Summer Palace

Summer Palace,spreading out 25 kilometers away from the city center in the northwestern suburbs of Beijing,occupies an area of 290 hectares in total,of which three quaters is covered by a lake and the rest the land and hills.The Summer Palace has a history of over 800 years.In 1153,when the Jin Dynasty made Beijing its capital,it was built an imperial palace on the present site of the Summer Palace.In 1750,Emperor Qianlong spent 4.5 (140,000 kilos of silver) million taels of silver building the Garden of Clear Ripples in 15 years and changed the name of the hill to Longevity Hill to celebrate his monther`s birthday.He also named the lake Kunming Lake.Once a summer retreat for emperors, this 716-acre park is still a retreat for the crowd-weary tourist, who can relax here or stroll around ancient pavilions, mansions,temples, bridges and huge lake.Much-loved summer retreat of the Imperial families, the lovely landscaped gardens, halls,pavilions and corridors are set around the lake and rivers in natural harmony.