Bafang Pavilion piers. This increase improves the quality of services provided by the small boats in terms of both quantity and standards.
The management of the Summer Palace emphasizes service quality for Kunming Lake boat tours in recent years. Before this year's launch, safety reinforcement measures were completed for the seven boat piers. The piers' flooring was redesigned, safety facilities were updated, the ticket windows at eight main piers were enlarged to improve efficiency, and better communication between visitors and staff was facilitated. Building upon the full 5G coverage achieved by small boats in 2023, all piers and ferry routes now offer comprehensive 5G boat services. Visitors can scan QR codes to purchase tickets and queue for boarding. However, traditional ticket counters are still available for those who prefer offline services. To ensure the safety of boat tours, routine inspections are conducted daily. Each morning, the boat management personnel consult the meteorological report for the day from the weather station. If the wind force exceeds level four (including gusts) or sudden severe weather occurs, boat departures will be suspended.
The management of the Summer Palace reminds visitors that all boats are equipped with life-saving equipment according to the maximum passenger capacity. Visitors are advised to pay attention to safety and use life-saving equipment properly while enjoying the boat tour.
Operating hours for boat tours are as follows:
The small boat piers at Bafang Pavilion, Wenchang Pavilion, and Yulan Hall begin ticket sales at 8:30 am and conclude at 4:30 pm, with the last boat departing at 5:30 pm. Ferry services operate from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm.
In the event of a wind force warning of level four or above, or sudden inclement weather, boat tours in the park will be suspended. Visitors are advised to follow the official Weibo account or check for temporary closure announcements at the entrance and piers so they can plan their visit accordingly. For inquiries, please call 010-62881144.
Translator: ZHANG Bo
Reviewer: TANG Yuxin
