The Summer Palace

While in Beijing, we visited the Summer Palace. You wouldn't know it from the overcast skies, but it was hot outside! The gardens were lovely and the architecture was even more impressive. Below is a bit about the Summer Palace from Beijing's official website...

The initial construction of the Summer Palace began in 1750, commissioned by Emperor Qinglong as a gift for his mother's birthday. The construction took 15 years to complete. It had the name "Qingyi Yuan" (Garden of Clear Ripples) at that time. The plundering of foreign troops in 1860 destroyed most of the buildings, but they were renovated in 1888 by Empress Dowager Cixi, who was said to have embezzled the funds of the Imperial Navy to build the garden. After China's liberation, the garden became a park and got the name Yiheyuan (Summer Palace).
Covering an area of 4,300 mu 290 hectares, the park in Beijing is an outstanding example of imperial gardens.