The predecessor of the Summer Palace, Qingyi Garden, was established in the fifteenth year of the Qianlong reign in Qing Dynasty (1750). It is a large natural garden with Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake as its main part. The Summer Palace is the last royal garden built in the western suburb of Beijing. Unlike other imperial gardens like Yuanmingyuan, Jingyi Garden, and Jingming Garden, which were established by Qianlong's father and grandfather and expanded by Emperor Qianlong, the Summer Palace was planned and built by Emperor Qianlong based on natural landscape layout, embodying his gardening philosophy and aesthetic views.
The planning and construction of the Summer Palace fully reflect the governance strategy of Emperor Qianlong. In the layout of the Summer Palace, the front hill starts with the Dabao’en Yanshou Temple, extending along the mountain to the Foxiang Pavilion and Hall of the Sea of Wisdom, demonstrating Emperor Qianlong’s exemplary practice of filial piety and his aspiration to govern the world with filial piety. The front lake area with the Bronze Ox, Picture of Ploughing and Weaving, and Changguan Hall reflects the fundamental policy of “emphasizing agriculture as the foundation and giving priority to farming and sericulture.” The Four Great Regions in the back hill area were designed based on the Tibetan Buddhist temple of Moye Temple, embodying Emperor Qianlong’s attitude to pacify the Mongolian people.
The Summer Palace symbolizes the characteristics of royal garden, with the front hill and lake area covering a vast area, featuring grand buildings, vibrant colors, and exquisite craftsmanship. It incorporates the delicacy, elegance, comfort, and livability of southern gardens while maintaining the grandeur of royal gardens. This reflect its exceptional garden artistry.
In the tenth year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1860), the Summer Palace was completely destroyed by Anglo-French allied forces. In the mid-reign of Emperor Guangxu of Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi restored this garden, and by the fourteenth year of Guangxu reign (1888), the restoration was completed, maintaining the original layout of Qingyi Garden. It was then renamed the Summer Palace.
Address: No. 19 Xinjian Gongmen Lu (Rd), Haidian, Beijing
Official Website: https://www.summerpalace-china.com/
Ticket Prices:
The Summer Palace Ticket: 30 yuan per ticket (peak season), 20 yuan per ticket (off-peak season)
The Summer Palace Combination Ticket: 60 yuan per ticket (peak season), 50 yuan per ticket (off-peak season)
Garden within the Garden: Dehe Garden 5 yuan per ticket; the Summer Palace Museum 20 yuan per ticket; Foxiang Pavilion 10 yuan per ticket; Suzhou Market Street 10 yuan per ticket
Notes:
1. The combination ticket includes the entrance ticket and the garden within the garden ticket.
2. Entrance tickets, combination tickets, and garden within the garden tickets all have discounted tickets: 15 yuan for entrance tickets, 30 yuan for combination tickets, and half price for garden within the garden discounted tickets.
Opening Hours:
Peak Season (April 1st - October 31st): Opens at 6:00, stops admitting visitors at 19:00, closes at 20:00.
Off-Peak Season (November 1st - March 31st): Opens at 6:30, stops admitting visitors at 18:00, closes at 19:00.
Purchase Link: “Summer Palace” WeChat Mini Program
