China 2012: Summer Palace

In Beijing, there are two Summer Palaces, the old one that the French and British armies destroyed during 1860 invasion, and the Garden of Clear Ripples (Qingyi Garden) before it was renamed as Summer Palace.
Another name is Yihe Yuan ( literally "Gardens of Nurtured Harmony").

It started to be built in 1750; artisans reproduced the garden architecture styles of various palaces in China. Kunming Lake was created by extending an existing body of water to imitate the West Lake in Hangzhou.

The Summer Palace covers some 2.9 square kilometers, but 2.2 square kilometers are for only the Kunming lake.

The easiest way to access to the Summer Palace is to take the Beigongmen Station on Line 4 of the Beijing Subway, and enter by the north gate.


I found the above maps on the travelchinaguide website

After passing on the long bridge above the Suzhou river, we have to climb among several halls and temples around an abundant nature. What we notice in first place is the style of architecture of these halls and temples: they look like inspired by Tibetan style.